SANAE
Encyclopedia
SANAE is the South African National Antarctic Expedition. The name refers both to the overwintering bases, (numbered in Roman numerals
, eg. SANAE IV
) and the team spending the winter (numbered in Arabic numerals
, eg. SANAE 47). The current base, SANAE IV, is located at Vesleskarvet
in Queen Maud Land
, Antarctica. Summer teams comprise administrative and maintenance personnel, helicopter crew and scientists from various countries and can be up to 100 people. Overwintering teams consist of scientists and support personnel from South Africa
, typically totalling 10 members in recent years.
The research programme at the SANAE IV base is carried out under the auspices of the South African National Antarctic Programme
(SANAP).
after the end of the IGY
. Later teams overwintered at SANAE I, SANAE II and SANAE III, built on the Fimbul Ice Shelf
near the Blåskimen Island
. Built on the moving ice shelf, these stations inevitably got buried , and eventually broke off as part of icebergs drifting away. Successive stations were always repositioned at the same geographical position of S 70º18 W 2º22. SANAE IV
was built on the nunatak
Vesleskarvet
in the hope of having a base with a longer lifetime. The first team to overwinter at SANAE IV was SANAE 36 in 1997. The base has been manned uninterruptedly since then.
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
, eg. SANAE IV
SANAE IV
SANAE IV is the current research base of the South African National Antarctic Expedition and is part of the South African National Antarctic Program...
) and the team spending the winter (numbered in Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals or Hindu numerals or Hindu-Arabic numerals or Indo-Arabic numerals are the ten digits . They are descended from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system developed by Indian mathematicians, in which a sequence of digits such as "975" is read as a numeral...
, eg. SANAE 47). The current base, SANAE IV, is located at Vesleskarvet
Vesleskarvet
Vesleskarvet is a nunatak in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Its western side consists of a series of cliffs, approximately 250 m high, while the eastern side slopes more gradually down to the icefields...
in Queen Maud Land
Queen Maud Land
Queen Maud Land is a c. 2.7 million-square-kilometre region of Antarctica claimed as a dependent territory by Norway. The territory lies between 20° west and 45° east, between the British Antarctic Territory to the west and the Australian Antarctic Territory to the east. The latitudinal...
, Antarctica. Summer teams comprise administrative and maintenance personnel, helicopter crew and scientists from various countries and can be up to 100 people. Overwintering teams consist of scientists and support personnel from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, typically totalling 10 members in recent years.
The research programme at the SANAE IV base is carried out under the auspices of the South African National Antarctic Programme
South African National Antarctic Programme
The South African National Antarctic Programme is the South African government's program for research in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. Three research stations fall under this program, the Antarctica research station SANAE IV, and two stations named after the subantartic island that they can be...
(SANAP).
History
The first expedition, SANAE 1, overwintered at Norway Station, taken over by South Africa from NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
after the end of the IGY
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
. Later teams overwintered at SANAE I, SANAE II and SANAE III, built on the Fimbul Ice Shelf
Fimbul Ice Shelf
Fimbul Ice Shelf is an ice shelf about 120 miles long and 60 miles wide, nourished by Jutulstraumen Glacier, bordering the coast of Queen Maud Land from 3° W to 3° E...
near the Blåskimen Island
Blåskimen Island
Blåskimen Island is a high, ice covered island about north of Novyy Island, at the juncture of the Jelbart Ice Shelf and the Fimbul Ice Shelf, Queen Maud Land. The island rises about above the general level of the ice shelf and is surrounded by this ice, except for the north side which borders...
. Built on the moving ice shelf, these stations inevitably got buried , and eventually broke off as part of icebergs drifting away. Successive stations were always repositioned at the same geographical position of S 70º18 W 2º22. SANAE IV
SANAE IV
SANAE IV is the current research base of the South African National Antarctic Expedition and is part of the South African National Antarctic Program...
was built on the nunatak
Nunatak
A nunatak is an exposed, often rocky element of a ridge, mountain, or peak not covered with ice or snow within an ice field or glacier. The term is typically used in areas where a permanent ice sheet is present...
Vesleskarvet
Vesleskarvet
Vesleskarvet is a nunatak in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Its western side consists of a series of cliffs, approximately 250 m high, while the eastern side slopes more gradually down to the icefields...
in the hope of having a base with a longer lifetime. The first team to overwinter at SANAE IV was SANAE 36 in 1997. The base has been manned uninterruptedly since then.
| Base | Opened | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SANAE I | 1962 | 70°18′S 2°22′W | |
| Borga Field Base | 1969 | 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) south of SANAE I | |
| SANAE II | 1971 | 70°18′S 2°22′W | |
| SANAE III | 1979 | 70°18′S 2°22′W | Buried under snow |
| Sarie Marais Field Base | 1979 | 200 kilometres (124.3 mi) south of SANAE III | |
| SANAE IV SANAE IV SANAE IV is the current research base of the South African National Antarctic Expedition and is part of the South African National Antarctic Program... |
1997 | 72°40′22"S 2°50′26"W |