Alcohol allowance at Antarctic research stations to be halved

Making your own beer has long been a tradition for those living and working in remote Antarctic research locations. But a new policy change means scientists based at Australia’s four stations on the freezing continent are having their alcohol allowance slashed.

For decades, those venturing out to remote Antarctic spots to look after satellites, monitor weather patterns or track changes to glaciers or the polar seafloor, have homebrewed their own beer; part and parcel of it being a massive undertaking to transport booze miles into the frozen wilderness.

However, the harsh, often dangerous, conditions in the Antarctic have prompted Australia’s representatives in the region to strike a cautious note, via a policy that bans homebrewing. Furthermore, the controversial new ruling halves the amount of alcohol that people living and working in the research stations are allowed to drink, citing the division’s inability to “safely manage consumption, hygiene standards and alcohol content” as the reason behind it.

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) currently has four permanent research stations in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic. These are manned around the clock by scientists studying everything from the habits of marine birds to the movement of giant icebergs.

“Antarctica is a unique environment, and very small mistakes can lead to very big consequences,” AAD division director Kim Ellis told American television channel ABC. She added that while it is perfectly possible to sit out in the yard and stargaze after having a drink in Australia “If you do that in Antarctica – you’re drunk and you go stare at the stars – we will find your body in the morning.”

From next summer, Australian exhibitioners will be restricted to half the current limit of alcohol each week in a bid to curb drinking, according to a report by Vinepair. This amounts to seven cans of beer, one and a half bottles of wine or half a bottle of distilled spirits.

Given that Italy’s neighbouring Antarctic station still offers beer, wine and spirits alongside food items, Australia’s hard stance may prove to be an unpopular decision.