Antarctic farce: Huge amounts of money and fuel burned at the global warming altar

Future of Antarctica -- Greener, More Robots : Discovery News

The U.S. spends about $380 million each year to support more than 1,200 scientists and support personnel in Antarctica. The last time officials did this big a review, they decided to build a new base at the South Pole and a one-square kilometer neutrino observatory under the ice cap.

...The biggest question facing scientists now is figuring out how Antarctica is reacting to climate change -- melting glaciers, rising seas and shifting wildlife, for example -- and ways to support more science in a time when funds from Washington will probably not increase.That’s where the robots come in, explained Norm Augustine, chairman of the blue ribbon panel on Antarctica....The station’s generators currently burn six million gallons of fuel to keep the dormitories warm, labs well-lit and winterized airplanes flying across the massive continent.

...That point was driven home recently after a fire two months ago destroyed the Brazilian Antarctic base on an island off the Antarctic Peninsula, killing two sailors who were trying to extinguish the flames. More than 45 scientists -- mainly biologists and oceanographers - lost their work and equipment.The flames were made worse by the dry conditions, high winds, and cold temperatures that froze seawater being pumped through fire hoses.The disaster at the Brazilian base could be a wake-up call for managers of U.S. facilities.