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Emperor penguins have always been curious and social but their ability to frame an excellent video shot was proven when an expeditioner with the Australian Antarctic Division left behind his camera on the ice while inspecting a colony of penguins. The short-legged flightless birds scuttled over to examine the equipment.
(Photo : Pixabay)
The emperor penguins did not push the record button; it was left rolling already. However, the camera was able to capture a humorous 38-second video.
According to the Australian Antarctic Division, it did not take too long for those naturally-curious short-legged birds to seize that tremendous but brief opportunity of taking a selfie.
A multinational science program using the ships of several countries to record zooplankton and krill larvae in the Southern Ocean has just clocked up 30.
Antarctica airport plan criticised by environmentalists
Environmental scientists have criticised Australian plans to build a new airport and 2.7km runway in Antarctica.
Due to weather conditions, flights from Australia to Antarctica are currently only possible at the beginning and end of summer.
The proposed airport - located at the Vestfold Hills in Princess Elizabeth Land - would provide year-long access for scientists and emergency teams to Davis research station, Australia’s most southerly base in Antarctica.
However environmental concerns have been raised, with the scheme likely to involve blasting petrel rookeries, disturbing penguin colonies and encasing a stretch of the wilderness in more than 115,000t of concrete.
Australian Antarctic Division
You might not expect to find carpenters, chefs, or an experienced boilermaker in a hospital operating theatre.
But that’s exactly where one such group of tradies and technicians has been spending their time in Hobart recently… and not only that – they’re bound for Antarctica.
A group of eight expeditioners – scheduled to depart for Mawson and Davis research stations in late January – have completed in intense fortnight of training at the Royal Hobart Hospital.
They’re now equipped to work on the Antarctic stations as Lay Surgical Assistants, on hand and ready to assist each single station doctor in the event of an emergency.
Last modified on Thu 31 Dec 2020 13.10 EST
Australia is planning to build Antarctica’s biggest infrastructure project: a new airport and runway that would increase the human footprint in the world’s greatest wilderness by an estimated 40%.
The mega-scheme is likely to involve blasting petrel rookeries, disturbing penguin colonies and encasing a stretch of the wilderness in more than 115,000 tonnes of concrete.
The government in Canberra says the project on the Vestfold Hills of Princess Elizabeth Land is necessary to provide year-round access for scientists and emergency teams to Davis research station, Australia’s most southerly base in Antarctica. Strategic concerns are also a consideration; Australia is keen to counter China’s growing presence on the frozen southern continent.