Antarctic gateway cities

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The Antarctic gateway cities are five cities on the rim of the Southern Ocean through which nearly all cargo and personnel bound for Antarctica pass. [1] From west to east, they are Punta Arenas, Chile; Ushuaia, Argentina; Cape Town, South Africa; Hobart, Australia; and Christchurch, New Zealand. As Antarctica is a low-resource environment with no major transportation infrastructure of its own, gateway cities are a necessary part of all Antarctic activities.

Contents

Each of the gateway cities accommodate both planes and ships traveling to Antarctica, and generally service the areas of the continent closest to them. The cities are used by both national Antarctic programs and Antarctic commercial tourism companies, although they differ in how much of each they facilitate. As a result of their status as transportation hubs, the cities also have cultural, economic, ecological, and political connections to Antarctica.

History

Early Antarctic exploration

The Southern Cross docked in Hobart, Australia before its departure for Antarctica, December 17, 1898 Southern Cross Expedition.jpg
The Southern Cross docked in Hobart, Australia before its departure for Antarctica, December 17, 1898

In the 1820s when mainland Antarctica was first discovered, the current gateway cities didn't have the infrastructure to support expeditions so ships departed from more northerly ports such as Valparaíso, Chile and Sydney, Australia. [2] [3] The current gateway cities began establishing themselves as important Antarctic supply hubs around the turn of the 20th Century when several of the most notable Heroic Age expeditions first traveled through them, beginning with the British Southern Cross Expedition in 1898. [4]

Heroic Age Expeditions through Antarctic Gateway Cities
Punta ArenasUshuaiaCape TownHobartChristchurch
  • Discovery Expedition [12] (second supply stop, 1901)
  • Nimrod Expedition [13] (1907)
  • Terra Nova Expedition [8] (second supply stop, 1910)
  • Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition [13] (second supply stop, 1914)

21st century

Though the cities operated almost entirely independently through most of their history as Antarctic gateways, the cities have made efforts to build relationships with one another in the 21st century. In 2009, officials from each city met in Christchurch and signed a "Statement of Intent Between the Southern Rim Gateway Cities to Antarctica" [14] to promote peaceful cooperation among the cities. [15] The statement expired two and a half years later. From 2017 to 2020, an Australian-led project called Antarctic Cities recruited partners from each of the gateway cities to study their relationship with one another and with Antarctica. The project aimed to transition the cities from gateways, which participate in purely transportation activities, to custodial cities, which also participate in Antarctic stewardship activities. [16] If geographic proximity to Antarctica is not considered necessary, other cities could also be called Antarctic gateways or become gateways in the future. For instance, Shanghai has a growing role through the Polar Research Institute of China and could potentially become recognized as a gateway city in the future. [14]

Public relationship to Antarctica

A 2020 survey found that roughly three-quarters of respondents from each of the gateway cities felt Antarctica was "very/fairly important to the city's identity." [17] A majority of respondents also reported feeling "very/fairly responsible for Antarctica's future" [17] and that it was important for their city to develop a relationship with Antarctica to promote better care for the environment. [17] In recent years the cities have seen efforts by municipal officials to promote stronger relationships with the continent, such as Antarctic festivals, education programs for K-12 students, museum exhibits, and public outreach campaigns. [18]

Cities

Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas is located on the Southern Cone near the Antarctic Peninsula. More than 20 national Antarctic programs travel through Punta Arenas, more than any other gateway city. [1] In 2016 the municipal government launched a project to increase infrastructure and promote a cultural connection to Antarctica. [19]

Ushuaia

A view of Ushuaia from the deck of an Antarctic cruise ship Cruise ships in Ushuaia -a.jpg
A view of Ushuaia from the deck of an Antarctic cruise ship

Ushuaia is the most southerly of the gateway cities and is located roughly 1000 km from the Antarctic Peninsula. Ushuaia is by far the most popular gateway city for tourism to Antarctica, accounting for 90% of all tourists to the continent. [18] Nearly all of the passengers departing Ushuaia for Antarctica travel by cruise ship. It services Argentina's own National Antarctic Directorate, but no other national Antarctic program. [20] It is also home to Antarctic-related tourism attractions, such as the Antarctic Museum. [21]

Cape Town

Cape Town is the largest of the gateway cities and the farthest from Antarctica. In addition to South Africa's own national Antarctic program, the programs of Russia, Germany, Belgium, Norway, and Japan also reach Antarctica via Cape Town. [1] As of 2021, tourism company White Desert has offered direct commercial flights from Cape Town to Antarctica. [22]

Hobart

Hobart services the national Antarctic programs of Australia, France, and China. [1] Hobart offers the least transportation to Antarctica among the gateway cities, but has the highest number of Antarctic scientists. [1] It also houses several Antarctic policy and research organizations including the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, the Tasmanian Polar Network, and Antarctica Tasmania. It also hosts Antarctic museum exhibits and an annual Australian Antarctic Festival. [23] [24]

Christchurch

A statue of Robert Falcon Scott in Christchurch. Scott traveled through Christchurch on his Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions. Scott Statue, Christchurch.jpg
A statue of Robert Falcon Scott in Christchurch. Scott traveled through Christchurch on his Discovery and Terra Nova expeditions.

Christchurch offers almost no commercial travel to Antarctica, but it is a logistics center for the national Antarctic programs of New Zealand, the United States, Italy, and South Korea. [1] Christchurch also houses the headquarters for the Council of Members of National Antarctic Programs, an international organization comprising representatives from each of the governmental research programs operating in Antarctica. [25] In addition to its services for national Antarctic programs, Christchurch is home to several locations and events for the local public. These include the International Antarctic Centre, the Christchurch Antarctic Office, an annual Antarctic festival called Days of Ice, and many permanent museum exhibits. [26] [27] The local University of Canterbury houses Gateway Antarctica, a center for Antarctic studies and research. [28]

Related Research Articles

Transport in Antarctica has transformed from explorers crossing the isolated remote area of Antarctica by foot to a more open era due to human technologies enabling more convenient and faster transport, predominantly by air and water, but also by land as well. Transportation technologies on a remote area like Antarctica need to be able to deal with extremely low temperatures and continuous winds to ensure the travelers' safety. Due to the fragility of the Antarctic environment, only a limited amount of transport movements can take place and sustainable transportation technologies have to be used to reduce the ecological footprint. The infrastructure of land, water and air transport needs to be safe and sustainable. Currently thousands of tourists and hundreds of scientists a year depend on the Antarctic transportation system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Antarctica</span>

The history of Antarctica emerges from early Western theories of a vast continent, known as Terra Australis, believed to exist in the far south of the globe. The term Antarctic, referring to the opposite of the Arctic Circle, was coined by Marinus of Tyre in the 2nd century AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Hemisphere</span> Half of Earth that is south of the Equator

The Southern Hemisphere is the half (hemisphere) of Earth that is south of the Equator. It contains all or parts of five continents and four oceans, as well as New Zealand and most of the Pacific Islands in Oceania. Its surface is 80.9% water, compared with 60.7% water in the Northern Hemisphere, and it contains 32.7% of Earth's land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ushuaia</span> City in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Ushuaia, is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of nearly 80,000 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, Ushuaia claims the title of world's southernmost city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southernmost settlements</span> Worlds most southerly settlements

Southernmost settlements are cities, towns, weather stations or permanent military bases which are farther south than latitude 45°S. They are closely related to the Southern Ocean or either the Roaring Forties or Furious Fifties. Antarctic bases are excluded due to not having a permanent population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of New Zealand's links with Antarctica</span>

This is a timeline of the history of New Zealand's involvement with Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Antarctic Program</span> American government initiative

The United States Antarctic Program is an organization of the United States government which has a presence in the Antarctica continent. Founded in 1959, the USAP manages all U.S. scientific research and related logistics in Antarctica as well as aboard ships in the Southern Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown Station</span> Antarctic base

Brown Station is an Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after Admiral William Brown, the father of the Argentine Navy. It is located on Sanavirón Peninsula along Paradise Harbor, Danco Coast, in Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Swan</span> British adventurer

Robert Charles Swan, jOBE, FRGS is the first person to walk to both poles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punta Arenas</span> Place in Magallanes y Antártica Chilena, Chile

Punta Arenas is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, the name was changed back to Punta Arenas in 1938. The city is the largest south of the 46th parallel south and the most populous southernmost city in Chile and the Americas. Due to its location, it is also the coldest coastal city with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Latin America. Punta Arenas is one of the world's most southerly ports and serves as an Antarctic gateway city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hut Point Peninsula</span> Landform on Ross Island, Antarctica

Hut Point Peninsula is a long, narrow peninsula from 3 to 5 km wide and 24 km (15 mi) long, projecting south-west from the slopes of Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica. McMurdo Station (US) and Scott Base (NZ) are Antarctic research stations located on the Hut Point Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Antarctic Centre</span> Antarctic Centre and tourist attraction in Christchurch

The International Antarctic Centre is a visitor attraction and public science discovery centre in the suburb of Harewood, Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located at Christchurch International Airport, adjacent to the buildings that are the Christchurch base for the Antarctic programmes of the USA, New Zealand and Italy.

Cape Royds is a dark rock cape forming the western extremity of Ross Island, facing on McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. It was discovered by the Discovery Expedition (1901–1904) and named for Lieutenant Charles Royds, Royal Navy, who acted as meteorologist on the expedition. Royds subsequently rose to become an Admiral and was later Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, London. There is a hut at Cape Royds built and used by Ernest Shackleton and his team during their 1907–1909 expedition.

MV <i>Explorer</i> (1969) Antarctic Ocean cruise ship, sunk in 2007

The MS Explorer or MV Explorer was a Liberian-registered cruise ship, the first vessel of that kind used specifically to sail the icy waters of the Antarctic Ocean. She was the first cruise ship to sink there, after striking an iceberg on 23 November 2007. All passengers and crew were rescued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Antarctica</span> Religion in Antarctica

Religion in Antarctica is largely dominated by Christianity, with churches being the only religious buildings on the continent. Although used regularly for Christian worship, the Chapel of the Snows has also been used for Buddhist and Baháʼí Faith ceremonies. Some of the early religious buildings are now protected as important historical monuments.

<i>Southern Cross</i> Expedition 1898–1900 research expedition to Antarctica

The Southern CrossExpedition, otherwise known as the British Antarctic Expedition, 1898–1900, was the first British venture of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, and the forerunner of the more celebrated journeys of Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton. The brainchild of the Anglo-Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink, it was the first expedition to over-winter on the Antarctic mainland, the first to visit the Great Ice Barrier—later known as the Ross Ice Shelf—since Sir James Clark Ross's groundbreaking expedition of 1839 to 1843, and the first to effect a landing on the Barrier's surface. It also pioneered the use of dogs and sledges in Antarctic travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antarctica</span> Continent

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14,200,000 km2 (5,500,000 sq mi). Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km (1.2 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melchior Base</span> Antarctic station

Melchior Base is an Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station. It is located on Gamma Island, Melchior Islands, Dallmann Bay, in Palmer Archipelago on Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctic Peninsula.

Students on Ice Foundation is a Canadian charitable organisation that leads educational expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic for international high school and university students. Its mandate is to provide youth, educators and scientists from around the world with learning and teaching opportunities in the polar regions, with the goal of fostering an understanding of, and commitment to building a more sustainable future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Rogan-Finnemore</span> American geologist

Michelle Rogan-Finnemore is a New Zealand-American science administrator, and currently the Executive Secretary of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes (COMNAP) which is the international association which brings together the National Antarctic Programs that make up its members. She is also the namesake of Finnemore Peak.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Salazar, Juan Francisco; James, Paul; Leane, Elizabeth; Magee, Liam (2021). Antarctic Cities: From Gateways to Custodial Cities. Sydney: University of Western Sydney. ISBN   9781741085280.
  2. ↑ "Pat Falvey Beyond Endurance Expeditions & Film Production – Arctic, A…". archive.ph. 2012-07-23. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  3. ↑ "Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen". Antarctic Logistics & Expeditions. 2010-08-28. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  4. ↑ Reader's Digest (1990). Antarctica, the Extraordinary History of Man's Conquest of the Frozen Continent. Reader's Digest. ISBN   0864381670.
  5. ↑ "The Second French Antarctic Expedition 1". Nature. 85 (2147): 257–258. 1910-12-01. Bibcode:1910Natur..85..257.. doi: 10.1038/085257a0 . ISSN   1476-4687. S2CID   29662093.
  6. ↑ Balch, Edwin Swift (1911). "Charcot's Antarctic Explorations". Bulletin of the American Geographical Society. 43 (2): 81–90. doi:10.2307/200126. ISSN   0190-5929. JSTOR   200126.
  7. ↑ Plymouth History Festival (2011). "Discovery Expedition Timeline" (PDF). Plymouth History Fest.
  8. 1 2 "History of Scott's Expedition". Antarctic Heritage Trust. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  9. ↑ "The Southern Cross expedition » Breaking the Ice". Breaking the Ice. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  10. ↑ Macgregor, Colin (2020-06-04). "Heading south: Mawson and the Australasian Antarctic Expedition". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  11. ↑ "Antarctica's Links with Tasmania". www.utas.edu.au. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  12. ↑ "History of Scott's Expedition". Antarctic Heritage Trust. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  13. 1 2 "NZ ports and Antarctica". nzhistory.govt.nz. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  14. 1 2 Chambers, Claire; Sima, Ellen; Laubscher, Laetitia; Turnbull, Morag; Chen, Xu (2016). Antarctic Gateway Cities (Postgraduate Certificate in Antarctic Studies thesis). Gateway Antarctica, University of Canterbury. hdl:10092/14302 – via UC Research Repository.
  15. ↑ "Antarctica agreement signed". RNZ. 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  16. ↑ "Antarctic Cities – Antarctic Cities and the Global Commons" . Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  17. 1 2 3 Leane, Elizabeth; Salazar, Juan Francisco; Marx, Katie; Magee, Liam; Khan, Marina; James, Paul. "Custodians of Antarctica: how 5 gateway cities are embracing the icy continent". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  18. 1 2 "Reimagining Antarctic 'Gateway' Cities". Circles of Sustainability. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  19. ↑ Leane, Elizabeth; Salazar, Juan Francisco; Magee, Liam; James, Paul. "Five cities that could change the future of Antarctica". The Conversation. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  20. ↑ Roldan, Gabriela (February 2011). "Fit for the Ice: Analyzing the Infrastructure in Antarctic Gateway Cities" (PDF). University of Canterbury Research Depository.
  21. ↑ "Museo Antártico Ushuaia". MUSEO MARÍTIMO DE USHUAIA (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  22. ↑ "White Desert introduces direct flights from Cape Town to Antarctica". www.capetownetc.com. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  23. ↑ Services, IT Web. "Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery | Islands to Ice". Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  24. ↑ "Antarctic Festival – Mawson's Huts Foundation" . Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  25. ↑ "Contacts". COMNAP. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  26. ↑ Interactive (https://www.nvinteractive.com), N. V. "About The Christchurch Antarctic Office". www.christchurchnz.com. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  27. ↑ Interactive (https://www.nvinteractive.com), N. V. "Days of Ice Festival - Celebrating Antarctica". www.christchurchnz.com. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  28. ↑ "Gateway Antarctica | College of Science". The University of Canterbury. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
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