Ice crack forces British to close Antarctic research station for winter - Action News
Home WebMail Monday, November 11, 2024, 08:01 AM | Calgary | 0.0°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Science

Ice crack forces British to close Antarctic research station for winter

British scientists have decided to close the Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica for the winter amid concerns about safety.

No risk to people currently at the station, British Antarctic Survey says

A big, red module being towed to Halley VIa, the new location of the British Antarctic Survey. ( British Antarctic Survey)

British scientists have decided to close the Halley VI Research Station in Antarctica for the winter amid concerns about safety.

The British Antarctic Survey said Monday that changes to the ice presents "a complexglaciologicalpicture" that causes concern about the shelf on which the station is located in the coming months. The survey says a new crack on the floating Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica will force them to remove people before the Antarctic winter which runs from March to November ends.

A map illustrating the location of the British Antarctic Survey's Halley VI station and its new location. (British Antarctic Survey)

There's no risk to the people currently at the station, but difficulties in evacuating people during the winter prompted scientists to shut the station as a precaution.

The station is a platform for global atmospheric and space weather observation in a climate-sensitive zone.