Princess Elisabeth Antarctica viewed from the sky

News from Antarctica

Interested in what's happening down at Princess Elisabeth? News from the field are posted here regularily to keep you updated about what's going on.

  • Guiding the Japanese geologists through the white-out - © International Polar Foundation

    in Science, Logistics

    Straight Through the White-Out

    Our first Mission this year was to drive the Japanese to their first base camp, 76km away from the station. What should have been a simple task turned into quite…

  • Jacob Bossaer at work on PEA's water treatment unit - © International Polar Foundation

    in Infrastructure

    Fresh Water for Everyone

    After landing in Utsteinen, the team took three days to free the snow melter, a crucial unit. Talking with Jacob Bossaer, a chemical engineer and a new member to the…

  • Stormy Weather - © International Polar Foundation

    in Daily Life

    Bad Weather, Good Spirits

    This year, the BELARE team's not lucky with the weather. They were hardly done with the 850 tons of accumulated snow, when a furious storm unleashed. While these storms usually last…

  • Karel Moerman and Erik Verhagen at work in the batteries room - © International Polar Foundation

    in Daily Life, Infrastructure

    All Systems up and Running!

    Upon arriving at Utsteinen, the priorities were clear for the team: start the bulldozers, prepare the generator, and set the station ready for electrical start-up. First opened at 1pm (CET),…

  • Garages completely covered in snow - © International Polar Foundation

    in Daily Life, Logistics

    A Whole Lot of Snow

    Flying into Antarctica from Cape Town (South Africa), the first members of the 2011-2012 BELARE Expedition (Belgian Antarctic Research) set foot in Utsteinen on November 16th after a stop at…

  • Militaries loading the containers - © International Polar Foundation

    in Logistics

    Loading Operations at Wervik

    Extreme expeditions require exceptional logistics, and this is especially true for Antarctica. Preparing the 2011-2012 season, a special operations team packed and loaded the freight cargo to be shipped to…