When we hear Antarctica, we probably think of igloos, glaciers, and blizzards. It's a cold and vast wilderness, but it's also a very important location for scientific research. At the moment, there are about 18 countries that operate in Antarctica all throughout the year.
During the Antarctic summers, there can be as many as 10,000 scientists and support staff working there and doing research. In the winter time, that number drops down to about 1,000. Currently, the Rothera Research Station, the largest British facility in Antarctica, is undergoing a construction project to upgrade their runway facilities.
The first thing on their to-do list was to upgrade the runway lighting so that it will be more energy efficient. Then, they proceeded to increasing the length of the runway which was initially at 17m to now 903m. They even added a turn pad. Apart from this, they also adjusted the curve of the runway's surface, to allow for water runoff once the snow thaws.
Despite the extreme weather conditions in Antarctica, scientists say that life can actually be quite comfortable. With the help of accurate weather forecasts, they can know when the snow comes, so that they can prepare for it, and adapt to the changing environment. Once the skies have cleared and the weather lightens up, they can go outside for some snowboarding or boat trips around the continent.
Jimmy Bellis, an engineer and lead project manager for the air infrastructure project with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), says that there's a lot of things they can do for leisure to pass the time when it's impossible to go out as well. They have great food, a library, and board games.
For Anna Jones, an atmospheric chemist who has spent 30 years doing research on the interactions between the atmosphere, snow and ice, and is currently the director of science at BAS, Antarctica is a key element in understanding the earth's climate.
They do several projects on Rothera, like the Defiant project, which conducts experiments on measuring sea ice thickness, and the Southern Ocean Clouds project, which focuses on understanding cloud formation especially over the Antarctic.
(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
17m is rather short for a runway.
umm... I hope not. Maybe people think this? Since the Antarctic is not populated (except for research stations) igloos are definitely the wrong polar region, and would only be found in the Arctic.
Same with polar bears. Polar bears = arctic. Penguins = antarctic.