Why the 'infrastructure PM' can't give Antarctica the cold shoulder
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Please do not remove this page Why the ‘infrastructure PM’ can’t give Antarctica the cold shoulder McCallum, Adrian B https://research.usc.edu.au/discovery/delivery/61USC_INST:ResearchRepository/12126045700002621?l#13127312320002621 McCallum, A. B. (2013). Why the “infrastructure PM” can’t give Antarctica the cold shoulder. The Conversation, 5 December 2013. https://research.usc.edu.au/discovery/fulldisplay/alma99448982602621/61USC_INST:ResearchRepository Document Type: Published Version USC Research Bank: https://research.usc.edu.au research-repository@usc.edu.au CC BY V4.0 Copyright © 2013 The Conversation Media Group. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Downloaded On 2021/02/27 01:49:44 +1000 Please do not remove this page
26/02/2016 Why the 'infrastructure PM' can't give Antarctica the cold shoulder Why the ‘infrastructure PM’ can’t give Antarctica the cold shoulder December 6, 2013 6.35am AEDT Tractors and quad bikes – seen here at Australia’s Mawson Station – are only two of many forms of transport used in Antarctica. Chris Wilson/Australian Antarctic Division Adrian McCallum Lecturer in Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast Prime Minister Tony Abbott recently declared that he wanted to be known as the “infrastructure prime minister”. But what of Australia’s iciest infrastructure – that located in Antarctica? A 20year strategic plan for Australia’s Antarctic future was recently commissioned by the federal government, but it will be another six months before Tony Press, exdirector of the Australian Antarctic Division, reveals his “blueprint”. So what is best practice when it comes to polar infrastructure, and where should Australia be heading to maintain our status as a leader in Antarctic science and operations? Stations The British Antarctic Survey completed construction of their new Halley VI Station on the floating Brunt Ice Shelf, atop the Weddell Sea, East Antarctica in 2012. Because the Brunt Ice Shelf moves towards the sea at hundreds of metres per year, most of the old Halley stations now lie in the Southern Ocean. However, the awardwinning new station, sitting on heightadjustable skis, can be towed inland every ten years or so, avoiding a watery grave. https://theconversation.com/whytheinfrastructurepmcantgiveantarcticathecoldshoulder21059 1/4
26/02/2016 Why the 'infrastructure PM' can't give Antarctica the cold shoulder
Halley VI Research Station British Antarctic Survey
Fortunately, Australia’s stations do not exist in such a dynamic environment. Although Halley
VI was delivered appreciably over budget, along with Belgium’s zeroemission Princess
Elisabeth Station (unmanned and remotely managed during the winter), it provides an
example of the lightweight, modular, “minimal footprint” complexes that are now preferred by
Antarctic operators.
This station further prompts the question: do we even need to man our stations over winter,
caretaking at great expense of diesel fuel and dollars?
Air and sea transport
Australia lays claim to 42% of Antarctica, a vast wedge of the southern continent stretching
east from beneath South Africa to underneath New Zealand, dissected only by a thin wedge
beneath Australia, the French claim.
Retaining strategically imperative access to this expanse means a doublebarrelled
intercontinental transport solution is necessary:
a ship, for distributing heavy cargo to our solely coastal stations
an air system, for rapid transfer of personnel and to locales far inland, away from the
coast.
The South Africans (among others) have recently acquired a
new icebreaker, and with Antarctic sea ice reaching record
extents, Australia must choose wisely.
Australia’s icebreaker, the Aurora Australis, has served us
well for more than 20 years, but repeated southern journeys
take their toll. Icebreaker technology has since advanced
and the vessel is nearing the end of its useful life. Australian icebreaker, Aurora
Australis. dracophylla
A vessel must be commissioned that serves capably as both
an icecapable logistical vessel and a marine science platform. This vessel will provide the
backbone of our logistical framework for some time.
Any air system would logically emanate from Hobart, Australia’s Antarctic “hub”. It should
provide rapid access to one or all of our stations.
But we have learned from our experience with the Wilkins Runway near Casey Station
melting last year: any intercontinental air link should exist immediately next to a station and
https://theconversation.com/whytheinfrastructurepmcantgiveantarcticathecoldshoulder21059 2/426/02/2016 Why the 'infrastructure PM' can't give Antarctica the cold shoulder must be open throughout the summer operational season. A runwaysurface/landinggear configuration should be selected allowing ready use of Antarctica’s most plentiful construction material – snow – rather than relying on isolated patches of suitable ice. A suitable intracontinental system should also be chosen to provide efficient deep field access, ranging between stations and preferably interagency compatibility. Spare parts can be hard to come by down south. Overland transport The United States Antarctic Program recently revolutionised heavy ground transport by using “winterised” standard agricultural tractors running on rubber tracks. In all but the harshest conditions, rubber tracks are much better than metaltracked vehicles (although I did specifically select metal tracks for Sir Ranulph Fiennes‘ aborted Coldest Journey winter crossing of Antarctica in 2013 because of the extreme conditions). Fuel is now typically stored in flexible rubber bladders (or “flubbers”) that along with containers or cabooses, can now be towed on lowfriction polycarbonate sleds. ‘Flubbers’ are used for semipermanent fuel storage and transporting fuel efficiently on lowfriction polycarbonate sleds. Wikimedia Commons This system is fast and efficient and allows transportation of large quantities of fuel (still the lifeblood of current Antarctic stations) from coastal McMurdo Base to the US station at South Pole. Overland efficiencies approach nine times better than that attained with air transport. Many nations have now adopted this protocol and it is where Australia should head. Concurrent with any heavytraverse capability, Australia should be thinking on how best to physically traverse our extensive inland reaches. Snowmobiles have typically been the vehicle of choice for personal snow transport, but they are inefficient and rely on petrol. An airtransportable, dieselfuelled fleet would be more efficient and reduce logistical complexity. The Britishled MoonRegan Expedition recently completed a return journey across Antarctica (some 4,000 km) using a lightweight skiequipped ‘“scout” vehicle in just over 20 days. https://theconversation.com/whytheinfrastructurepmcantgiveantarcticathecoldshoulder21059 3/4
26/02/2016 Why the 'infrastructure PM' can't give Antarctica the cold shoulder Winston Wong BioInspired Ice Vehicle of the MoonRegan TransAntarctic Expedition. MoonRegan TransAntarctic Expedition Perhaps variations on this concept using a poly base, Arctic Trucks or variations on the new Australian Tomcar should be considered as efficient longrange polar patrol vehicles. So who does what? Traditionally, Antarctica has been the preserve of governments with vast budgets, bludgeoning the wilderness into submission, much like the early Himalayan “siege” expeditions. But now, budgets are shrinking, environmentalism is (thankfully) key, and increasingly, private companies such as Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions and Antarctic Logistics Centre International offer logistical services both to and within Antarctica. All Antarctic national states should consider exactly what they need to “own” and how can increased sharing of infrastructural and logistical assets with government and private peers allow increased scientific productivity on reduced government budgets. Dr Press has a lot to consider. I look forward to his report. Tweet30 Share16 Infrastructure Antarctica Antarctic https://theconversation.com/whytheinfrastructurepmcantgiveantarcticathecoldshoulder21059 4/4
You can also read
