- Antarctica is the only continent discovery so far not reached by coronavirus.
- Thousands of researchers travel there every year during the summer season.
- The region’s ice sheet is a treasure trove of climate data.
One continent on Earth remains untouched by coronavirus.
Antarctica.
Scientists want to keep it that way, so for the most part they skip annual research trips to the region or scale them back.
But they say doing so means sacrificing critical and timely research into climate change.
‘It’s gut wrenching, ”Said Nancy Bertler, Director of the Antarctic Science Platform in New Zealand, National Geographic. “We only have a few years left to make very important changes to prevent the worst effects of climate change, and we can not afford to wait a year.”
(MORE: US COVID-19 infections Top 5 million)
Antarctica has some of the worst conditions on the planet. The nearly 2.5-mile-thick layer of ice that sits beneath the continent is a test record of climate change and environmental impact, according to the British Antarctic Survey. Scientists also monitor ice melting, temperatures and other data to track the past and future of global warming. The ozone hole was first discovered above Antarctica in 1985, drawing the world’s attention to issues such as chemical pollution, atmospheric science and climate change.
Rock drilling operations at Mt. Murphy at Thwaites Glacier by researchers Grant Boeckmann, Seth Campbell, Eliot Moravec, and Brent Goehring. Such operations will stop or scale this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
(Greg Balco / ThwaitesGlacier.org)
The Antarctic research season runs from October to May, which is summer day at the South Pole. Antarctica has no inhabitants, and the only permanent structures consist of 40 or so research stations scattered over barren ice and snow. Those stations support thousands of researchers each year, with limited medical care and complicated supply chains for essential items.
“No nation has the medical facilities to deal with people who are seriously ill, “British Antarctic Survey director Jane Francis told the BBC.
Not only that, but reaching Antarctica usually consists of several legs of traveling by air or ship, as a combination. The journey can often penetrate several countries, something that is not always allowed – if considered – in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
New Zealand, for example, is a major stopover for Antarctic researchers, but also has strict measures in place to keep coronavirus cases low.
More than 20 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide, and some 745,000 people have died. The number of known cases in the US now stands above 5 million, with more than 165,000 dead.
Recent developments
United States of America:
-The North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced Wednesday that it would delay the football season until February, according to WNCN-TV.
-Addition will be drastically reduced at this year’s Kentucky Derby, already postponed from May to September, the Courier Journal reported. Some 23,000 people will be allowed in Churchill Downs for the race, but that is only about 14% of the largest crowd that ever attended the Derby, that was 170,513 people in 2015.
-Two schools in northern Alabama made a last minute change after learning online for at least the first two weeks of school after a person associated with both schools tested positive for COVID-19, WAAY-TV reported. The decision was announced less than 24 hours before school was set for Wednesday. The move affected a total of about 1,200 students at Moulton Middle School and Moulton Elementary in Lawrence County.
-Two people in Tennessee who filed a major house arrest for prosecutors on several counts of violating local emergency health orders, the Tennessean reported. The party, held Aug. 1 in East Nashville, drew hundreds of guests. Police have charged Jeffrey W. Mathews, 36, and Christopher ‘Shi’ Eubank, 40, with hosting the party. Mathews was booked in jail Tuesday afternoon on charges of canceling orders prohibiting large gatherings and ordering the wearing of masks. Police were still waiting for Eubanks to turn himself in, according to The Associated Press.
-The 2020 Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club will take place Nov. 9-15. Being played, without spectators. August chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement Wednesday that club patrons and guests will not will be allowed on the field during the tournament, and all tickets issued this year will be honored in 2021.
-The Big 12 conference announced on Wednesday that it would move forward with football and other college sports in the fall. The Atlantic Coast and Southeast conferences previously made similar announcements, while the Big 10 and Pac-12 said they would not have an autumn sports season. The conferences have the largest university football programs in the entire country and include what is known as the “Power Five.”
Worldwide:
-France is the largest recorded daily increase in cases since May 6, around the time the country demanded coronavirus restrictions, CNN reported.
-In Brazil, Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria to that he test positive for COVID-19. Nearly 640,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Sao Paulo, most from any state or territory in any country, according to Johns Hopkins data. The city of Sao Paulo is one of the largest in the world and the state as a whole has about 44 million inhabitants.
Three students in Melbourne, Australia, were each fined $ 1,200 for violating the doorman’s regulations for walking to McDonald’s overnight, the AP reported. The city is under strict scrutiny to create a recent rise in cases of coronavirus.
For the latest information on coronavirus in your province and a complete list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, visit our dedicated COVID-19 page.
The Water Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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