New form of mechanical advantage: Off season research potential

[GeeTwo]

Originally Posted by Skywalkar

unless we do something about it, our research station will inevitably sink into the ice and become buried as time goes on.

It doesn't thaw enough in Antarctica to get much "free" work from the freeze/thaw cycle. If you're going to spend enough energy to melt a lot of ice from Antarctic temperatures, it would probably be easier to make the whole research station light enough that it is positively buoyant in ice, and has a cylindrical cross section (not necessarily circular, just all faces vertical). This could probably be done with lightweight concrete as the filler and insulator. First of all, this would slow the rate of settlement. Then if you do need a correction, melt a thin layer around the station and float upwards or downwards as appropriate.