Chapter 84 Radio
Liu Yu's brain started working at high speed.
If a single flight is not enough to reach the destination, the only solution is to make multiple flights. That is, first have the helicopter transport some fuel to a transfer point, and after sufficient fuel is stored at the transfer point, the helicopter will then transport the equipment and personnel required for the scientific expedition.
By making an additional refueling at a stopover point, the helicopter's range can be extended to cover the destination.
However, this would require the helicopter to make several extra flights, which in itself would consume a lot of fuel.
She began to quickly calculate the amount of fuel she had and the helicopter's fuel consumption.
For this mission, the Ocean Star research vessel carried enough fuel to supply up to five times the normal mission volume.
Under normal circumstances, such a large amount of redundancy would be impossible to use up. However, if we add in the additional flights...
Liu Yu couldn't come up with a precise enough number, but she could roughly estimate that even if there was enough fuel, it was only just barely enough.
We will lose any safety margins and face the situation of no oil left if an unexpected situation occurs.
While Liu Yu was thinking, Sun Jianping was communicating with meteorologists via satellite phone.
After a moment, he hung up the phone and took a sip of his wine.
"carbon dioxide……"
He murmured the word: "Meteorologists believe that this year's abnormal climate is most likely caused by a rapid drop in carbon dioxide levels."
"oh?"
Liu Yu looked at Sun Jianping and heard him continue, "Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. As humans enter old age, carbon emissions decrease rapidly, and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere decreases.
Plus, other gases like sulfur dioxide and methane are decreasing, so the temperature is definitely going to drop.”
"Then why didn't it freeze last year, but it's frozen this year... Besides, the sea wasn't frozen even ten days ago."
Liu Yu still felt a little confused.
"Meteorologists can only study macroclimates, studying large trends like falling temperatures. As for short-term weather changes..."
Sun Jianping shook his head. "Even in our heyday, we couldn't accurately forecast the weather, let alone now when meteorological information has been missing for decades."
Regardless, the outcome was already this way and could not be changed. The only thing we could do was accept this reality and find another solution.
"I've calculated that if we set up a transfer point, our fuel should be barely enough. But then we'll have no safety margin."
Sun Jianping turned around and looked at Liu Yu: "Where is your starting point for calculation?"
"It's 100 kilometers away from Antarctic Harbor. Didn't they detect the ice sheet extending there before?"
"No, I can't."
Sun Jianping whispered, "You need to add another hundred, or even two hundred kilometers."
Liu Yu was stunned, and then a feeling of powerlessness emerged in his heart.
She thought about what she had overlooked before.
The ice sheet extends 100 kilometers beyond Antarctica Harbor, but only now.
Low temperatures will persist or even drop further, and there is a high probability that the Antarctic ice sheet will continue to expand.
If an extra 100 kilometers is enough to keep the fuel running, then another 100, or even 200 kilometers...
There's no need to even calculate it. It's simply impossible to use.
So, what should we do?
Wait? Wait until the cold winter passes and the ice and snow melt?
Or, temporarily return to the nearest settlement in the temperate zone, resupply, obtain more fuel, and then conduct subsequent scientific research?
Both options are feasible, but at the same time, both options mean that we will have to wait a long time before we can continue the scientific research.
Can our civilization... afford to wait that long?
Staring quietly out the porthole, Sun Jianping took another sip of his wine. "Perhaps there is another way. I can give it a try, but the possibility is very low. Don't hold your hopes too high."
Liu Yu suddenly looked up, his eyes full of hope: "Let's give it a try."
"good."
Sun Jianping turned and left. Not long after, he brought back a square object that looked like a metal box.
There is also a headset and an operation panel connected to it.
"Radio?"
Liu Yu was a little confused.
Sun Jianping sat down, put on his headphones, adjusted the frequency, and said in a deep voice, "I'm Sun Jianping, calling Lao Zhang, over."
After a moment, he repeated it again.
After repeating it several times, he looked at Vice Captain Huo Tao and said, "You come."
Huo Tao sat in his seat and started calling on behalf of Sun Jianping.
"Keep calling, don't stop."
Liu Yu looked at Sun Jianping with some confusion, and saw that Sun Jianping's face was full of nostalgia.
"It's been so many years, and I don't know if Lao Zhang is still alive."
"Old Zhang is..."
"Zhang Jian, the last generation of Antarctic research station members."
Sun Jianping took a sip of his wine and said, "Twenty years ago, the last Antarctic research station was dismantled, and I was the one who came to take the station members back.
Lao Zhang has a strange temper. He said that he was used to staying in Antarctica and didn't want to go back. He would rather live alone in the scientific research station.
He and I are old friends, but I couldn't persuade him, so I had no choice but to give him some supplies and then pick up the other crew members."
Twenty years, living alone in Antarctica... Is he still alive?
Even if he is still alive, what help can he, an old man, provide to his side?
Sun Jianping smiled. "Old Zhang loves dogs and is great at dog sledding. If he were still alive, he'd probably have countless dogs."
If he could bring all his dogs and sleds here to help us transport our supplies and equipment a hundred or two hundred kilometers, wouldn't that give us enough fuel? "
Liu Yu nodded silently.
This is indeed a solution.
Now, the only thing we can hope for is that he is still alive.
"Could a person living alone in Antarctica survive until now? Even if he could survive until now, would he be mentally normal?"
"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be fine. The research station has greenhouses, cold-resistant buildings, and various equipment. I also gave him enough medicine to last him several lifetimes, as well as solar panels and batteries. Living a normal life shouldn't be a problem.
As for the spirit..."
Sun Jianping smiled and said, "Old Zhang has always had a tendency towards depression. It wasn't until he went to Antarctica, isolated himself from society, and started raising dogs that his spirits gradually returned to normal.
Now, let’s see if we can call him.”
In front of the radio station, several people took turns calling and never stopped.
It was not until the next morning that a hoarse voice suddenly came from the radio station, which had been quiet all the time.
"Old Sun? Why are you here? Over."
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