Hypothesis versus fact: August Petermann and polar research

The history of polar exploration has witnessed several conceptions of the c limate, presence of lands, conditions of ice, and currents in the Arctic Oc ean that were hypothetical or based on scarce research data. One such conce ption was the view of the physical geography of polar areas put forward in 1865 by the German geographer and publicist August Petermann, which was bas ed mainly on the findings of English and Russian polar explorers. Although the actual course of polar research disproved Petermann's hypotheses, his c onception not only exerted considerable influence on the development of the theoretical knowledge of polar areas, but also promoted practical steps in Arctic exploration during the second half of the 19th century.