Science

The frozen continent and its environment are changing at an unprecedented rate.

At Scott Base, scientists are working to answer some of the most important questions of our time. Their research informs policies that will help plan, prepare for, and protect the future.

Sixty years after Scott Base was established, the high-quality science being carried out here is more important than ever.

The new base has been designed to facilitate world-leading science and will better support local and deep-field science with improved efficiencies.

The proposed base includes wet and dry laboratories, science workspaces, biosecurity facilities, event staging, and storage areas. There is also an external deck for testing equipment or preparing samples for shipments.

Additional infrastructure is also being built to host several long-term science experiments.

The new base had the potential to impact some of the long-term science experiments nearby, so a decision was made to relocate and/or upgrade them in order to maintain the integrity of these important data sets and enhance the quality of data. Some experiments have continued uninterrupted since 1957, with data sets that are considered nationally and internationally significant.

Antarctica New Zealand and members of the science community have been working together to relocate some these long-term science experiments, and additional infrastructure is being built to host several of them.

A number of critical project tasks at Scott Base have already been completed. These works included a geomagnetic survey, the installation of a new meteorological mast, and the installation of a new Soil Climate Station.

Antarctica New Zealand is committed to maintaining the integrity of the long-term data sets and will continue to work with the long-term science community throughout the redevelopment.