Malaysian Researchers In Antarctica Expedition Bring Home More Than 200 Samples

SEPANG (Selangor, Malaysia), Feb 15 (Bernama) -- A group of eight researchers who went on the 2016 Malaysian Scientific Research to Antarctica was able to achieve its target and brought home more than 200 samples. Malaysian Deputy Science, Technology and innovation Minister Dr Abu Bakar Mohamed Diah said the researchers, who are from are six public and private universities in the country, had brought home samples of water, algae, sediment, weed, rocks, marine invertebrates, pollen and soil. He said the group also recorded the readings of greenhouse gas emission, as well as the geomagnetic data, during the 22-day scientific expedition to the Antarctica, which began last Jan 18. "The samples and recordings of the greenhouse gas reading are for several scientific research related with Antarctica, biodiversity and climate change, with emphasis on greenhouse gas and the ozone layer," he added. Abu Bakar said this when met after welcoming the return of the researchers at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here Sunday. The 2016 Malaysia Antarctica Research Expedition, costing US$108,276 (RM450,000), is the first expedition financed by the Sultan Mizan Antarctica Research Foundation (YPASM) and it was carried out with the cooperation of the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI). Abu Bakar said the outcome of the research would provide knowledge that could help the people to better understand the phenomenon of climate change. He said the research was conducted in Antarctica because the polar region was the most suitable area to monitor climate change as the heat rate there was higher than in other areas in the world. The findings by the researchers will be tabled at the Science Conference of the Antarctica Research Scientific Committee to be held in August, he added. Meanwhile, expedition head, Dr Mohamad Huzaimy Jusoh, who is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM, a public university), said the expedition was a challenging one as they had to brave through huge waves as high as six metres and strong winds of up to 80 kilometre per hour. "It was because of that too, participants who left Ushuaia Port in Argentina on Jan 18 were forced to turn back and were only able to resume their journey on Jan 22," he added. While at Antarctica, he said, they stopped at the South Korean-owned King Sejong Research Station in King George Island. The samples they took during the expedition included at Greenwich Island, Deception Island, Darboux Island, Danco Coast, Paradise Bay, Enterprise Island and Trinity Island, he added. --BERNAMA