The New York Times
05 December, 2015
Men from the Russian and Chinese stations travel back to base in a snowmobile, after a party held to welcome a new team to the Uruguay Antarctica Artigas Base, and to say farewell to the team departing after a year’s deployment.
A number of countries, including Chile, Poland and Russia, have set up scientific stations on King George Island in the Antarctic. By the Antarctic Treaty, which came into force in 1961, Antarctica was set aside as a scientific preserve, with freedom of investigation and free intellectual exchange. No country may exploit mineral resources or exert territorial claims. The treaty is currently in force until 2048, but a number of countries have an eye on asserting greater influence before the renewal date. Some are looking to the strategic and commercial possibilities that exist right now, such as iceberg harvesting (Antarctica is estimated to have the biggest reserves of fresh water on the planet), krill fishing, and expanding global navigation abilities.
Daniel Berehulak
A native of Sydney, Australia, and a regular contributor to The New York Times, he has visited more than 60 countries covering history-shaping events, including the Iraq and Afgh...
