First Scientific Research: Glaciology at the Coast

This picture gallery introduces the scientific work carried out by the glaciologists and lead by Professor Frank Pattyn at the coast.

Frank Pattyn ULB-BELLISSIMA, Nathalie Pattyn (medical doctor), and Matsuoka Kenichi from ULB-BELLISSIMA

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
Alain Hubert and Jean Louis Tison are getting ready for their reconnaissance trip at the coast.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
The BELISSIMA camp, at the entrance of a rift (geological/glaciological formation of Crown Bay), an ideal site for drilling.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
The first camp site is situated along the coast for the BELLISIMA glaciology team. They had just carried out a 200 km traverse from Utsteinen in teh cabins, that is about an 18 hour trip.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
BELISSIMA camp welcome... it could be worse! For your information: the bad weather has concentrated on Utsteinen! You can tell by the tan.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
The BELISSIMA "radar" team was re-supplied: Kenny and Frank had comfortably set up their camp at 40 km from the coast.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
Pattyn Frank ULB- BELLISIMA, works on the in-depth radar rendering of the ice.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
Close-up on the Nansen sledge, a Norwegian sledge tied up with lether bands.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
Kenny (Kenichi is his real name), adjusting his radar: he is both the conceiver and our Japanese-American radio-glaciologist.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
So much as 40 m of ice is kept in this freezer: from the bottom of this freezer, several centuries of natural history are looking right at you.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
The paradoxes of research in Antarctica: having to bring your freezers to such a cold place! It is used to keep the precious ice cores protected during their trip back to Brussels.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
Studying a first sample: measuring the ice core.76: The BELISSIMA drilling team setting up their technical equipment.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert
The drill (well, actually, technically speaking it is an "ice corer"), in separate pieces.

© International Polar Foundation / René Robert

First Scientific Research: Glaciology at the Coast

Press Officer