Percentage of seasonal population at the research station 25% 75% N o r w a y C Population in summer l a A categorization of the most recent i m Population in winter research projects in Antarctica Goals of research projects (based on describtion of NSF U.S. Antarctic Program) Projects that are trying to understand the region and its ecosystem Orcadas Station (Argentina) Projects that using the region as a platform to study the upper space i m Signy Station (UK) a and atomosphere l lf Fimbul Ice She Projects that are uncovering the regions’ BASIS OF THE CATEGORIZATION C La SANAE IV Station P r zar effect and repsonse to global processes i n ev a (South Africa) c e Ice such as climate This map categorizes the most recent research projects into three s s Sh n A s t elf i King Sejong Station r i d t (South Korea) Troll Station groups based on the goals of the projects. The three categories tha Syowa Station n Mar (Norway) Pr incess inc (Japan) e Pr ess 14 projects are: projects that are developed to understand the Antarctic g Rag nhi r d e ld Molodezhnaya n c a I Isl Station (Russia) 2 projects A lle n region and its ecosystems, projects that use the region as a oinvi e DRONNING MAUD J s R 3 projects r i a is n L er_Larse G Marambio Station - er R s platform to study the upper atmosphere and space, and (Argentina) ii A R H ENDERBY projects that are uncovering Antarctica’s effects on (and A d Number of research projects M n Mizuho Station sla Halley Station er I i Research stations L ss (Norway) p mes Ro (UK) Na responses to) global processes such as climate. The Great Wall Station A Ja N (China) goals are based on National Science Foundation’s D Melchior Station KEMP LAND Mawson Station (Australia) 100 (Argentina) L COATS LAND explanation about the United States Antarctic Pro- A ar n se t n I a ce S Belgrano II ˚ Dome Fuji Station r he 0 Miles c t lf (Japan) gram. Information about the projects and population i c (Argentina) P Palmer Station e n i n s at the research station are found on each country’s m (USA) u l a MACROBERTSON LAND i elf e Sh a delaid P Ice Antarctic program website. The categorization is A A hner l LM Filc E B s C R e arle L e Ch based on the reviewing the title and overview of A rk Princ N Ron n K D ne e Ice r Ame Shelf Rothera Station Shelf ry Ice the projects listed. U (UK) San Martin Station Zhongshan Station (Argentina) Sky Blu Station (UK) PRINCESS ELIZABETH LAND (China) m Davis Station i (Australia) a Kunlun Station Kunlun station is the l (China) C second newest Chinese e Arturo Parodi Station station built in 2009. It lo- l s in i ta (Chile) Ellsworth Moun cates in Dome A, which is h South Pole South Pole Station C (USA) the highest location in 90˚W 90˚E Antarctica. One of the A ELLSWORTH LAND Mirny Station most important projects b (Russia) b o t Kunlun station has been t I T c r e a conducting is drilling the S W n s h a a QUEEN MARRY LAND e l n Vostok Station l g t core of the oldest ice sheet f r a r e c (Russia) e t i in Antarctica at where the n c M Edgeworth David Base C o (Australia) o station is located. Taking u a n s t A t a into account of Dome A is i u n s S s the one of the windiest 0˚ 8 t MARIE BYRD LAND r and coldest area in Ant- a arctica, the construction Casey Station l lf i G Ross Ice She (Australia) a of the project will be ex- et z I WILKES LAND c E R C tremely challenging. e oss Islan d Sh d e w l lf a a However, the extreme F rd McMurdo Station lo V (USA) i od II m condition did not stop Ra Pe 180 nge nin Antarctic researcher’s s ˚ ula eager to uncover the myth Russkaja Station Mid Point Station ˚ S WHY RESEARCHING THE ANTARCTICA? (Russia) (Italy) 70 hidden under the ancient Antarctica has only been discovered around 200 years ice sheet, and discover ago, but this continent has been formed for 250 million more about the continent. Jang Bogo Station (South Korea) VICTORIA LAND years. This region has the most hostile environment on the Scott Base Station (New Zealand) Sitry Station planet: its lowest temperature reached −129 °F, and approxi- (Italy) GEORGE V LAND mately 98% of the region is covered by thick ice sheets. On ˚ S 60 average, it’s also the windiest and driest place on earth. But with QATES LAND Dumont d'Urville Station (France) less than 150 years of exploration history, we have limited under- standing of this continent comparing to the extensive knowledge we have on other continents. Some people say that the main goals of McMurdo station is the largest research station in Ant- researching this hostile environment are to benefit other part of the regions arctica, established in 1956. It is now a major communi- ty with developed infrastructures such as airports and F by monitoring the climate change or testing new technology in this extreme r a manufactures that supply and support other research sta- n environment, since no one will live here in the long run, actually understanding c tions in Antarctica. It is now also a sightseeing town for e the geography, geology, or ecosystem is not very necessary. However, based on the C the annual visitors from all over the wrold. This commu- l a i nity is also a great example of how the cooperation literature review of 12 Antarctic research stations’ projects summary, the result shows m among Antarctic researchers cooperate under extreme that most research stations in Antarctica have most amounts of projects on understanding conditions to conduct research about Antarctica. It also the Antarctic region. Because, driven by strong curiosity to uncover the unknown, and also for demonstrates how understanding the region and the pos- sibility of the harsh environment is a key to the further further understanding of the role Antarctica plays in relation to other part of the planet, the initial research of the relation between Antarctica and the rest step to understand the region is still the main trend of Antarctic research as reflected from the number of of the planet. projects developed. m i a l C d n a l a e N Z e w Cartographer: Mengyu Liang.