When the Washington budget impasse brought most of the federal government’s work to a screeching halt Oct. 1, there was immediate concern about the status of scientific projects on Antarctica, which was just entering its austral summer (November through March), the time most hospitable to research activity — or anything else.
One of those concerned was Diane McKnight, a fellow at the University of Colorado’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research and lead principal investigator for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research project.
About 32 scientists from universities affiliated with that project travel to Antarctica for climate research during the course of the year. McKnight said about 12 of them had been hoping to leave soon, and two from CU would have been departing — to commence work including measuring early-season streamflows into the Taylor Valley — on Monday, if not for the shutdown.
They will now be headed down belatedly — but at least with the shutdown over, they will go.
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