If you guess wintertime is wretched where you live , spare a sentiment for the scientists working on theBritish Antarctic Survey ( BAS ) Halley VI Research Station . During their wintertime , between March and November , they ’re facedwith 24 - hour darkness , piercingly scummy temperatures , and uttermost closing off .
As if things could n’t get more inconvenient , they will soon have to “ derail ship ” and shut down their science laboratory for wintertime succeed fear of an at hand ice snap , the BASannounced on Monday .
The carving - sharpness weather place lives on the 150 - meter - thick ( 492 foot ) drift Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica . Since 2012 , a meshing of GPS instruments has been supervise a threatening sparkler chasm that appear to be spreading twelvemonth on year . fear doubled on Halloween last year when a 2d go issue around 17 kilometers ( 10.5 miles ) from the station . As you could see below , from December 2016 , the methamphetamine hydrochloride shelf ’s edge has been see pretty perilous .
The ice ledge locomote around 0.4 kilometers ( 0.24 Swedish mile ) west towards the ocean each year . At certain intervals , the shelf calves off into little iceberg lettuce . However , the growing crack and recent modification to the ice means the ice ledge ’s stability are becoming progressively difficult to predict and too risky to make any guesses .
An illustrating detailing the move of Halley VI . The BAS is presently almost thoroughgoing with this task . British Antarctic Survey / National Environment Research Council
The BAS said they were planning to pull out their stave for the wintertime between March and November as a precaution , although they say there ’s no contiguous risk to the lab , or its nonmigratory scientists and applied scientist .
The station has been work with the European Space Agency to obtain satellite mental imagery , as well as using footing penetrating radar aerial drone footage in an attempt to understand the nature of the ice crack . However , their extensive information sets and computer models were “ unable to predict with certainty ” what will happen to the ice ledge during this come winter .
The Halley VI research station is posit on this ice ledge in Antarctica because it is a clime - sensitive zone , therefore the perfect place to canvas or record global Earth , atmospheric , and space weather condition . The BAS say they will try out their grueling to retain their farsighted - term scientific data capture , however , some of their smaller or scant - term programs will presumably be forced to stop .
A screenshot from the ethereal pilotless aircraft footage buck on the ice shelf . AntarcticSurvey / YouTube
The BAS was in the physical process ofmoving the whole inquiry station23 km ( 14 mile ) away from the cracking before this new chasm hit , with just one part of the multi - pod station left to move . Judging by this novel development , it look like the move ca n’t come shortly enough .
“ Halley VI Research Station pose on a floating meth shelf . It was plan specifically to move inland if need , ” Captain Tim Stockings , Director of Operations on the place , order ina statement .
" The current work to relocate our post is going very well . This challenging engineering project is scheduled to fill out as planned by other March 2017 . We require to do the right affair for our people , " he uphold . " bestow them home for winter is a prudent precaution give the change that our glaciologists have interpret in the ice ledge in recent month . Our destination is to winterize the station and leave it ready for re - moving in as soon as potential after the south-polar wintertime . ”
