Is Australia's claim to Antarctica at risk?
While Australias commitment to a 20-year plan for Antarctica has been welcomed by some it has also raised concerns over the nations ability to fulfil a credible research role in the south polar region.The issue was raised this week with claims Australian researchers should have been deployed to stud...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Conversation Media Group
2014
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://theconversation.com/is-australias-claim-to-antarctica-at-risk-33074 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/96960 |
| Summary: | While Australias commitment to a 20-year plan for Antarctica has been welcomed by some it has also raised concerns over the nations ability to fulfil a credible research role in the south polar region.The issue was raised this week with claims Australian researchers should have been deployed to study an issue at the Totten Glacier, just 400km from the Australian Casey base. Instead, a US mission had been sent, ironically via Hobart.Faced with growing interest in the region from other nations such as China, South Korea, India, Russia and Iran, there was a call for an extra A$10-20 million a year in Australian Antarctic research.Central to the 20 Year Australian Antarctic Strategic Plan, released last week, is whether any funding cuts to research programs, and lack of capacity and infrastructure is leading to a dilution of Australian sovereignty over the Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT).So what is Australias claim to the region and could that be under threat? |
|---|