No country can exist for long without a means for its people to make a living. While systems that preclude the production of wealth have been attempted they have all failed due to a simple truth: people wish to improve their situation in life and the ability to earn a living remains the most effective way to do this. So what economic opportunities present in the settlement's early years can be reasonably speculated on? A caveat first: the Antarctic year is heavily bifurcated into summer and winter seasons with economic activities doable in one nearly impossible in the other. This is, if not unique, very rare and requires special mention. The economy will shift between a season where wide-ranging, travel-related jobs are possible and one where they are not. How settlers would approach this reality is an interesting discussion with several options to consider. Do workers have separate summer and winter jobs? Do they have one job that reserves specific aspects of work for the most appropriate season? Do workers take one of the seasons off each year? Likely, a mixture of the above economic situations will occur resulting in a largely outward-focused summer work season and a more inward-focused winter work season at the settlement. MiningThe potential for mining is still an open question. Only about 1% of Antarctica is ice-free which makes the simple act of prospecting difficult. That said, there are two types of 'mining' that are feasible right now: meteorite mining and guano harvesting. Meteorite Mining Antarctica is unique in that its vast ice sheets work to collect and concentrate meteorite falls. As such it is the premier spot for finding meteorites. These meteorites have a decent value per gram as the chart below shows: Next, it is a matter of finding out how many meteorites there are per square kilometer (on average). The answer is about 6.3 meteorites. There are also 'blue ice regions' that have upwards of 100+ meteorites/km2 (see reference link below for a map of these areas around Cape Adare). This works out to $403-787 per square kilometer on average assuming the most common type of meteorite. A 15km2 hunt should yield $5760-11,250 (stony) + $3200-6250 (iron). Exceptionally rare meteorites are left out of these calculations but should yield higher returns over longer periods. But how long does it take to mine a square kilometer? Based on an expedition carried out in 2019 we can get a rough estimate. Katherine Joy spent 1 month searching for meteorites in an area which does not appear to be a blue ice region. She collected 36 meteorites (all stony). Based on the average distribution of meteorites this is about 5.7km2 of area covered. Using average size and type this would be a haul worth $2304+. Divided by the four weeks she searched for meteorites this is a gross profit of $576 per week. Her account does not include how many hours she worked each day but I'm going to assume 40 hours/day to take into account inclement weather. This gives an hourly wage of $14.40 (only finding the least valuable meteorite). This is about $3 more than the average wage in the USA. Rare finds quickly increase these numbers exponentially so these calculations should be considered a base level of earnings. Recently, the process of finding these meteorites became much easier with the development of an A.I. that can better pinpoint their locations. While meteorite mining itself is confined to the summer months the actually process of grading, preparing, and pricing the meteorites could well fill the winter months as the above estimate would leave the miner with ~180 meteorites to prep for sale. It should also be noted that iron meteorites would be a source of both iron and nickle (along with traces of other heavy metals) and depending on the situation may be smelted down rather than sold as-is. Blue Ice Region Map (Cape Adare): [1] Guano Harvesting Guano (bird poop) is useful as a fertilizer. Most modern fertilizers are chemical-based so the need for guano has been greatly reduced from its heights in the 1800s. However, the settlement needs fertilizer for its green houses without having to rely on imports. This means collecting guano would be a needed part of the settlement's internal economy. This is fine, not everything in the economy needs to be focused towards exports. It is impossible to predict the supply and demand at play here but this probably falls into a part-time job category of some kind (at least in the settlement's early days). Much like meteorite mining this job would be largely confined to the summer months. Electricity GenerationAnother business focused on the domestic market would be the generation of electrical power. While in the early days everyone is likely to have their own solar panels and/or wind turbines. But as the economy moves towards specialization of roles there is a very real possibility that a company would be created for supplying the settlement's energy needs. This is the first job we are discussing that could be all-season. The need for electricity is near-constant after all. FarmingFarming using greenhouses would be a major employer both for Crown-owned farms and private operations. Subsistence farming would occupy the settlement's early years but as greenhouses are expanded a small surplus may develop. The actual cost to produce means pursuing farming on a commercial basis is probably not viable early on. Rather, small surpluses may be sold/traded on an ad hoc basis. Crops that are used to create non-perishable products, such as spices, could be sold as they can be stored for long periods. The abundance of refrigeration does mean that food can be kept frozen indefinitely at no cost. This opens up an interesting possibility of supplying research stations with a variety of foodstuffs as a business. This is the second job we are discussing that could be all-season. Indeed, as summer workers finish up the season they could move seamlessly into farming in the green houses. Tourist AccommodationIt might be shocking to learn that Antarctica is lacking in amenities. As a result cruises (which are becoming ever more common) may spend only a few hours on shore as if the weather were to change those on shore would be in danger. The settlement would make longer stays possible as well as the opportunity to travel further inland. Below are some specific ideas along these lines. Hotels/B&Bs/Hostels On shore amenities gives cruise lines additional options. They could drop off tourists who want to explore Antarctica by land rather than gaze at it from out at sea. The cruise could either pick these tourists up with a secondary ship, by plane, or double back after the cruise concludes. While unlikely to occur, tourists might opt to spend the winter in Antarctica (although this probably should be discouraged). All of which means that offering a place to sleep would be a viable option for a business. This doesn't only apply to tourists, researchers would find these kinds of accommodations useful. Sure, they probably won't like the idea that a settlement has been set up on a continent that is supposed to be wholly set aside for science but at the same time it would extend the time they can spend in the field. The Cape Adare candidate settlement site is a good example. The weather can change quickly at the Cape which means a lack of shelter greatly limits how long researchers can remain there. Accommodations would allow them to stay, perhaps the entire season. The settlement may in time come to host researchers on a regular basis as they go about studying the region. Hosting tourists is primarily a summer job but if researchers begin making use of the settlement during the winter months a hotel owner could keep busy the entire year. Inland Day Trips The options for seeing the interior of Antarctica as a tourist are limited with only one operator flying people in for a camping experience. Day trips around Cape Adare would be doable and provide a unique experience. As with any idea involving tourism this would be a summer only job. Tourist Knick-knacks 'I went to Antarctica and all I got was this lousy t-shirt' - While giftshops on Antarctica might seem just a little sacrilegious it is a fact that this would be the easiest way to pull in extra tourism dollars. Aside from the giftshop itself a number of other jobs would be created focused on stocking it with product. This is the classic example of a job that could have two different phases of operation. During the winter the giftshop would be focused on making/buying the products it will sell during the following summer tourism season. The FutureIt is impossible to determine how the settlement's economy would develop over time. Some business ideas
require developed infrastructure. For example, server farms (with or without cryptocurrency mining) require internet cables to be laid. Indeed, internet access would open up an astounding number of business opportunities. Others, such as fishing, require specialized equipment. But the fact remains, as I hope I have demonstrated here, that Antarctica provides enough economic opportunities to sustain itself.
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Antarctica presents unique challenges for settlement design and construction. Temperatures completely
preclude the use of concrete. Frozen and/or loose gravel soil make building solid foundations difficult. High winds makes tall structures hard to design. Indeed, modern research stations are primarily made of metal while historic structures are made of heavy timbers. This article deals with a few practical considerations, some experimental ideas, and general considerations about cost and the built environment. Dealing with Wind As mentioned in earlier articles the winds coming off the Antarctic continent are no joke. As such construction plans must account for it as much, if not more, than they do for temperature. This is because high winds can also greatly effect how much energy it takes to heat a building. Due to the high windspeed expected from winter winds any such windbreak would need to be strong. There are a few calculations that are important for solid windbreaks. Firstly, the zone right behind a windbreak actually collects snow due to it becoming a slight vacuum. This 'snow zone' is at a distance of up to 5x the height of the windbreak (5H) with a wind protection zone starting just beyond it and going to 15x the height of the windbreak (15H). So a wall about 10ft tall would need the buildings to be protected spaced 50ft from the walls. Wind breaks have thus far had limited use in Antarctica: [1] Another consideration is the shape of the buildings. Square buildings are actually very inefficient at retaining heat. Circular buildings do better by eliminating dead space and allowing wind to more easily pass by the structure. While not every wall in the settlement need be curved, complete elimination of right angled corners may be desirable. Pykrete Having decided to build a windbreak (which would double as a defencive wall) what should it be built out of? The answer is a material developed during World War II called pykrete. An 'alloy' of saw dust and ice (1-6 ratio by weight) pykrete has properties comparable to cement. Unlike ice it is slow to melt due to saw dust's low thermal conductivity. As long as temperatures remain below -15 degrees Celsius pykrete will not deform or degrade. Pykrete has the advantage of being incredibly cheap to make with its saw dust (or other cellulose) component light weight enough to transport in large quantities. Pykrete would find good use as a building material for wind breaks and other cold storage structures. Pallet Construction Modern society has become inherently wasteful both in terms of people and material. Nowhere is the sheer waste of materials more evident than the humble pallet. Over 100 million wooden pallets end up in the landfill each year. Many of these pallets are still serviceable. This presents an opportunity. Any growing settlement is going to need building materials and if the cost of transporting them in can't be eliminated than the next best thing is to eliminate the cost of the materials themselves. Pallets can be picked up for free at many locations and are built to be strong. Wool Insulation Wool is an amazing insulation material. Resistant to fire and mold, possessing decent R-value, and a fully renewable resource, makes wool a great candidate for insulating the settlement walls (and of course the settlers themselves). Its one downside, that it attracts certain insects, is negated by Antarctica not having insects to attract. Wool production also has a tendency to out-strip demand which leads to frequent gluts in production. As a result sourcing cheap wool is doable (the quality of the wool mattering little). Sourcing locally So what building materials can be sourced locally in Antarctica? As mentioned above water, as ice, is present in abundance. Stone and gravel are also easily located. Penguin down is an alternative insulating material as penguin chicks shed their down as they mature and the down itself has great insulating qualities. Feather down is flammable, however, so it would be better to restrict it to clothing insulation. Growing trees for their lumber is theoretically possible but would tie up a great deal of space, time, and resources. Any future settlement will require a great deal of material but this is a logistics problem, not a technology problem. |
Published ResearchAs the project develops and gaps in understanding are filled finalized plans will be posted here. The end goal being a comprehensive plan for settling Antarctica. All plans subject to update as new information is learned. Archives
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