Monica Kristensen Solås
Encyclopedia
Monica Kristensen Solås, born , is a Norwegian
glaciologist
, meteorologist
, polar
explorer
and crime novelist. She was born in Torsby
, Sweden
, of Swedish/Norwegian parents, and moved as a child to Kongsvinger
in Norway.
She is a physics
graduate of the University of Tromsø
, and has taken part in many expeditions to the Arctic
and Antarctic
. In 1986–1987 she was leader of an expedition to follow Roald Amundsen
’s route to the South Pole
, but was forced to turn back at 86 degrees south. She did visit the South Pole briefly in February 1992 with fellow glaciologist Heinrich Eggenfellner; while this was a private expedition via small aircraft, she did receive assistance from the Americans at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, including the use of a snowmobile. They pitched a tent at the presumed site of the tent erected by Amundsen in 1911. A further expedition in late December 1993 set out with, among other aims, the intention of finding Amundsen’s tent at the South Pole, and to retrieve it for display at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Norway. This attempt, a traverse using snowmobiles, was abandoned when expedition member Jostein Helgestad was killed in a fall into a crevasse, and the remaining members of the team were rescued by an American search-and-rescue team.
She later worked in northern Norway and on Svalbard
, and in January 2004 she became general secretary of Redningsselskapet (Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning
– the Norwegian Society for Rescue at Sea), a post she held until November 2005.
Solås is the author of many books, including Mot 90 Grader Syd (Towards 90 Degrees South) (1987).
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
glaciologist
Glaciology
Glaciology Glaciology Glaciology (from Middle French dialect (Franco-Provençal): glace, "ice"; or Latin: glacies, "frost, ice"; and Greek: λόγος, logos, "speech" lit...
, meteorologist
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, polar
Polar region
Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles also known as frigid zones. The North Pole and South Pole being the centers, these regions are dominated by the polar ice caps, resting respectively on the Arctic Ocean and the continent of Antarctica...
explorer
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
and crime novelist. She was born in Torsby
Torsby
Torsby is a locality and the seat of Torsby Municipality in Värmland County, Sweden with 4,012 inhabitants in 2005.Fortum Ski Tunnel Torsby, the world's longest ski tunnel, is located in Torsby. Sebra Film is located in Torsby. Football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson and footballer Marcus Berg are...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, of Swedish/Norwegian parents, and moved as a child to Kongsvinger
Kongsvinger
is a town and is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger....
in Norway.
She is a physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
graduate of the University of Tromsø
University of Tromsø
The University of Tromsø is the world's northernmost university. Located in the city of Tromsø, Norway, it was established in 1968, and opened in 1972. It is one of eight universities in Norway. The University of Tromsø is the largest research and educational institution in northern Norway...
, and has taken part in many expeditions to the Arctic
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and Antarctic
Antarctic
The Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
. In 1986–1987 she was leader of an expedition to follow Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
’s route to the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
, but was forced to turn back at 86 degrees south. She did visit the South Pole briefly in February 1992 with fellow glaciologist Heinrich Eggenfellner; while this was a private expedition via small aircraft, she did receive assistance from the Americans at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, including the use of a snowmobile. They pitched a tent at the presumed site of the tent erected by Amundsen in 1911. A further expedition in late December 1993 set out with, among other aims, the intention of finding Amundsen’s tent at the South Pole, and to retrieve it for display at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Norway. This attempt, a traverse using snowmobiles, was abandoned when expedition member Jostein Helgestad was killed in a fall into a crevasse, and the remaining members of the team were rescued by an American search-and-rescue team.
She later worked in northern Norway and on Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
, and in January 2004 she became general secretary of Redningsselskapet (Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning
Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning
The Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue was founded on 9 July 1891...
– the Norwegian Society for Rescue at Sea), a post she held until November 2005.
Solås is the author of many books, including Mot 90 Grader Syd (Towards 90 Degrees South) (1987).