Colombian Research Project Makes Progress in Antarctic

A seal swims by icebergs off the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera base in this January 23, 2009 file photo. Climate change is turning Antarctica's ice into one of the biggest risks for coming centuries. Even a tiny melt could drive up sea levels, affecting cities from New York to Beijing, or nations from Bangladesh to the Cook Islands -- named after the mariner -- in the Pacific. Scientists are now trying to design ever more high tech experiments -- with satellite radars, lasers, robot submarines, or even deep drilling through perhaps 3 kilometers of ice -- to plug huge gaps in understanding the risks.  To match feature CLIMATE/ANTARCTICA      REUTERS/Alister Doyle/Files  (ANTARCTICA ENVIRONMENT)
CLIMATE/ANTARCTICA REUTERS/Alister Doyle/Files (ANTARCTICA ENVIRONMENT)

TODAY COLOMBIA (Prensa Latina) The first Colombian scientific program in the Antarctic makes progress today following the placement of 20 oceanographic stations at different depths within the so-called frozen continent.

One of the priorities of the team made up of 100 people, mainly researchers and sailors, is to study the influence of changes in the Antarctic climate on other regions of the world.

The specialists said before departing Cartagena de Indias on December 16 that the expedition seeks to obtain advance information on the possible consequences of climatic change on Colombia, particularly on coastal regions.

The expedition will also perform a study on local resources and the adaptation of different species to the rough conditions of the Antarctic.

The ship ARC 20 de Julio and its expedition will remain in the Gerlache Strait until February 7, then they will set sail towards the Nelson Strait where their studies will continue, said the newspaper El Mundo.

The project should conclude on March 12, when some 14,417 nautical miles would be completed during 87 days.

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