Review of Antarctic Greenhouses and Plant Production Facilities: A Historical Account of Food Plants on the Ice

• Main Authors: Bamsey, Matthew T., Zabel, Paul, Zeidler, Conrad, Gyimesi, Dávid, Schubert, Daniel, Kohlberg, Eberhard, Mengedoht, Dirk, Rae, Joanna, Graham, Thomas
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems 2015
• Subjects: Antarctic; Rae; Alfred Wegener Institute; Antarc*; Antarctica; British Antarctic Survey
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2346/64457

Bellevue, Washington Matthew T. Bamsey, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany Paul Zabel, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany Conrad Zeidler, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany Dávid Gyimesi, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany Daniel Schubert, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany Eberhard Kohlberg, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany Dirk Mengedoht, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Germany Joanna Rae, British Antarctic Survey, United Kingdom Thomas Graham, NASA Kennedy Space Center, USA The 45th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Bellevue, Washington, USA on 12 July 2015 through 16 July 2015. Antarctic crews have been transporting plants and their supporting infrastructure to Antarctic field sites since as early as 1902. More than 46 distinct plant production facilities have, at one time or another, operated in Antarctica. Production facilities have varied significantly in size, technical sophistication, and operational life. Many of these efforts have been driven by the expeditioners themselves, which clearly demonstrates the fundamental desire that people have to associate themselves with plants while living and working in inhospitable environments. The need for this biological association can be solely psychological, while at other times it is based on the more practical need for fresh food. Although the nature of plant growth activities has evolved with the implementation of increasingly stringent environmental regulations, there remains strong interest in deploying such systems within or near Antarctic stations. Current Antarctic plant growth facilities are predominately organized and administered at the national program level to ensure such regulations are adhered to. Nine hydroponic facilities are currently operating in Antarctica. This paper summarizes historic and existing Antarctic facilities by incorporating information from expeditioners, environmental assessment reports, direct ...