What It Would Be Like To Live Permanently In Antarctica

It's t only physical challenges but also mental side of living in Antarctica that would make a permanent human settlement re difficult.

On October 25, 1991, I me my first trip to US's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. I vividly remember landing on ice runway onboard a ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules transport.

Upon exiting aircraft, I experienced a blast of cold air that — despite having lived and worked in chilly Alaska — was somehow profoundly different.

temperature was a brisk -53.6 degrees Celsius with a windchill of -75.5 degrees Celsius and a wind speed of 9 kts. physiological altitude was equivalent to being 3,370 metres above sea level.

We were constantly warned to take it easy upon arrival to avoid experiencing any of symptoms of high-altitude sickness, such as pulmonary edemas.

This is one of highest, driest, and coldest places on Earth where humans have a permanent presence.

But living re as a permanent Antarctic resident would be hard, expensive and potentially b for your health — although it does provide a useful analogue for what we might expect on long-duration flights.

Our arrival also marked opening day of station after a long winter where winter-over crew h spent approximately eight months in isolation.

Only Russian Vostok Station is higher in altitude furr up polar plateau, and refore colder, with lowest ever ground temperature of −89.2 degrees Celsius recorded in sourn winter of 1983.

Living in such conditions comes at a price that people pondering an ice change may t be prepared to pay — both physically and mentally.

se stations must bring in all supplies from outside and costs of keeping stations running and ir crews fed and housed are as extreme as environment itself.

Supplies are brought in by plane and sometimes by tractor traverse — or across ice — particularly at Vostok Station.

South Pole station is 1,353 kilometres by air and 1,601km by tractor traverse from McMurdo Station on coast.

Energy has been tritionally provided by diesel generators burning AN8, a jet fuel mixture suited for cold temperatures of Antarctica.

Approximately 1.7 million litres are used at station each year and in 2012 it was estimated that fuel cost between USD 9.25 to USD 10.60 a litre by time it travelled from beginning to end of supply chain. cost has likely increased since.

Fuel is flown in and offloed from LC-130s after being shipped by tankers to McMurdo Station.

So t only is Antarctica high, dry, and cold, it is costly for humans to be re on a permanent basis.

Although coastal Antarctic conditions are t as extreme as middle of continent, it is still cold, windy, subject to storms, and extremely isolated from any human population centres.

sustainability of a permanent settlement with little to outside support would be fraught with problems.

For example, ability to grow food is problematic.

Greenhouses could potentially work, however, during long dark winters grow lights would be needed and grow lights consume energy and energy, in form of fossil fuels, must be brought in from outside.

re is potential for or renewable sources of energy involving wind and solar.

Whereas South Pole is a good candidate for solar during sourn summer, given it has many cloudless days and 24 hours of sunlight, coast of Antarctica is much more subject to cloudy conditions.

Wind may be a reasonable alternative on coast, but extreme cold temperatures are very hard on equipment reby making wind generators challenging to maintain.

Early Antarctic expeditions, such as Roald Amundsen’s South Pole expedition, took vant of marine mammal and bird resources for food during ir winter-over periods.

However, Protocol on Environmental Protection to Antarctic Treaty today prohibits any molestation of flora and fauna.

A more profound question may be why anyone would want to live in Antarctica permanently.

Antarctic research stations are crewed by ults that are a mix of scientists and support personnel, for example mechanics and electricians. y are re for sole purpose of scientific research.

Winter-over crews rotate through on a mostly yearly basis. Social and psychological research has documented a wide variety of psycho-social and physiological stresses experienced by winter-over crew members.

For example, long periods of isolation and confinement can le to increases in tension, anxiety, fatigue and depression.

Research has also found how well people apt to se conditions and seek social support over time can be influenced by ir cultural background.

Indians at Maitri Station reported highest levels of depression, Chinese at Great Wall Station reported highest levels of confusion, whereas Russians at Vostok Station reported highest levels of anxiety in contrast to Americans at South Pole Station who reported lowest.

But it is important to te important role of group dynamics: some winter-over groups do better than ors in terms of group cohesion and this impacts overall levels of depression, confusion and anxiety experienced by crew members.

We can only imagine how se psychological and physiological stressors would play out if people lived permanently on continent.

I have worked with Iñupiaq Alaskan Natives in rthwestern Alaska, and y have a culture that has specifically apted to isolation and extreme environmental conditions. Permanent settlements would equally require emergence of an aptive culture, and all that it entails, in order to survive and flourish.

Antarctica is isolated and hard to get to. Family and friends cant just hop on a plane and visit.

On or hand, re are stations in Antarctica that do have whole family units living, working, and going to school at station.

Both Chile and Argentina have stations that include families in moderate numbers. se stations are on Antarctic Peninsula where conditions are less extreme, and bases are nearer geographically to both Argentina and Chile.

y are closest thing to a 'rmal' community on continent.

Neverless, stations still need significant outside support for supplies, families still miss out on important life events back home, and residents rotate through on a periodic basis so in essence ir stay re is t permanent.

re have been permanent settlements that have existed historically in or extreme and isolated areas — such as South Georgia Island, a British Overseas Territory in sourn Atlantic Ocean.

island has an important historical connection to Antarctica.

As a part of Ernest Shackelton's failed Transantarctic Expedition, he sailed 1,253km from Elephant Island off Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia Island in a small lifeboat to save his crew after ship Endurance was caught in ice and crushed in Weddell Sea, east of Antarctic Peninsula.

Shackelton, one of greatest Antarctic explorers, is buried on South Georgia Island.

re were seven whaling stations on island from 1904 to 1965. island h a community of workers and government officials, some with families. re was a rwegian Luran Church and a meteorology station.

Despite being isolated, a community emerged on island to service whaling industry for well over 60 years, a company town of sorts. island was eventually abandoned following decline of whaling.

Antarctica has a variety of precious minerals and or unexploited natural resources. mining and extraction of se resources would have potential for 'company towns' to emerge, t unlike what happened on South Georgia Island.

Ecomics is a powerful incentive and without constraints emergence of mining settlements in Antarctica would t be beyond realm of possibility.

Under current treaty agreements this is t permissible. 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting could determine if this will still be case in future. (360info.org)

(Except for heline, this story has t been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)