Moira Dunbar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isobel Moira Dunbar
FRSC OC
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Moira studying Arctic sea ice maps
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| Born |
Isobel Moira Dunbar
3 February 1918 |
| Died | 22 November 1999 (aged 81) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Education | Cranley School for Girls |
| Alma mater | St Anne's College, Oxford |
| Known for | Arctic Canada from the Air |
| Awards | Massey Medal Meteorological Service of Canada Centennial Award |
Isobel Moira Dunbar (born February 3, 1918 – died November 22, 1999) was an amazing scientist from Scotland and Canada. She was a glaciologist, which means she studied ice and glaciers. Moira was famous for her research on Arctic sea ice, which is the frozen ocean water found in the North Pole region.
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About Moira's Life
Moira Dunbar was born in 1918 in Edinburgh, Scotland. She grew up in different towns like Stornoway and Kilmarnock. She went to Cranley School for Girls. Her father, William John Dunbar, was a well-known lawyer. Her brother, Maxwell, was also a marine biologist, studying sea life.
Moira was very creative! While studying at the University of Oxford, she acted in plays with the Oxford University Drama Society. After getting her degree in Geography, she even toured Great Britain as a professional actor and stage manager. She also loved playing the guitar and piano.
After moving to Canada, Moira continued to learn new things. She became fluent in Russian in 1958, and she also spoke German and French. In 1964, she even traveled to Russia with a government team to see how they broke ice.
Isobel Moira Dunbar passed away on November 22, 1999, in Nepean, Ontario, when she was 81 years old.
Her Education
Moira Dunbar went to Cranley School for Girls in Edinburgh, Scotland, from first grade all the way through high school. She studied geography at St Anne's College at the University of Oxford. She earned her first degree in Geography in 1939 and then a higher degree in Geography in 1948.
Moira's Career in the Arctic
Moira came to Canada in 1947. She found out that the Canadian government needed people who understood geography. She started working for the Joint Intelligence Bureau. Her first big project was helping to put together a book about the Arctic. It had descriptions and photos of the land and sea ice, taken by two pilots from the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Moira studied huge areas of the Arctic that the Air Force mapped. Her work helped Canada add about 5,000 square miles to its known territory!
In 1952, she joined the Defence Research Board. Here, she became an expert in sea-ice and how ships could travel through frozen Arctic waters. In 1954, she wanted to join a Royal Canadian Navy icebreaker ship going to the Arctic. At first, she was told no because women weren't allowed on those ships. But she kept asking! Finally, in 1955, she got permission to join an icebreaker with the Department of Transport.
Moira spent a lot of time on icebreakers and even flew for 560 hours in Royal Canadian Air Force planes. She studied ice formations in the High Arctic. On the icebreakers, she used special radar to see how the ice moved. She took many photos of the ice at different times to figure out its position.
Moira went on many research trips, both flying with the RCAF and traveling on icebreakers. All this experience helped her write many important papers about Arctic sea ice. In 1956, she co-wrote a book called Arctic Canada from the Air with RCAF pilot Keith Greenaway. This book was the first of its kind and is still very important for studying the Arctic.
She also studied how to use radar to research sea ice and helped create standard terms for sea ice. She even wrote about the history of Arctic exploration. In 1964, she investigated how the Soviet Union and Finland broke ice. She also advised on Canada's Arctic hovercraft tests from 1966 to 1969.
In 1976, Moira worked with the Royal Navy. She used radar to map the surface and underside of the Arctic ice. While she flew overhead using lasers to map the ice surface, a submarine called HMS Sovereign mapped the ice from below.
Isobel Moira Dunbar retired in 1978. After retiring, she enjoyed farming and volunteered as a local historian.
Amazing Achievements
Moira Dunbar was one of the first women to fly over the North Pole! She was also the first woman to do scientific research from Canadian icebreaker ships. She was the first person in Canada to successfully use satellite photos to study ice.
Moira knew that Russian scientists had done a lot of great work on sea ice. That's why she learned Russian and became a certified linguist in 1958. In 1969, she was there to see the Arctic test of the biggest icebreaker ever, the SS Manhattan. This ship became the first to cross the Northwest Passage.
Dunbar was also one of the first Arctic scientists to study polynyas. These are open areas of water or thin ice that appear in winter. They form when strong winds from the Arctic Ocean mix with warm water rising from below.
Moira received many awards for her important work. In 1971, she won the Meteorological Service of Canada's Centennial Award. In 1972, she was given the Royal Canadian Geographical Society's Massey Medal for her "excellent work in Arctic geography and sea-ice." She is the only woman to have ever won this medal! She was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1977. She also served as a leader for the Arctic Institute of North America and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
After she passed away, Moira left her property in Limavady, County Londonderry to the Queen’s Foundation. This foundation continues to honor her amazing legacy as a woman in science.
See also
In Spanish: Moira Dunbar para niños
