Patterns of interdisciplinary collaboration resemble biogeochemical relationships in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: a historical social network analysis of science, 1907–2016

Stephen M. Chignell; Adrian Howkins; Poppie Gullett; Andrew G. Fountain

doi:10.33265/polar.v41.8037

Stephen M. Chignell Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Aquatic Ecosystems Research Lab, Vancouver, BC, Canada; and Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8277-4338
Adrian Howkins Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA; and Department of History, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Poppie Gullett Department of History, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Andrew G. Fountain Department of Geology, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA; and Department of Geography, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5299-2273

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v41.8037

Keywords: Critical physical geography, environmental history, history of science, science and technology studies, scientometrics, visual network analysis

Abstract

Co-authorship networks can provide key insights into the production of scientific knowledge. This is particularly interesting in Antarctica, where most human activity relates to scientific research. Bibliometric studies of Antarctic science have provided a useful understanding of international and interdisciplinary collaboration, yet most research has focused on broad-scale analyses over recent time periods. Here, we take advantage of a ‘Goldilocks’ opportunity in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, an internationally important region of Antarctica and the largest ice-free region on the continent. The McMurdo Dry Valleys have attracted continuous and diverse scientific activity since 1958. It is a geographically confined region with limited access, making it possible to evaluate the influence of specific events and individuals. We trace the history of environmental science in this region using bibliometrics and social network analysis. Our results show a marked shift in focus from the geosciences to the biosciences, which mirrors wider trends in the history of science. Collaboration among individuals and academic disciplines increased through time, and the most productive scientists in the network are also the most interdisciplinary. Patterns of collaboration among disciplines resemble the biogeochemical relationships among respective landscape features, raising interesting questions about the role of the material environment in the development of scientific networks in the region, and the dynamic interaction with socio-cultural and political factors. Our focused, historical approach adds nuance to broad-scale bibliometric studies and could be applied to understanding the dynamics of scientific research in other regions of Antarctica and elsewhere.

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