CAPE TOWN - A group of young local scientists and other experts are travelling for 12 days to Antarctica all in the name of fighting climate change.
The group will spend 13 months doing extensive research by monitoring weather patterns and analysing data that could prepare South Africa for extreme weather events.This project is a collaboration between the departments of Environmental Affairs, Science and Technology, Public Works and Transport.One thing scientists will be looking at is the ionosphere, which is a part of the earth's atmosphere.
It is full of molecules and electrically charged particles that can be used to study the effects of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.South African National Space Agency's Pierre Retief said,"one of the main instruments that I will be maintaining, servicing and repairing inside is called the HF radar. That is an instrument that we used to measure the ionosphere around the earth."
This departure takes place just days after the 60th anniversary of the Antarctica treaty that was signed by 12 nations back in 1959. South Africa was one of the signatories.Experts from the South African Weather Service will also play a huge part in this research. For the next 13 months, the Sanau 59 team will call the continent of ice home, only returning to South Africa in 2021.
South Africa has Scientists?