From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Casey Station
Casey Station
Casey Base on the opposite south side of the Newcomb
Bay in the late 1960s. This set of buildings was a unique
attempt to prevent the problem of ice build-up by elevat-
ing the buildings on stilts, to encourage the wind to blow
beneath as well as above, and connecting the entire line
of buildings with a corrugated iron tunnel. This would, it
was hoped, clear the build up of snow each year, while
allowing personnel to move between buildings without
having to brave the elements. It worked for some time.
The current Casey Station headquarters (the "Red
Shed") was built in the late 1980s as part of the Australian
Government’s Antarctic Re-building Program. It was pre-
fabricated in Hobart, Tasmania by Hobart construction
firm, Contas Pty Ltd, trial-erected on the wharf at Hobart,
then dismantled, packaged and shipped to Antarctica. It
was erected at Casey by tradesmen employed as work-
ers on the normal summer expedition crews. It incorpo-
rates innovative design features to prevent the transfer
of heat through the structure. The "Shed" is conspicu-
ously located near the top of the hill on which the old ra-
dio masts stood. It is probably the largest single structure
on Antarctica and was first occupied in 1988.
Research stations and territorial claims in Antarctica (2002) One of the reasons for having a base at Casey is to
study the Law Dome, a miniature version of the entire
Antarctic Ice Cap.
Airstrips
Casey is significant as a transport hub for the Australian
Antarctic program, with the introduction of interconti-
nental jet flights for scientists and operational staff from
Hobart to the Wilkins ice runway, 65 km inland from
Casey station. The inaugural landing of the AAD’s Airbus
A319 aircraft was on the evening of 9 December 2007.
Casey Station from the air The smaller Casey Station Skiway is located 8 km east
of the station, and opened on 30 December 2004.
Casey Station is a permanent base in Antarctica managed In March 2009, the Australian Broadcasting Corpora-
by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) located on tion’s (ABC-TV) international affairs program "Foreign
Vincennes Bay in the Australian Antarctic Territory. Correspondent" featured air operations at Casey Station
as part of a report titled: "Antarctica - What Lies Be-
History neath".[2]
Casey is close to the now-abandoned Wilkes Station es-
tablished by the United States of America to support sci-
Climate
ence and exploration of Antarctica during the Interna- Casey Station experiences a polar climate:
tional Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957/8. The base was
named after Richard Casey, Baron Casey.[1]
Australia took over Wilkes after the IGY, but the
See also
American buildings were already unusable due to the • Wilkes Station
build-up of ice around them. Australia built the first • Mawson Station
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Casey Station
• Davis Station
• Australian Antarctic Territory
External links
• Australian Antarctic Division • AAD Casey Station page
• Casey Station webcam
• A Year In Antarctica (1972)
References • COMNAP Antarctic Facilities
[1] Australian Philatelic Bulletin, Vol. 16, p. 28 • COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map
[2] What Lies Beneath?
[3] "Bureau of Meteorology]"].
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/
cw_300001.shtml.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Casey_Station&oldid=461074732"
Categories:
• Outposts of Antarctica
• Australian Antarctic Territory
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