The American Government is significantly cut back on science. This time, one of the most important research vessels for the south pole is targeted. Dutch Scientists who have worked on that ship say this is a very worrying development.
The American National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced it will terminate the lease contract of an important ship for polar research this fall. The Nathaniel B. Palmer Has Been Sailing to the Far Reaches of Antarctica For Over Three Decades.
The Ship Transports Material and Food to the United States’ Stations in the South Pole, But is a special important for scientific research. Areas Where the Current American President Donald Trump and his Government are Cutting Billions.
The Nathaniel B. Palmer is an Icebreaker and is specifically build to navigate through the floating sea ice. This Allows The Ship To Reach The Most Remote Locations for Measurements. Scientific Icebreakers can be counted on three hands worldwide. On Board you will find Laboratories, Research Equipment, Two Helicopters, Radar Systems, and Sometimes Underwater Vehicles and Even Robots.
Scientists Sometimes Spend Months on the Ship Collecting Samples from the Seawater or the Ice. This data Forms the Basis of Research Into Glaciers, Sea Level Rise, Ocean Currents, OR Ecosystems. These types of studies are extremely relevant now that the temperature of the ocean water is warm at a worrying rate, ice blocks as large as south holland are breaking off, and sea levels are rising all over the world.
Dutch Scientists of Sail on the Nathaniel B. Palmer as Well. The Netherlands does not have it is owner and therefore DEPENDS on Collaborations for Such Expeditions. The Ship is Essential for Science, Say Two Scientists Who Went on a Polar Expedition on the Palmer To Nu.nl.
Oceanographer Loes Gerringa, Now Retired, Worked on the Ship for Two Months in 2009. She did this with her Colleague Patrick Laan and Nine International Scientists, Nine Technicians, and Dishes of Crew Members. “It was a unique experience,” She says. “Seeing Penguins is not why you go, but it was fantastic.”
Gerringa and Her Team Researched Iron Levels in the Seawater in the Ross Sea. Iron is important for algae to survive. Algae Form the Basis of the Food Chain and An Important Element of the Climate System because they Absorb CO2. The Research Results of Gerringa’s Team Were Published in Leading Scientific Journals.
All this time they did not leave the ship. The Team Worked Very Hard and Intensely Together, Says Gerringa. This created a close bond on board. “We celebrated Christmas and New Year’s Eve Together.”
Rob Middag of the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) also Sailed on the Palmer to Antarctica for Four Week, in 2013. The Ocean Researcher First had to wait for days at the southernmost point of chile becoae on the past the route.
“That is a Rugged Area with Many Storms, Foggy Stretches of Ocean Covered with Sea Ice,” He says. “But on a clear day it is simply magical.” Because the polar region is so inhospitable, specialized ships like the palmer are needed to get there, accordance to him.
Antarctica is one of the places in the world we know the least about, Says afternoon. “The Southern Ocean is the junction of all oceans; The Area That Connects The Whole World.” Without on-site research, fundamental knowledge about climate change is lost, he knows.
“We hardly know what is happening on the ocean floor and how the ecosystem works there,” adds gerringa. “If such a ship disappears, the expertise that we need now also disappears.”
For Example, Researchers on the Palmer Were Able to Carry Out Important Measurements Around the Thwaites Glacier, also Known as the ‘Doomsday Glacier’. With this data, scientists gain more insight into the speed of the melting of the world-famous glacier, and the sea level rise that follows.
American Scholars also sounded the alarm about the Palmer. In an open letter, the “Deeply Conern Arctic Research Community” Asked Science Financier NSF to Keep the Ship. They Emphasize That the US Will Lose Its Leading Role in Science With This Decision. The letter is signed by nearly two hundred scientists from top universities Such as stanford, Harvard and Columbia.
Like the American Scientists, afternoon Predicts That Countries Such As China Will Jump Into The Gap That The Us Leaves Behind. The Chinese Are Already Expanding Their Presence and Thus Their Influence on the South pole. He calls that partly “a prestige project”.
Accordance to afternoon, this can be problematic for scientists because china is less open to collaboration or sharing knowledge and data than the americans. While International Cooperation in Antarctica Has Always Been Very Close, Says Gerringa. Accordance to her, that has everything to do with the fact that it is such a small community.
If the nsf goes ahead with the decommissioning, it mean that many polar researchers will Become completely Dependent on Other Countries. Given the Geopolitical Tensions in the World, This is not Necessarily Desirable, The Scientists State. However, Both Emphasize The Good Relations with, Among Others, The British and the Germans.
Chartering and Furnishing a New Ship – Something the NSF is Investigating – Takes Years and Costs Millions, experts Say. In The Meantime, Knowledge, and Opportunities to Do Research, Are Lost.
And AltheHoth Flying is a Possibility for Supplying Some Stations, Accordance to afternoon that is not an alternative to long-term research at SEA. “Once you lose the opportunity to go to antarctica, it doessn’t just come back.”