ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS
Tourism Industry |
Brief news items on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic non-government expedition activities.
ANAN 64 Wednesday, 16 January 2002
News in this edition:
64-01. Aircraft problem strands tourist group at the Pole.
64-02. Pole visit part of two-pronged tourist program.
64-03. Ross Sea ice challenges icebreaker's capabilities.
64-04. Weather delays start of plateau marathon.
64-05. Environmentalists' ship completes whale protest voyage.
64-06. Fuel limits flights; no DML tourist visits this season.
64-07. Unusually heavy ice affects Peninsula yacht operations.
64-08. South Georgia / Sandwich group aims to challenge ham skills.
64-09. Kayakers complete short Peninsula stay.
64-10. Call for improved medical facilities on tourist vessels.
64-11. Solo trans-Antarctic flight under consideration.
64-12. Ultimate Walk 'on track' for planned 2002-03 traverse.
64-13. New Macquarie Island visitors' booklet published.
64-14. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.
AIRCRAFT PROBLEM STRANDS TOURIST GROUP AT THE POLE
[ANAN-64/01]
A group of Russian government officials and tourists was stranded at the South Geographic Pole (SGP) for two days last week after its aircraft developed mechanical problems (see ANAN-64/02 following). The fourteen involved have since been flown from the Pole on US and private aircraft.
Seven of the fourteen who reached the Pole on 8 January are understood to have been tourists from France, Sweden, Switzerland, the Ukraine and the United States. Each is believed to have paid French-based company Polar Circle Expeditions (CERPOLEX) around $US8,000 to take part in the SGP visit. The Russian officials who visited the Pole included Dr Artur Chilingarov, Deputy Chair of the Russian Parliament or Duma.
CERPOLEX has been conducting commercial tour operations to high Arctic regions as far north as the North Geographic Pole each northern summer over the past decade. During that time it has used aircraft and polar expertise from Russia to support those programs, but last week's SGP visit is believed to be its first Antarctic venture. It has been known for some time that the company was interested in "moving south".
Logistics for the SGP visit involved the use of an Ilyushin-76 (IL-76) long-range aircraft between Punta Arenas, Chile, and the blue-ice runway at the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land, and a smaller single-engined Antonov-3 (AN-3) aircraft for a single sortie from there to the Pole and back. The AN-3, however, did not have the range to fly to and from the Pole without refuelling and field support was needed at the Patriot Hills to shelter the Pole-bound group and support personnel. Both Chile and the United States were asked to assist with the venture. Chile subsequently agreed to provide support at its summer field camp in the Patriot Hills, and the US to provide fuel for the AN-3 at Amundsen-Scott station at the Pole.
Media reports in Australia indicate that the AN-3 may not be recoverable. CERPOLEX agreed to provide further details about the operation but that information had not been received by the time that ANAN-64 was distributed.
The group that was stranded at the South Geographic Pole (SGP) last week (see ANAN-64/01 preceding) was taking part in a two-pronged but tightly-linked operation that also included a ship-based tourist visit to the island of South Georgia.
Pre-season planning by the French company Polar Circle Expeditions (CERPOLEX) and their Russian partners, apparently called for the flight to the Pole to take place in the period from 21-24 December, while the visit to South Georgia was to be made on Dutch company Oceanwide's tour ship 'Grigory Mikheev' from 25 December until 2 January.
Given the nature of the air operation, the two weeks allowed for the combined program was potentially tight, and the placement of the more difficult to predict flight to the Pole prior to the voyage, rather than the other way around, was unusual.
Plans for the SGP visit centred on using a large heavy-lift, jet-engined Ilyushin-76 (IL-76) aircraft for flights between Punta Arenas, Chile, to the blue-ice runway at the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land, and a smaller AN-3 for the round-trip from there to the Pole and back. The IL-76 was a different aircraft from the one being used by US-owned commercial tour operator Adventure Network International (ANI) this season on the Punta-Patriot flight route (ANAN-60/04, 21 November 2001).
CERPOLEX's IL-76's first flight south from Punta Arenas was to deliver the de-winged AN-3 and fuel to the Patriot Hills, the smaller aircraft being re-assembled and refuelled there while the IL-76 flew back to Chile to pick-up the government-tourist group. On their return from the Pole the passengers were to have been flown to Stanley in the Falkland Islands on the waiting IL-76 to embark on the 'Mikheev', before the IL-76 returned south a third time to retrieve the AN-3.
Those plans had to be altered due to poor weather. In the two-and-a-half week period from 20 December until 6 January low cloud and wind in the Patriot Hills area prevented either of the IL-76s from making any flights there. As a result, the decision was made to fly the CERPOLEX group to the Falkland Islands on the 25th where they boarded the 'Mikheev' for the nine-day voyage to South Georgia. The ship visited the island for three days just before New Year and returned to Stanley on 2 January.
After arrival at Stanley the party was flown back from the Falklands to Punta Arenas and the AN-3 was finally deployed at the Patriot Hills on 6 January, its SGP-bound passengers following shortly after. They eventually reached the Pole via the AN-3 two days later - almost three weeks later than originally planned.
At the Pole the party was provided with a tour of Amundsen-Scott station, the presence of Dr Artur Chilingarov, the Deputy Chair of the Russian Parliament, resulting in them being accorded 'very important person' status by station personnel. A report in the 'Moscow Times' the next day said that President Putin had congratulated Dr Chilingarov on his "achievement of reaching the Pole".
After three-hours the group boarded their aircraft for the flight north to the Patriot Hills but the plane could not be started. The stranded group was subsequently housed and fed at Amundsen-Scott, most sleeping on the floor of the station gymnasium. The fault with the AN-3 could not be fixed and arrangements were made to fly the fourteen from the Pole on 10 January.
Dr Chilingarov and his government colleagues travelled to McMurdo station on Ross Island and then on to New Zealand via an US national program aircraft. The fare-paying tourists flew back to the Patriot Hills on commercial air operator Adventure Network International's (ANI) chartered 'Basler 67' aircraft which happened to be visiting the Pole that day with nine of that company's own tourists. The tourists have since been flown back to Punta Arenas, although whether it was on the CERPOLEX or the ANI IL-76 is not known at this time.
The AN-3 remains at the Pole and initial reports indicate that it is not expected to be returned from there until the 2002-03 season. Who owns the aircraft and just how it will be retrieved are also unknown at this stage.
A number of Russian organised groups have conducted, or attempted to conduct, tourist and adventure activities in the Weddell Sea sector of the continent over the last two years with mixed success. The 'Millennium Expedition' operated from the Patriot Hills during the 1999-2000 season (ANAN-14/02, 2 February 2000), but the proposed 'International Complex Expedition to the South Pole', which was scheduled for 2000-01, failed to materialise (ANAN-39/01, 17 January 2001).
Images of the AN-3 at the Pole are currently available on New Zealander Steven McLachlan's web site at: http://www.newzeal.com/theme/bases/SP/2002/Antonov3.htm.
Heavy ice conditions in the McMurdo Sound region of the Ross Sea challenged the tourist ship 'Kapitan Khlebnikov' during its first visit of the season there earlier this month, although all landings planned in the immediate region were made. Reports from the ship, one of only two tourist vessels currently working in Antarctica that is a true ice-breaker, say that seasonal ice conditions in the south-west corner of the Ross Sea were the worst the vessel has encountered since it first visited there in 1992.
While sea-ice conditions have eased a little from those that were present last November (ANAN-61/02, 5 December 2001), satellite images and ice reports indicate that the very large B15A and C16 icebergs are still in the same location and that the area south of the Drygalski Ice Tongue remains an area of heavy ice.
'Khlebnikov' apparently found it impossible to sail directly south from the ice tongue on 6 January due to the presence of very big floes and broken fast ice. At the time, the northern tip of B15A was located very close to Franklin Island and a narrow band of open water to the west of the iceberg ran south from there towards Beaufort and Ross Islands. The vessel followed that lead southwards but off Cape Royds, however, "very difficult, very heavy multi-year fast-ice" was encountered, and despite using all of its six engines, it took the ship 16 hours to break 27 km in towards McMurdo station.
While in the McMurdo area the ship's helicopters were used to deploy passengers to the historic huts in the region, to the US and New Zealand national program stations on Ross Island, and to the Dry Valleys of Victoria Land. The only scheduled location not visited was the Bay of Whales at the eastern end of the Ross Ice Shelf. While a visit there would have been possible, the location of B15 and the slowness of operations in the McMurdo area meant that there was insufficient time left on the schedule for it to be undertaken.
'Khelebnikov' is scheduled to arrive in Lyttleton, New Zealand, over the coming weekend to complete its current voyage. It will return to the Ross Island area on its last tourist voyage of the current season during the last days of this month. The ship visited the north-western area of the Ross Sea in December, that voyage focussing on Emperor penguin colonies in the region north of Terra Nova Bay. The second tour ship operating in the Ross Sea region this austral summer, the 'Akademic Shokalskiy', is currently approaching the Cape Adare region on the first of two voyages to the Ross Sea scheduled over the next month.
Unlike 'Khlebnikov', the 'Shokalskiy' is not an ice-breaker and does not carry helicopters. She may therefore find it difficult to get within operational range of either the historic huts or national program stations on Ross Island. 'Shokalskiy' is due back in Bluff, New Zealand, at the end of the current voyage on 2 February and is listed for a return to the Ross Sea for a second time in mid-February.
US national program researchers have reported that the presence of the two large icebergs, and the effect that they have had on sea ice conditions north of Ross Island, have had a significant impact on penguin colonies in the region this austral summer. The small colony of Emperor penguins at Cape Crozier has failed to raise any chicks, while Adelie penguin numbers there have fallen and a smaller Adelie colony at Cape Royds is not expected to produce any young at all this year (see also ANAN-64/07 following).
A long period of bad weather has delayed the start of the marathon that was originally scheduled to get underway on the Antarctic plateau near the South Geographic Pole (SGP) on 8 January (ANAN-63/07, 2 January 2002). The runners were flown into race organiser Adventure Network International's Patriot Hills field camp near latitude 80° south from Punta Arenas, Chile, on 6 January, but low cloud and whiteout has so far prevented them being flown on to the race's starting point located 1,000 km further south.
At least six runners, ranging in age from 29 to 55 are believed to be taking part in the event. One is from Ireland, two from Germany and three are from the United States. In the ten days since their arrival in the Patriot Hills, and despite the generally poor weather, the group has been undertaking training runs of up to 8 km to prepare themselves for the race. Most have indicated that they have found running in the conditions a considerable challenge, with several saying that they have been taking twice as long to run reasonably short distances there compared with their times at home. On that basis, the marathon itself may take at least 5-6 hours to complete, or perhaps longer given that it will be run at a higher elevation that is close to 3,000 m.
When the weather clears, the runners are to be flown to the forward base camp at the race start line, 42 km from the Pole where they are to spend 2 to 3 days acclimatising to the thinner air prior to the event commencing. Even if the weather improves soon, it appears unlikely that the race will get under way much before the coming weekend.
Temperatures at the SGP over the last few weeks have been in the order of -20° to -26°C, with wind chill producing conditions equivalent to around -30° to -35°C.
'Arctic Sunrise', the Greenpeace ship that confronted a Japanese-owned whaling fleet off the coast of East Antarctica last month, is expected to arrive in Melbourne, Australia, later this week after a seven-week voyage from Cape Town, South Africa.
After just over a week spent harassing the fleet in December, 'Arctic Sunrise' lost track of the five ships on 23 December (ANAN-63/05, 2 January 2002). It found them again, however, on 4 January north-east of Princess Elizabeth Land, but little time was spent with the fleet on that occasion, the environmental group breaking away within a day to start the voyage to Melbourne. Pre-voyage planning also called for 'Arctic Sunrise' to visit national program stations on the coast of Prydz Bay while it was in the area, but this did not occur.
It is not clear whether the ship will now return to southern waters again this austral summer. In past seasons, the Group's whaling protest voyage has been followed by one that targets pirate fishing operations. The choice of Melbourne as the port to end Arctic Sunrise's current voyage suggests that even if the ship does go south again in the next few weeks, it may not visit sub-Antarctic waters in the southern Indian Ocean, a region targeted by pirate fishermen in recent years (ANAN-45/01, 25 April 2001).
The whaling fleet is expected to continue its catching operations off the East Antarctic coast until March and is due back in Japan in April. This is the fifteenth season that this particular fleet has operated in Antarctic waters.
The cancellation of one of two intercontinental flights to Dronning Maud Land (DML) from Cape Town, South Africa, that had been planned for late January has meant that tourists will now not fly to that region this austral summer.
Organisers had originally allowed places for up to 40 tourists across the two January flights, the basic aim of which was to provide a quick intercontinental air link for national programs that operate in the DML region. The tourist clients, who were being offered the chance to fly south for only $US2,500, were to have "tested out" field camps that are to be used to support a larger tourist operation in 2002-03 (ANAN-61/01, 5 December 2001).
Antarctic Logistics Centre International (ALCI) which operates the DML air link, says that the decision to cancel one of the late January flights was made as a result of heavier than expected fuel usage associated with the inaugural flight of the new venture early last month (ANAN-62/07, 19 December 2001).
According to ACLI, 40 drums more fuel were used for the intra-continental phase of that operation than had been allowed for. That phase involved transferring national program personnel from the blue-ice runway inland of Russia's Novolazerevsksya station (where the intercontinental flights land) to field stations located around the DML region.
John Sparks of South African company Transworld Travel, ALCI's agents for the tourist part of the DML flight operation, told ANAN yesterday that both his company and ALCI were very disappointed but that the tourist activity had always been the "second priority [for the operation] this season, and that "safety must always come first". He went on to stress, however, that both companies are "very excited and confident" about the tourist operation in 2002-03 and that "all [of] the requirements [for that season] will be shipped down to the Antarctic [this coming] April".
The Ilyushin-76 aircraft that is to be used for the flight on 25 January to Cape Town is "fully booked" and will return the national program personnel from several countries who ACLI flew south on 6 December.
Unusually heavy ice conditions in the southern Gerlache Strait, Lemaire Channel and Penola Strait regions of the Antarctic Peninsula in the lead up to the New Year have presented problems for yachts operating in that area over the last six weeks.
A report from the 16-m steel sloop 'Sarah W. Vorwerk', which has been conducting commercial tour operations in the Antarctic Peninsula region since 1995, indicates that it took two attempts to travel south down the Lemaire Channel earlier this month. Just south of there, ice conditions were so difficult that visits planned to places such as Petermann Island, Ukraine's Vernadsky Station, and the Antarctic Circle had to be cancelled.
The expedition yacht 'John Laing' also reported problems with ice in the southern Gerlache Strait in mid-December (ANAN-63/06, 2 January 2002).
Vorwerk's skipper, Henk Boersma, told ANAN this week that the ice conditions he experienced south of Gerlache Strait were the heaviest he has seen at this time of the year in the seven seasons he has operated his yacht in the Peninsula region (ANAN-31/02, 27 September 2000). He said that the sea-ice and heavy snowfalls on shore are likely to have a significant impact on the breeding success of penguins this season (see also ANAN-64/03 preceeding).
Boersma's yacht is current on its way north to Ushuaia on what is the second of three voyages it is conducting in the region in 2001-02. Despite problems with ice south of Lemaire, the voyage is reported to have gone well. Vorwerk's first voyage of the season was to South Georgia in October-November, while the third involves another Peninsula operation from late January until early March.
Further information about the yacht and its voyages is available at: http://www.sarahvorwerk.com.
The ham radio expedition that plans to operate in the South Georgia / South Sandwich Islands region over the next three weeks is to keep the exact timing of its transmitting operations under wraps until they commence, according to a recent edition of the ham radio internet newsletter '425 DX'.
The newsletter says that unlike similar sub-Antarctic ventures in recent years, the twelve radio enthusiasts on their ship the 'Braveheart' will have "no web sites, no on-line logs, no pilots and no promises of any bands or modes" and that this "DXpedition is not about QSO [number of contacts made] totals". One of the organisers was quoted by '425 DX' as saying that "due to heavy environmental and [other] restrictions" placed on expedition operations on shore [its] operators will have ultra-light generators, simple antennas and [use] low power".
He went on to stress that as a result of the equipment limitations the group will be "presenting the [ham radio] community with much more of a challenge" than has been the case in the recent past as signal transmissions will be of lower strength. "We feel that DXers need to get back to basics and work harder, so this time the burden of working the [ex]pedition is being shifted back to operators listening around the world", the spokesman said.
'Braveheart' is believed to have left Stanley in the Falkland Island late last week, although that has yet to be confirmed. The ship is heading first to Southern Thule in the South Sandwich Islands before the visit to South Georgia is made, rather than the other way around as previously reported (ANAN-59/01, 14 November 2001). Weather permitting, the expedition anticipates being at Southern Thule for four days starting this coming weekend and at South Georgia for around ten days from 26 January.
Three kayakers who stayed in the Antarctic Peninsula area between successive voyages to the region by the tourist vessel 'Polar Star', rejoined the ship on 11 January after nine days spent kayaking around, and hiking on, Cuverville Island off the Danco Land coast (ANAN-63/08, 2 January 2002).
Ice conditions in the southern Gerlache Strait and the Lemaire Channel apparently prevented the three women from being deployed in that area as originally targeted (see ANAN-64/07 preceding), and the decision was made to transfer their off-ship operations further to the north.
The trio, Liv Arnesen, Ann Bancroft and Pam Arnold, established their tent camp on the island on 2 January. During their time there the three women made day-trips from the camp by kayak and on foot as the weather allowed. Reports indicate that they circumnavigated the island and climbed to its higher reaches on several occasions. All three arrived back in Ushuaia, Argentina, on the 'Polar Star' on 15 January.
CALL FOR IMPROVED MEDICAL FACILITIES ON TOURIST VESSELS
[ANAN-64/10]
Medical facilities on Antarctic tour ships should be improved and the screening and education of passengers up-graded, according to comments in a paper published in the December edition of the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA). The author of the paper, Dr Paul Lamberth, makes these points in a report that focuses on factors that led to the death of an 82-year-old tourist on the vessel 'Akademic Sergei Valivov' in January 1999.
Lamberth, an experienced emergency physician, says that the prime cause of the tourist's death was a pre-existing medical condition. The deceased, who was a retired physician, had apparently failed to disclose what was a serious illness as required as part of standard booking and acceptance procedures required by most tour operators.
According to the paper, the man (who was the sole occupant of his cabin) experienced serious problems six days after 'Vavilov' reached the Antarctic Peninsula while on a standard tourist voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina. On day six of the voyage his condition was such that an evacuation by air from Chile's airfield on King George Island (KGI) was organised. Poor weather forced the abandonment of the medivac and the ship headed for Ushuaia, but the man died just sixteen hours before arrival there.
In Lamberth's view the death raises a number of issues, including the range of medical stocks that are provided on tour ships, the need for improved screening and education of prospective passengers, and better surveillance for passengers who travel alone. Newspapers in several countries have carried basic reports on the MJA paper, however, the fact that the incident took place three years ago was not generally made clear to readers.
Dr Chris Curry, the current Medical Director of US-based Quark Expeditions, the company that was operating 'Vavilov, believes that all that was possible was done at the time to assist the man, and says that in the three years since the death medical services on the company's four ships have been further up-graded.
Curry, who has taken part in six tourist voyages to Antarctica since 1995, told ANAN that in addition to Dr Lamberth, Vavilov' had a Russian doctor who was in charge of the ship's hospital and that this facility was stocked with adequate medical supplies, including additional items supplied by Quark itself. Fundamentially, the failure of the man to disclose his illness contributed significantly to his death in Antarctica, he said.
Both Dr Curry and other experienced Antarctic medical practitioners contacted by ANAN stressed that there are, as in other remote areas of the world, real limits to the level of medical services that can be provided to those who visit Antarctica, a factor that also applies to government operators to some degree. Because of this, Quark, like most tour operators, screens medical reports provided by prospective clients before accepting them for voyages. Dr Curry says that Quark has up-graded its medical forms and that they now cover "all the matters raised by Paul [Lamberth]" in the MJA paper and require, as in the past, that each individual's personal physician indicate that their patient is fit enough to travel to Antarctica.
While he considers such screening to be of fundamental importance, Dr Curry says that there are a number of problems involved. These include what he says is the "collusion" of some doctors and their patients to ensure that the information provided is such that a passenger is "not denied a trip", and the development of a "strong lobby", particularly in the United States (origin of half of all ship-based tourists) (ANAN-53/03, 15 August 2001), that is "fighting for equal travel opportunities for the disabled and infirm".
In addition to up-grading its own systems, Quark has been working within the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) to promote improved medical services industry-wide. Dr Curry produced a recommendation "Minimum (medical) Inventory" for small expedition ships that was distributed to members of IAATO two years ago, and he is working to promote further industry-wide collaboration aimed at an improved level of medical service for tourists who visit Antarctica.
The full text of Dr Lamberth's article is available on line at the MJA's web site: http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/175_12_171201/lamberth/lamberth.html
SOLO TRANS-ANTARCTIC FLIGHT UNDER CONSIDERATION
[ANAN-64/11]
UK based pilot Polly Vacher is understood to be investigating the possibility of flying solo across Antarctica in a single-engined aircraft in 2003-04 as part of a mooted around-the-world journey via both Geographic Poles.
Vacher, a commercial pilot, has a number of long-distance solo flights to her credit. She flew a Piper Dakota aircraft across the North Atlantic in 1997, and piloted the same aircraft around the world eighteen months ago (http://www.worldwings.org).
Planning for the trans-Polar flight is believed to be in its early stages. Its tentative itinerary includes flying from the UK in September 2003, up over the North Geographic Pole, then down the Americas to Punta Arenas, Chile, from where the journey across Antarctica would, if arranged, begin late in the year.
The first leg from Punta Arenas would probably involve flying to Chile's Tenente Marsh airfield on King George Island. From there the journey to the South Geographic Pole (SGP) would be undertaken as weather permits. Several routes north from the SGP are believed to be under consideration, one being to New Zealand via Ross Island, and the other to Australia possibly via Casey station on the coast of Wilkes Land. How the aircraft would then return from there to the UK is not clear, however.
The type of aircraft to be used should the flight actually proceed has not yet been decided. It is understood that for the trans-Antarctic flight to occur fuel would have to be provided at several national program stations on the continent, and that runways suitable for a wheeled aircraft would be needed.
The provision of fuel at the stations, and the acquisition of search and rescue cover for the long flight across Antarctica and the trans-ocean legs to either New Zealand or Australia, would appear to be the major obstacles facing Vacher in obtaining support for her proposed venture. It is not known if relevant national program authorities have been contacted yet regarding the proposal.
ULTIMATE WALK 'ON TRACK' FOR PLANNED 2002-03 TRAVERSE
[ANAN-64/12]
The 'Ultimate Walk to Cure Diabetes' expedition, which plans to conduct a traverse from Hercules Inlet in Ellsworth Land to the South Geographic Pole late this year, says that fund raising is going well and that the venture is still "on track" to commence next November.
Will Cross from the U.K., who is a Type 1 diabetic, and Jerry Petersen from the US, are proposing to make what they anticipate will be a sixty-day trek in order to raise money for research into Type 1 diabetes as well as raise awareness of the disease. Two air-supported depots of food and fuel are to be established along the 1,100-km route, and two other trekkers are to join the pair at latitude 88° south for the final push to the Pole (ANAN-47/03, 23 May 2001).
Cross told ANAN last week that his group has raised about a third of the $US400,000 needed for the venture, and that they are about to recommence fund raising efforts after "backing off" because of the negative psychological and economic impacts on businesses of the events of 11 September. Expedition plans call for US-based tour operator Adventure Network International to provide logistic support for the traverse's activities.
NEW MACQUARIE ISLAND VISITORS' BOOKLET PUBLISHED
[ANAN-64/13]
A new, completely revised, full-colour edition of the booklet that is provided to all visitors to sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island has been produced by the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service (TPWS), managers of the World Heritage listed island's natural assets.
The 36-page booklet contains 54 photographs from Australian and New Zealand photographers, including Grant Dixon and Andris Apse, and the text from writer Chris Viney covers the island's geology, flora and fauna, and chequered human history.
TPWS is currently looking at distributing and selling the booklets through selected outlets. Queries regarding cost and availability should be directed to Peter Grant at: Peter.Grant@dpiwe.tas.gov.au.
COMING EVENTS RELEVANT TO NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES
[ANAN-64/14]
Please forward notice of events via e-mail to: tourism@aad.gov.au. Up-dates are made to ANAN's web site at http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default. as soon as new information comes to hand.
YEAR 2002
2 March (King George Island, Antarctica)
Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon (ANAN-53/04, 15 August 2001).
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan).
Last week of June [Dates/location to be set] (Europe).
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
15-19 July (Shanghai, China)
COMNAP XIV (including the sub-committee on Tourism and Non-Government Operations).
Contact: jsayers@comnap.aq (Jack Sayers).
15-26 July (Shanghai, China).
XXVII SCAR (Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research).
3-14 September (Warsaw, Poland)
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting XXV
YEAR 2003
July [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).
24 November (Queen Mary and Dronning Maud Land regions).
Total solar eclipse (See ANAN-61/09, 5 December 2001).
Next edition issued on Wednesday, 30 January 2002 @ 0600 UTC. Deadline for items: Sunday, 27 January 2002 @ 2359 UTC.
ANTARCTIC NON-GOVERNMENT ACTIVITY NEWS (ANAN)
IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation concerned.
Links provided in ANAN stories are working at the time of first publication.
AVAILABLE ON LINE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY:
ANAN archive (including this issue with its built in links): http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/News/default.asp
Coming events related to non-governmental activity: http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Research/BibConf/Confer/default.asp
Links to tourist industry web sites: http://www.antdiv.gov.au/goingsouth/tourism/Industry/default.asp
EDITOR: Dave Moser (David.Moser@aad.gov.au).
POSTAL: Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia 7050
TELEPHONE: +61-3-6232-3347 (2200-0600 UTC).
FACSIMILE: +61-3-6232-3357.
RESEARCH/WRITING: Martin Betts (Martin.Betts@aad.gov.au)
TELEPHONE/FACSIMILE: +61-3-6267-4790 (2200-1100 UTC).
© Commonwealth of Australia 2002
All images, text and downloadable files in ANAN are copyright ©Commonwealth of Australia 2002 or respective authors where indicated. You may down load, display, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only (retaining this notice) for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. Source credit must be given as follows: © 2002 Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston Tasmania 7050
Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved.
Requests for further authorisation should be directed to: The Editor, ANAN Antarctic Treaty and Government Section Australian Antarctic Division KINGSTON TAS 7050 AUSTRALIA
or by email to tourism@aad.gov.au