Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky Participating in Dedication of New Amundsen-Scott Station at South Pole

On January 12, 2008, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky will participate in the dedication of new state-of-the-art scientific facilities operated by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) at the South Pole. The new Amundsen-Scott Station will be the third research facility on the site since 1956. Under Secretary Dobriansky will join, among others, Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Arden Bement, Homeland Security Under Secretary Jay Cohen, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Conrad Lautenbacher, and Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner. The USAP, which is administered and managed by the NSF, maintains three year-round scientific research facilities including the one at the South Pole.

The new South Pole station, whose dedication occurs during the 2007-09 International Polar Year, symbolizes the United States’ long-term commitment to scientific research in Antarctica. These state-of-the-art facilities will help answer, for the benefit of all nations, key questions related to climate change, glacial dynamics, the state of Earth’s ozone layer, and astrophysics study of the far reaches of the universe. The Under Secretary’s participation in dedicating the new Amundsen-Scott Station underscores the United States’ continued commitment to promoting scientific research in Antarctica advancing international efforts addressing climate change.