KEY POINTS:
Sir Wally Herbert, the first man to cross the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean, has died. He was 72.
The data collected by his expedition during his 1968-69 trip across the Arctic is still used by scientists seeking to measure the melting of the North Pole's ice cap and the effects of climate change.
Sir Wally served with the Royal Engineers in the Middle East from 1951-1954, where he picked up his surveying skills. Taking a route from Alaska to Spitsbergen, he covered the 5980km in 16 months, reaching the North Pole on April 6, 1969. He spent the winter on the frozen ice cap, camping through three months of total darkness.
