China seeks environment approval for new Antarctic station

Chinese researchers are seeking environmental approval by Australian officials for a new climate change research station in Antarctica, the Australian Antarctic Division said Monday.

Under the Antarctic treaty regulations, Australian officials are responsible for environmental approval of such projects.

The new Chinese research station, part of an international network, would be based on Inexpressible Island in Terra Nova Bay in the Northern Victoria Land region.

"The main purpose of the new Chinese station is to provide an international platform for regional multidisciplinary research focusing on the chain reactions caused by the changing climate," the environmental approval submission said.

The new station's researchers will study atmospheric and atmosphere-ice-ocean interaction, glacial and ice shelf-ocean interaction, ecosystem monitoring, space phenomena and geology.

Construction is planned to start in December 2015 and the station would start operating in early 2017.

The 5528-square-metre facility will be home to 80 personnel in summer and 30 in winter, when temperatures have been as low as minus 43 Celsius.

The 200-page environmental submission by the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration sets out its plans to mitigate such things as air pollution, potential fuel and oil leakage, solid waste, waste water discharge and disturbance to nearby penguins and other wildlife.

Key to the proposal is a hybrid solar-wind-diesel power supply system and wastewater recycling.

China is also looking at building an aviation network to support researchers and deal with emergencies.

The Australian Antarctic Division has invited public comment by March 21.