Eugenics Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 How hard would it be to have a self sustaining human colonization, live and survive on Antarctica, without any outside support? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I don't know much about survival in that sort of climate, but the first thing that comes to mind would be a problem with providing a and maintaining a heat source to stay warm. Then the only thing to use for warm clothing would be seals, pinguins, and such. You might catch them fairly easier if not near the water, but near the water the odds would drop dramatically. With a source of heat that can naturally be found on the continent it might be possible, but extremely hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenics Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 I don't know much about survival in that sort of climate, but the first thing that comes to mind would be a problem with providing a and maintaining a heat source to stay warm. Then the only thing to use for warm clothing would be seals, pinguins, and such. You might catch them fairly easier if not near the water, but near the water the odds would drop dramatically. With a source of heat that can naturally be found on the continent it might be possible, but extremely hard. There might be coal they could mine and burn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophiolite Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Vitamins C and D could be problematic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eugenics Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 Vitamins C and D could be problematic. Fruits and vegetables could be grown indoors hydroponically. Tanning booths could be used to produce vitamin D during the months of darkness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ophiolite Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Fruits and vegetables could be grown indoors hydroponically. Tanning booths could be used to produce vitamin D during the months of darkness. And the power source would be the coal deposits? That's viable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPanic Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 How hard would it be to have a self sustaining human colonization, live and survive on Antarctica, without any outside support? What is self-sustaining? Even if a relatively small group would be able to stay alive, how would they have a functioning economy? Life on Antarctica needs some fancy gear and materials which only the larger economies are able to produce. There would have to be some trade, and in order to be able to buy something, you need to sell something. But other than tourism, I can't think what anyone would want to have from Antarctica. Ice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tres Juicy Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 What is self-sustaining? Even if a relatively small group would be able to stay alive, how would they have a functioning economy? Life on Antarctica needs some fancy gear and materials which only the larger economies are able to produce. There would have to be some trade, and in order to be able to buy something, you need to sell something. But other than tourism, I can't think what anyone would want to have from Antarctica. Ice? "how would they have a functioning economy?" I'm not sure they would need one. What do people need? Food/water Shelter/warmth Provided they had these things, why would they need anything else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPanic Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 "how would they have a functioning economy?" I'm not sure they would need one. What do people need? Food/water Shelter/warmth Provided they had these things, why would they need anything else? You are completely right if they will settle for a life in prehistory. But I am not sure many people would pick Antarctica as the ideal place to go back to such a simple life. If I had to keep busy with just food and shelter all day, I would prefer to do that somewhere nice and warm. The south of France or something If I would live on Antarctica, I would want to use a bit of modern technology. Insulating lightweight clothing (think of materials like gore-tex or fleece - both synthetic). You can probably not make that locally. Or how about some decent shoes? I am not sure Greenpeace will be happy if you keep murdering seals for those, apart from the fact that modern materials are lighter for the same insulation... and therefore simply better. But you also need some other materials, for construction and maintenance, and for agriculture. And maybe some ways to communicate to the outside world? A computer with internet might be nice? What is the most basic method of transportation that is truly self-sustaining, and require no fuel, no spare parts? I don't know any. What will you use to educate children? Or to let them play? Making a snowman gets boring if it snows every day. You're gonna need to be able to write something. So, you either need pen and paper, or some replacement (a laptop? a pad?). And that list is far from complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tres Juicy Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 You are completely right if they will settle for a life in prehistory. But I am not sure many people would pick Antarctica as the ideal place to go back to such a simple life. If I had to keep busy with just food and shelter all day, I would prefer to do that somewhere nice and warm. The south of France or something If I would live on Antarctica, I would want to use a bit of modern technology. Insulating lightweight clothing (think of materials like gore-tex or fleece - both synthetic). You can probably not make that locally. Or how about some decent shoes? I am not sure Greenpeace will be happy if you keep murdering seals for those, apart from the fact that modern materials are lighter for the same insulation... and therefore simply better. But you also need some other materials, for construction and maintenance, and for agriculture. And maybe some ways to communicate to the outside world? A computer with internet might be nice? What is the most basic method of transportation that is truly self-sustaining, and require no fuel, no spare parts? I don't know any. What will you use to educate children? Or to let them play? Making a snowman gets boring if it snows every day. You're gonna need to be able to write something. So, you either need pen and paper, or some replacement (a laptop? a pad?). And that list is far from complete. A lot of the things you've mentioned would be considered luxuries (even by our standards a laptop is a luxury item). Plus where the hell am I going to plug it in?? I'm talking in the sense of necessary items - the bare minimum for survival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustinW Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 There might be coal they could mine and burn. Only if you had brought enough supplies to maintain until the coal could be mined. What would they do for fuel until then? Fruits and vegetables could be grown indoors hydroponically. Tanning booths could be used to produce vitamin D during the months of darkness. With no outside help, this doesn't seem a likely scenario on the short term.The OP suggests NO outside help. This would kick the techknowledgy back to a more primative form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nassar Jad Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 (edited) It's pretty hard, it's reasonably possible, but what's the benefits of it? Edited December 13, 2011 by Nassar Jad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michel123456 Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 I think the most important thing to be self sustainable is a woman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phi for All Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 How hard would it be to have a self sustaining human colonization, live and survive on Antarctica, without any outside support? Are these people survival-trained volunteers or somewhat average, relocated citizens with random skill-sets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zapatos Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 How hard would it be to have a self sustaining human colonization, live and survive on Antarctica, without any outside support? Would it be harder than it is for indigenous populations in the Arctic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appolinaria Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 Would it be harder than it is for indigenous populations in the Arctic? Two very different places, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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