A temperature of 67 degrees Fahrenheit sounds great right about now, but 13 people at the in Antarctica were dealing with a temperature of Աپ67 degrees, all day on July 30. Although they’ve regained some power and heat after the “major technical issue” that shut everything down, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) yesterday that “the staff are having to live and work in extremely difficult conditions.” In fact, they’re making preparations to evacuate to secondary buildings in case it happens again.
bit of a tight spot down here at the moment… RT: “: Read our statement on the power-down: “…
— AntarcticDoc (@jamespwt)
Usually, researchers there are busy studying weather and pollution in relation to the upper atmosphere, but all science at the station has stopped. BAS spokesperson Linda Capper that although power isn’t running at full capacity, all residents of Halley Station are in good health, including the doctor on staff.
Because this happened in the dead of the Antarctic winter, with temperatures nearing what researchers think are record lows, evacuating the staff just isn’t possible for at least a few months. Still, while everyone works to get things in order.
Got internet, lots of tea and a big kettle. Really, what more do you actually need?
— Anthony Lister (@AntAntarctic)
As Capper said, “It’s looking good, but it’s still quite early days.” Let’s hope things keep warming up at the station. If you want to follow how the team is doing firsthand, an engineer () and doctor () working at the station have been tweeting out their experiences (and —hopefully a sign that things aren’t too dire).