Tuesday is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year for us. But for the South African researchers based in Antarctica, it will be little different from the last month as they haven't seen the sun for weeks.
The world's fifth largest continent, Antarctica has an average winter temperature of minus 40°C, with 80 percent of the world's fresh water lying frozen beneath the ice sheet that covers its vast land mass.
South Africa marked the 45th anniversary of its expeditions to the continent on Monday with an official party aboard the South African Agulhas, where the pioneers and young scientists joined Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena in celebrating June 2005 as Antarctica Month.
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The event included a live telephone link to the nine-member team wintering at South Africa's Antarctic research base, artwork by youngsters from the De Le Bat School for the hearing impaired in Worcester, and an audio-visual presentation on the winter solstice by Cape Town weather office meteorologist Keith Moir.
Life in Antarctica becomes very challenging at this time of the year because a 23,5° tilt of the Earth's axis causes the sun to disappear below the horizon, resulting in this southernmost continent experiencing three months without sunshine.
"May 23 was the last time we saw the sun," Jonathan Starke, leader of the nine South African scientists, told Mangena during Monday's link-up.
The South African National Antarctic Expedition (Sanae) team is engaged in several research projects, including the Southern Hemisphere Auroral Radar Experiment (Share) that provides space weather forecasting data.
Starke said they were experiencing a "normal day with -20°C temperatures and 120km/h winds". He told Mangena the research team would celebrate the winter solstice in style - a special dinner that included "roast pork".
Mangena said in his address that South Africa had been engaged with research projects on the vast continent as part of the International Council of Science Unions since 1957. As part of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (Scar), it had sent its first expedition in 1959. The Sanae base in Antarctica was built in 1962.
Underscoring the importance of protecting "this only truly unspoilt natural environment", Mangena said that this was "one of the most important world habitats where global research can still be done to understand global scientific phenomena".
In our quest for information, he added, indigenous Antarctic lifeforms such as ticks, mites, penguins and several species of seals should not be compromised.
"It is the responsibility of researchers to ensure that the survival of these species is not disturbed or threatened."
Mangena said the sustainability of these scientific endeavours would depend on our ability to "enhance our capacity to contribute meaningfully to a global knowledge generation".
This could only be done through developing "a critical mass of science researchers to respond to our social and economic challenges".
To realise this, the department had recently produced an Antarctic research strategy that would "lead towards a national research programme to develop capacity and innovation geared towards economic growth. It will also allow researchers to build partnerships with industry to promote the commercialisation of research."
- This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Argus on June 21, 2005
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