Nat Geo Launches Global Exploration Fund

Earlier today, National Geographic announced the launch of its new Global Exploration Fund. The initiative is designed to research funding for conservation and exploration efforts in regional centers around the planet. The first of those regional programs will be in Stockholm, Sweden, where an advisory board consisting of a group of explorers and scientists will review projects to receive possible funding.

The new Stockholm office will be led by Executive Director Stefan Nerpin, who, along with his team, will serve as the primary point of contact for receiving grant applications. Those applications are currently being accepted from the 14 regional countries that are eligible. Those countries include: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

In a press release sent out this morning, Nerpin is quoted as saying "I am excited to be part of this effort and hope to establish this National Geographic office as a significant source of funding for Northern European scientists and explorers." He goes on to add "It is also our goal to find additional sources of income, so that we can continue to grow this program to support even more explorers in the field."

The plan is to open more of these regional centers over time, providing grants to other researchers and explorers in other countries that might otherwise have a difficult time raising funds.

For more information on the program and to find out how to apply, click here.

Video: A Tour Of Antarctica's McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station is an Antarctic research base that is owned and operated by the United States. Located on the southernmost tip of Ross Island, the place is sprawling, featuring three airfields, a heli-pad, harbor, and more than 100 buildings. At it's peak season, such as now, it is home to more than 1200 people and is  an important center for scientific research on the continent.

Recently, diver Henry Kaiser visited the place to conduct some research of his own. He also created the short film below that shows what life is like at McMurdo during the busy austral summer. I thought you might enjoy seeing how the research teams in Antarctica live this time of year.

Antarctic Research To Be Curbed This Year?

Speaking of the Antarctic, it appears that there could be some roadblocks ahead for those living and working at McMurdo Station, the U.S. research base on the world's southernmost continent. According to this memo, sent out by the U.S. Office of Polar Programs, the Swedish government has chosen to not provide it's icebreaker ship Oden for joint operations in and around Antarctica this year. The ship was to be used to help keep an open channel to McMurdo which would aid in the delivery of supplies, but now officials are scrambling to find a replacement, or risk cutting back operations in the Antarctic this season.

The OPP has set a deadline of "mid-August" for finding another icebreaker to assume the Oden's role this year, but if they don't, they'll be forced to reduce their operations this season at both McMurdo and the South Pole station. That would mean limiting the number of crew at the bases, delaying several infrastructure upgrades, and canceling some scientific operations for the year.

The memo goes on to say that shuttering the two bases would have long term effects on operations in the Antarctica, and that that contingency would be avoided at all costs. But if a January 2012 resupply isn't possible, the bases would need to stretch their available fuel and other supplies until January 2013. That would require the bases to go into total conservation mode to remain open.

All is not lost however, as the letter also says that they have some promising leads on replacement icebreakers that may be able to pick up the slack. They seem confident that they can find another ship and have it operational in time so that the season can progress as expected. If they don't however, it seems that it'll be a rather long, lonely, and lean year in both McMurdo and the South Pole bases.