Question:

If Antaractica is pretty uninhabited although ppl do go for research how do they fly there and?

by  |  earlier

0 LIKES UnLike

I assume there are no hotels either. Where do they stay?

 Tags:

   Report

5 ANSWERS


  1. Most of them fly in via CHCH,

    on those huge cargo planes,

    packed in like military planes--

    everyone strapped in en masse.

    There are research and military bases there.

    One of my friends spent several months there as a research assistant with an American team.  She has some really cool stories about the place.  It is another world altogether and everyone there was super careful of the environment.

    It is a brutal yet brilliantly beautiful continent.  I'd love to visit but I don't like the cold.  

    =)


  2. There are lots of base stations and research compounds built there. They fly in on light aircraft and they bring more fuel for the return flight.

  3. There are buildings there where people do research. They fly in on private aircraft.

    And there's no Hilton there...

  4. Apart from scientists, researchers and their support teams, Antarctica is uninhabited (by humans, there's alot of wildlife).

    It's a "Carry-in, Carry-out" place and everything that goes onto the continent, is brought back again at the end of it's life or usefulness. This goes for food scraps, used engine oil, cigarette butts, human waste, dead people (it happens occasionally), drink cans - the lot.

    Mostly people fly in from New Zealand, Australia, or Argentina. All planes have to carry their own fuel for the return journey, there's no topping up the tanks down there.

    The bases are built at strategic places to allow research and are completely self contained as there's almost no going outside during winter. And your can't pop out for a loaf of bread or pint of milk when stocks run out. All the buildings that are inhabited are well insulated against the outside temperatures.

    To get there, you should consider joining  a research team from your country. If you have no scientific skills, sign up as part of the support team, be it as a cook, doctor, mechanic, computer tech or something. Make enquiries with your government's scientific agencies.

  5. There's a hotel for tourists at a place called Patriot Hills, in the Antarctic Peninsula.  You fly down there from Puntas Arenas, in Chile.  Scientists working in Antarctica either go down by ship or fly from Chile, Argentina, NZ or Australia.  The Russians used to fly down from Maputo in Mozambique; I don't know if they still do.  I spent a summer working down in the Ross Dependency, south of NZ and it was fun.  If you get a chance to go, take it.  Going as a tourist is usually very expensive, but I've heard that the Chilean and Argentinian navies take paying visitors on their supply trips to their Antarctic bases, quite cheaply.  If you can think of a research project to work on down there, contact the Enderby Trust in Christchurch NZ; they give scholarships.  The University of Canterbury in Christchurch offer an Antarctic Studies course which includes field work down there.  Otherwise apply to the government departments responsible for Antarctic research in Britain, Australia, NZ, or the National Science Foundation in the US.  Google these.  Not all the workers they employ are scientists.  They also need trades people like builders and mechanics, and catering staff and cleaners.  Good luck.

Question Stats

Latest activity: earlier.
This question has 5 answers.

BECOME A GUIDE

Share your knowledge and help people by answering questions.