What about the Antarctic?

[Mohoender]

We have been speaking of Falkland and Greenland but what about the Antarctic?

What do you think all these teams will do while the world burst into flame?

Will they fight among themselves? Will governments spare time and equipment to bring them home? Will Argentina move to seize what it claims to be its own?...

[kato13]

Pretty much empty. Countries wont have the resources to support pure research and not much beyond that goes on there.

[Targan]

I think the Australian Antarctic Division and its New Zealand counterpart would probably evacuate Australia and New Zealand's Antarctic bases once the nukes started flying. They'd probably happily evacuate any allied nation's personnel as well as long as they didn't mind ending up in Australia or New Zealand.

[Rainbow Six]

I think any Antarctic outposts would be abandoned once they stopped getting resupply from the outside World. I was going to mention a possible evacuation of allied nations' settelements by the RAAF / RNZAF but Targan beat me to it. ;)

I actually wouldn't be surprised if sucn an evacuation also agreed to take scientists from Soviet / Warsaw Pact nations...I think the ethos of the Antartctic explorers would be such that those from the allied nations would not wish to see their former colleagues abandoned even if their countries were now enemies. Alternatively, scientists from Pact nations might be evacuated to somewhere in South America?

Either way, I see the Antarctic abandoned by the end of 1997 at the latest.

[Mohoender]

I agree but teams are there permanently. I have the same idea than yours Kato and, as a result, they are on their own. However, that might evolved in an intersting situation. Here are some elements for France.

The region is led by a council of 7 members (appointed for 5 years) and led by a general commissioner to the army.

In Terre Adélie (Antarctic itself), there are 27 people all scientists and highly skilled technicians.

Crozet Islands: 35 people.

Kerguelen Islands: 80 people.

Amsterdam Island: 30 people.

No women are found among the permanent members and these figures double in the summer period (including women this time).

9 french fishing ships are authorized to opperate in the region: Kuerguelen-de-tremarec, Antarctic I, Austral, Albius, Croix-du-sud I, Ile Bourbon, Cap-Kersaint, Cap Horn I and Azmina.

3 Military ships are patrolling the area: Albatros, Floréal et Nivôse.

2 supply ships are opperating there: Marion-Dufresne II and Astrolabe.

1 research ship is also patrolling the area: La Curieuse.

I agree that they might be mostly on their own but I personnally met some of these personnel and I hardly imagine them leaving the area. In addition, there are some good reason to maintain them in place: supply post for shipping, large fishing reserve, algae production and a major sattelite communication center.

[Mohoender]

Erf, I was on the phone. Several post came up in the meantime. As a result, I'm not that convinced about a full evacuation. A partial one is more likely (IMO). If any other nation evacuate, I can imagine the french taking over the entire thing.

[headquarters]

If you had a vessel that could take you out of there when you decided ,why not wait it out ? Eat the reserves and hope that whenever you head back things will have died down ?

If you go back in the middle of a nuclear war you might be better of in a fully stocked permanent base in Antarctia.

But if it meant staying on indefinently - nuclear war might be better ?

[Cdnwolf]

Ummm one big problem... with all those nukes... one side effect will be the rupture of the ozone layer and the enlargement of the hole in it over the Antarctica meaning cancer rates soaring and any outdoor exposure is a no no.

[natehale1971]

Ummm one big problem... with all those nukes... one side effect will be the rupture of the ozone layer and the enlargement of the hole in it over the Antarctica meaning cancer rates soaring and any outdoor exposure is a no no.

I think I read somewhere that researchers had discovered that the 'hole' in the ozone layer only occurs during the 'nightside' periods when the artic or antartic was in their nighttime periods...

[Cdnwolf]

http://www.atomicarchive.com/Docs/Effects/wenw_chp3.shtml

To begin with, a depleted ozone layer would reflect back to the earth's surface less heat than would normally be the case, thus causing a drop in temperature--perhaps enough to produce serious effects on agriculture. Other changes, such as increased amounts of dust or different vegetation, might subsequently reverse this drop in temperature--but on the other hand, it might increase it.

Probably more important, life on earth has largely evolved within the protective ozone shield and is presently adapted rather precisely to the amount of solar ultraviolet which does get through. To defend themselves against this low level of ultraviolet, evolved external shielding (feathers, fur, cuticular waxes on fruit), internal shielding (melanin pigment in human skin, flavenoids in plant tissue), avoidance strategies (plankton migration to greater depths in the daytime, shade-seeking by desert iguanas) and, in almost all organisms but placental mammals, elaborate mechanisms to repair photochemical damage.

It is possible, however, that a major increase in solar ultraviolet might overwhelm the defenses of some and perhaps many terrestrial life forms. Both direct and indirect damage would then occur among the bacteria, insects, plants, and other links in the ecosystems on which human well-being depends. This disruption, particularly if it occurred in the aftermath of a major war involving many other dislocations, could pose a serious additional threat to the recovery of postwar society. The National Academy of Sciences report concludes that in 20 years the ecological systems would have essentially recovered from the increase in ultraviolet radiation--though not necessarily from radioactivity or other damage in areas close to the war zone. However, a delayed effect of the increase in ultraviolet radiation would be an estimated 3 to 30 percent increase in skin cancer for 40 years in the Northern Hemisphere's mid-latitudes.

[kato13]

Some fuel numbers

New Zealand's Scott Base and US McMurdo station combined use 42,100,000 liters of fuel annually. This supports about 700 people on average. 1100 in the Summer and 300 during the winter.

Conversion to solar and wind power did not begin in earnest until 2003.

edit sorry my fuel numbers were off by a factor of 10

An annual sealift by cargo ships as part of Operation Deep Freeze delivers 8 million US gallons (6.6 million imperial gallons/42 million L) of fuel and 11 million pounds (5 million kg) of supplies and equipment for McMurdo residents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Station

[headquarters]

Some fuel numbers

New Zealand's Scott Base and US McMurdo station combined use 42,100,000 liters of fuel annually. This supports about 700 people on average. 1100 in the Summer and 300 during the winter.

Conversion to solar and wind power did not begin in earnest until 2003.

edit sorry my fuel numbers were off by a factor of 10

An annual sealift by cargo ships as part of Operation Deep Freeze delivers 8 million US gallons (6.6 million imperial gallons/42 million L) of fuel and 11 million pounds (5 million kg) of supplies and equipment for McMurdo residents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Station

well the whole trapped in Antarctica scenario is gleaming with gold - no going outside due to ozone layer malfunction , no staying inside unless prepared to face off hundreds of other survivors with dwindling food and fuel supplies..Its a mega horror slasher flick waiting to happen on some gaming table somewhere.

[Targan]

I'm torn as a GM - for gaming purposes it would be cool to have personnel trapped in Antarctic bases but IRL I have to tell you guys I really don't think it is very likely that personnel would voluntarilly stay down there and Australia and New Zealand wouldn't have been hit so hard that they couldn't evacuate their own personnel and the personnel of other bases (allied or otherwise).