Sydney (AFP) – Australia’s permanent sub-Antarctic research base at Macquarie Island has won a reprieve from closure and will instead get a multi-million dollar revamp, the government said Friday.
The Australian Antarctic Division announced in September the station on the island — which lies between Australia and Antarctica — would shut after almost seven decades due to environmental contamination concerns and ageing infrastructure.
But after pressure from researchers and climate scientists, Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said it will instead get a new state-of-the-art facility with the government announcing a Aus$50 million (US$37.8 million) funding boost.
“The new station will be the most advanced of its type in the Southern Ocean, capable of supporting the full range of priority activities we have conducted in the past and to ensure a permanent and recurring year round presence,” he said.
“The new modern station will be significantly more efficient than the existing station and be designed to have minimal environmental impact, lower operating and maintenance costs.”
Due to its position as the only base between Australia and Antarctica, Macquarie Island is an important global monitoring location for scientific research, including tracking southern hemisphere weather and gathering climatic data.
Around 15 researchers man the base year-round, with the numbers rising to 30 in the summer.
The new base is expected to be fully operational by 2021-22.
Several countries have territorial claims on Antarctica — viewed as a potential future source of huge mineral resources — although under a 1949 agreement the frozen continent is designated a scientific preserve.
About 30 nations operate permanent research stations in Antarctica including the US, Russia, Australia, Britain, France and Argentina.