Jinnah Antarctic Station

The Jinnah Antarctic Station (JAS) is an Antarctic scientific research station operated by the Pakistan Antarctic Programme.[1][2] It is located in the vicinity of the Sør Rondane Mountains, Queen Maud Land, in Eastern Antarctica.[2]

Description and history

Pakistan signed the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) in 1991. The programme was launched by the National Institute of Oceanography, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The program was led by the Pakistan Navy, as it had provided the logistical support for the programme. In 1991, the Jinnah Antarctic Station was established. Pakistan maintains one summer research station and one weather observatory in the vicinity of the Sør Rondane Mountains.

Facilities

The facilities were quickly expanded by the NIO. Government advisors belonging to the Ministry of Science and Technology frequently visited the area. Pakistani naval engineers and scientists oversaw the development of the base. By 1994 it was a comfortable, technologically advanced operational base. In 2001, the data operational system was linked to the Badr-B satellite, beginning regular transmission of digital imagery of the region to NIO headquarters in Karachi. In 2002, SUPARCO scientists visited the base, where they set up and installed an advanced, supercomputer-equipped facility, run by the NIO and SUPARCO's scientists. In 2005, Pakistan Air Force engineers and scientists built a small airstrip, and a control room to monitor flights to and from Pakistan. As of 2010, the Pakistan Government has given a green light to expand the JAS facility into a permanent lead operational base.[3]

Cooperation with the USA

Communication gears were set up with the United States' Antarctic Program.

US-Pakistani research

In contemporary times, the JAS is frequently visited by US scientists who conduct their research with their Pakistani counterparts.

References

  1. ↑ Mills, J.M. (2003). Exploring polar frontiers: a historical encyclopedia. 1 (A–M). Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
  2. 1 2 "Antarctic Research". Pakistan: National Institute of Oceanography.
  3. ↑ Molle, Kris (29 October 2010). "Pakistan and Antarctica". The Polar Conservation Organisation. Archived from the original on 28 January 2012.

External links

Coordinates: 70°24′S 25°45′E / 70.400°S 25.750°E / -70.400; 25.750

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/12/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.