The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said Tuesday that South Korea will open the 16th maritime science base for research in the Antarctic for one year from November 18th. A 16-member research team will study the Antarctic's temperatures, water salinity and atmosphere, and collaborate with other research stations there. According to the ministry, during the Antarctic summer from late November to January, another 59 researchers will be sent to the icy continent in a mission to study the area's continental shelf. In 1959, advanced countries signed the "Antarctic Treaty" to protect animals and resources on the seventh continent. At the moment, 18 countries are running 45 science bases to observe everything from astrology to studying the effects of human activities on the land.