Word: basing
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Dates: during 1990-1990
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...huge helium balloon. Its purpose: to follow circumpolar winds around the entire continent, gathering data on cosmic rays and solar flares and testing the behavior of high-density computer chips in the intense radiation of the upper atmosphere. And deep in the interior, glaciologists at the Soviets' Vostok Base dug out ice samples that carry clues to the planet's atmosphere in layers laid down in the polar ice cap tens of thousands of years...
...world's most sparsely populated continent is, paradoxically, overcrowded. The Antarctic Peninsula is particularly in demand, with 13 stations; King George Island, one of the South Shetland Islands, is home to an additional eight. Planes, helicopters, snowmobiles, trucks and bulldozers are in constant operation throughout the summer. Nearly every base has its own helipad, landing strip, harbor and waste dump...
...inhabitants of these bases have been notoriously careless, often discarding trash in ways that would be illegal at home. But their actions went largely unnoticed until January 1987, when Greenpeace became the first nongovernment organization to establish a permanent Antarctic base, located at Cape Evans, some 24 km (15 miles) north of McMurdo Station. The group has mounted annual inspection tours of dozens of bases. It was Greenpeace that publicized McMurdo's continued dumping of untreated sewage into the sea and burning of trash in an open-air pit. The waters right off the station are reportedly more polluted with...
...stayed in Antarctica four or five days. Most boats carry naturalists or other experts, who give lectures, and groups often visit scientific stations. So many boats cruise along the peninsula between November and March that it has been dubbed the "Antarctic Riviera." Chile has opened a hotel near its base. Antarctic activities include hiking, mountain climbing, dogsledding, camping and skiing. A few show-offs have even water-skied on the cold waters...
...There are no commercial flights to the continent, and hitching a ride on a ship can take weeks. For associate editor Michael Lemonick, months of planning paid off last December, when he climbed aboard a military C-130 transport bound from New Zealand for McMurdo Station, a U.S. research base on Ross Island in Antarctica...