The
Discovery Investigations were a series of scientific cruises and shore-based investigations into the biology of whales in the
Southern Ocean. They were funded by the
British Colonial Office and organised by the
Discovery Committee in London, which was formed in 1918. They were intended to provide the scientific background to stock management of the commercial Antarctic whale fishery. The work of the Investigations contributed hugely to our knowledge of the whales, the krill they fed on, and the oceanography of their habitat, while charting the local topography, including
Atherton Peak. The investigations continued until 1951, with the final report being published in 1980.