The RECTO Project Sampling at the Princess Ragnhild Coast

The BELSPO-funded RECTO (Refugia and Ecosystem Tolerance the the Southern Ocean) project aims to advance our understanding of the responses of Antarctic marine ecosystems to the strong environmental pressures they face. While the RECTO project has so far focused on the Antarctic Peninsula, the maritime area located in the area of the Princess Regnhild Coast in East Antartica 200 km from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica station has not been explored, and very little is known about biodiversity in this area. This gallery has a number of snapshots from the ten-day expedition the RECTO project took to the coast in January 2022.

Dr. Bruno Danis (ULB) and Expedition Leader Alain Hubert getting ready to head to the coast to study marine biodiversity along the Princess Ragnhild Coast

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
Mechanic Tim Grosrenaud Technician-welder Thomas Naulin accompany Bruno Danis on the RECTO project expedition to the coast.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
The RECTO expedition convoy is equipped with a 10-foot caboose for cooking and eating, a 20-foot workshop container, and a sledge carrying skidoos, winch, and sampling gear.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
Departure of the team for the ten-day RECTO biodiversity expedition 200km from PEA, at the coast of the Droning Maud Land

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
Looking cool in our polar gear as we arrive at the coast and get to work!

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
Thomas Naulin assists Bruno Danis with the lander before they deploy it into the briny deep during the RECTO project expedition to the coast.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
Bruno Danis and Alain Hubert do some sea floor exploration with a Yo-yo cam, a device composed of a metallic lander equipped with under water cameras and flash to take photos and videos of the unstudied marine biodiversity of the area.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
Dr Bruno Danis from the Marine Biology laboratory (ULB) deploys a CTD that will collect depth and other parameters of the water along the Princess Ragnhild Coast.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
Expedition leader Alain Hubert, equipped with harness and life line, is ready to deploy baited traps from the ice shelf's edge to study marine scavengers on the sea floor.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
The sun hangs low in the sky late in the evening at the RECTO project field camp at the coast.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB
You can see the route the RECTO project team took during their ten-day expedition to the coast in January 2022.

© International Polar Foundation, Bruno Danis, ULB