Preface

The objectives of the Plancius Foundation are to give support to scientific research in the fields of biology, geology, archaeology, oceanography and nature protection, next to organizing voyages to nature-reserves and other wild places in the polar regions. Since 1980, projects were carried out on Spitsbergen on behalf of many European universities and institutes. Until 1991, this was done with our own ship, MV Plancius, but from December 1991 onward, when an expedition was undertaken to the Antarctic Peninsula, we sail with the chartered Russion research vessel Professor Molchanov. This is an ice-strengthened ship, so the geografie scope of the voyages could be enlarged to Northeast-Greenland and Franz Josef Land and to the Antarctic.