Cold Comforts: Antarctic Research Bases Are Seriously Self-Sustaining
1 / 6
Beneke de Wet
ff-antarctica6-f
Sanae IV (South Africa)
Total Length*: 576.44 feet (all three together)
Width: 48.6 feet
Height: 33.6 feet
*This station is comprised of three buildings with slightly different dimensions.
The research station of the South African National Antarctic Expedition, completed in 1997, is the oldest of this new generation. But what it lacks in technology it makes up for in location. The base rests dramatically on top of an outcropping, known as a nunatak, some 800 feet high. The void below acts as a subzero maelstrom, sucking in snow and keeping it from burying the station up above. Furthermore, Sanae's position about 100 miles inland, off the ice, and situated on solid rock makes it ideal for sensitive seismological studies and GPS research. Teams of up to 10 scientists, engineers, mechanics, and doctors do 15-month stints perched here. Call it a lab with a view.
