This article needs to be updated.(May 2017) |
Kunlun Station
昆仑站 | |
---|---|
Location of Kunlun Station in Antarctica | |
Coordinates: 80°25′02″S 77°06′58″E / 80.417139°S 77.116111°E | |
Country | China |
Location in Antarctica | East Antarctica |
Administered by | Polar Research Institute of China |
Established | 27 January 2009 |
Elevation | 4,087 m (13,409 ft) |
Population (2017)[1] | |
• Summer | 26 |
• Winter | 0 |
Type | Seasonal |
Period | Summer |
Status | Operational |
Activities | List
|
Website | Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration |
Kunlun Station (simplified Chinese: 昆仑站; traditional Chinese: 崑崙站; pinyin: Kūnlún Zhàn) is the southernmost of five Chinese research stations in Antarctica. When it is occupied during the summer, it is the second-southernmost research base in Antarctica, behind only the American Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station at the geographical South Pole. When Kunlun is not in operation, the year-round Russian Vostok Station is the second-southernmost base in Antarctica.
It is located at 4087 m above sea level on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, making it the highest base in Antarctica.[2] It is only 7.3 km southwest of Dome A, the highest point on the Antarctic Plateau. The station was officially opened on January 27, 2009. Fully constructed the station is planned to cover an area of 558 m2. The main building, covering 236 m2, is planned erected in April 2009.[3]
The site is one of the coldest in the world, with temperatures occasionally reaching −80 °C (−112 °F) in the winter. It is indicated from satellite measurements that places nearby could reach a world record −90 °C (−130 °F) temperature.[citation needed]
In April 2012 the first of three Antarctica Schmidt telescopes (AST3) was installed at Kunlun Station. The other two were planned for installation in 2013 and 2014. A bigger optical telescope, Kunlun Dark Universe Survey Telescope (KDUST), is planned to be installed by 2025.