Shutting Down US Antarctic Research Will Have Global Repercussions

Failing to reach agreement on spending, US legislators closed non-essential government services. The designation reduces employee morale and threatens US contributions to trade, health and scientific endeavors, including Antarctic research. Because of the shutdown, the US National Science Foundation put the program in caretaker status. “The logistical ordeal of transporting people and supplies to Antarctica is an intricately choreographed process, and the departure from the tightly constrained plan will affect an entire season of scientific operations no matter how long the holding pattern lasts,” reports Jeffrey Marlow. Travel to and from the region is not easy; data for multi-year experiments could be missed, although with 29 other nations at the base, projects with international cooperation or private funding proceed. Researchers in the Antarctic are accustomed to harsh conditions, Marlow notes, though “in a place where natural conditions are challenging enough, it’s disheartening that the greatest threat of all is coming from the very system meant to support the Antarctic science in the first place.” – YaleGlobal