... Scott Base, too

Press, 6 October 1977, Page 6

... Scott Base, too

New Zealand will begin one of its largest annual Antarctic research programmes at the week-end when the first Scott Base staff for the season are flown south.

This season’s summer programme is about 30 per cent larger than last year’s and includes 36 events covering a wide range of natural sciences.

About 160 persons will take part, including scientists and support staff. Field parties comprising Deoartment of Scientific and Industrial Research scientists, and university researchers, will work in the Dry Valleys, Victoria Land, Ross Island, and McMurdo Sound. This season will be the first I time that scientists from all six New Zealand universities will be conducting research in Antarctica at one time. During the summer 26 of them will be flown south to begin new projects or continue existing ones. Victoria University has the largest team this season—eight men. Part of the team will study glacial deposits—some up to 250 million years

old—and the rest will investigate rock weathering and glacier movement. A team of five from Waikato University will conduct geochemical studies in the Dry Valley. Two of them hope to spend a short period at the Russian station. Vostok. studying precipitation or snow fall.

Other university groups contain biologists, whose studies include seals, penguins, skua gulls, and various marine life. Canterbury University’s field station at Cape Bird, bn the northern tip of Ross Island, will again be open. This team includes one of the two women among the unii versify parties, the other being with the Otago group. An Auckland University student will study a variety of polar clothing.’ By analysing the exhaled breath of his human subjects he will be able to judge metabolic rates, [reflecting the effectiveness of i the insulation materials [being tried. Eleven New Zelanders will I winter at Scott Base and two 'at the South Pole. They will

maintain a programme of geological and meteorological observations.

A further step in international co-operation in the Antarctic will be made with a New Zealand-Australia reconaissance project, according to Mr N. C. McPherson, executive officer of the D.S.I.R.’s Antarctic Division.

This project will enable much more satisfactory access by the Australians to Casey Base, in Wilkes Land,

Beginning next season, Australian base staff will be flown in to Casey via New Zealand and Scott Base. Mr McPherson described this as the preliminary step towards an Antarctic-wide transport system which would enable scientists to work at the bases of other nations.

Work on the five-year reconstruction project for Scott Base will be limited to site preparation this season. Although the base will house many more persons than it was designed for, the rebuilding itself will wait for next season.