Armin Sigmund is a PhD student conducting research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). During the 2020-2021 research season, Armin travelled to Antarctica to help maintain and upgrade several instruments for a long-term project EPFL is managing in the vicinity of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station. Upon his return to Europe, he recounted the highlights of his first journey to Antarctica.
First impressions
My trip to Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station was my first experience travelling to the Polar Regions.
Almost six hours after leaving the warmth of South Africa aboard a cargo plane, we arrived in the cold climes of Antarctica at the Russian Novolazarevskaya (Novo) Station at the coast of the Dronning Maud Land in East Antarctica. Here we were to await our connecting flight to the Princess Elisabeth.
My first impressions of the White Continent were exciting. The weather was clear and sunny. A strong, cold wind buffeted our faces. Drifting snow moved rapidly in a shallow layer above the surface of the snow and ice.
I was particularly happy to witness this last phenomenon because it was part of the reason why I came to Antarctica: to better understand how snow transport via the wind influences the surface mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet - which, in turn, can have an important effect on sea level rise.
My colleagues at EPFL run simulations for the entire Antarctic ice sheet to quantify all processes that add mass to it (mainly snowfall) or remove mass from its surface (for example, snow sublimation and wind erosion). However, we need in-situ measurements to validate and improve our simulations, and taking these measurements is why my mission took me to Antarctica.
While the majority of the expedition team continued their journey to the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station on a Basler plane, I had to stay behind with a small group at Novo Station to wait for the Basler to come back to collect the rest of us. Unfortunately we had to wait. The second connecting flight for the BELARE team was postponed due to bad weather conditions.
The staff at Novo Station was welcoming. They offered us good food and a warm place to get some rest. As there is no sunset in this part of Antarctica in late November, the "nighttime hours" felt more like daytime. Nevertheless, I quickly fell asleep because I was tired after a long day of travelling and new impressions of Antarctica to absorb.
After two days at Novo, sunny weather allowed us to fly to our final destination: Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. It was fascinating to look out of the plane window during that journey to see a flat and endless snow surface with patches of ice below us, dotted occasionally with awe-inspiring mountains and crevasses.
After a smooth landing at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, we were welcomed with a delicious meal.
The station offered everything that anyone would need: A nice and comfortable dining and living room, fresh and delicious food prepared daily, several corners with desks to work, enough bedrooms to accommodate us, and some space in the workshop for organising our scientific equipment.
During the first few days of my three-week stay, the weather was perfect for field work. It was sunny with light winds and temperatures around -10 °C. I quickly realised that the UV radiation can be intense in Antarctica, especially during the exceptional austral spring of 2020. The use of sun screen was very important to avoid a bad burn.
The focus of my work was to maintain and upgrade two automatic measurement stations, which my colleagues installed in 2016 and have been collecting data ever since. The goal of our research is to obtain year-round measurements of the net accumulation of snow and individual processes such as snow transport and sublimation.
One of the automatic measurement stations is located only a few kilometres from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, while the other station is located at a colder and windier location about 40 kilometres away on the Antarctic Plateau. It was an adventure to visit this remote station by skidoo, especially the first time I went out there.
To reach the more distant station, we travelled through the nearby Sør Rondane Mountains, which are home to many fantastic landscapes. It was a special experience seeing all of this scenery at the "end of the world".
When we arrived, we had to lift the measurement station because approximately half a metre of snow had accumulated since the previous year. I was glad that the members of the BELARE team who accompanied me were there to provide very good help with digging into the snow, lifting the measurement station, and replacing the station’s batteries and solar panel.
After a long day in the field, it was always great to return to the warm and comfortable Princess Elisabeth Antartica.
During the second week of my stay, the winds were much stronger, creating quite a lot of drifting and blowing snow. We had to wait for better weather before we could continue the work at the distant measurement station 40 kilometres away.
But my time was not wasted. I had enough to do in the vicinity of the Princess Elisabeth, including relocating the nearby measurement station, installing additional instruments on it, improving the power supply system, and regularly sampling surface snow to study stable water isotopes.
Luckily, the wind calmed and the sun returned during the third week of my stay. After a week of howling winds, I was more conscious of the fact that it was completely quiet in this part of Antartica when the wind was calm. The only noise I heard came from human activity at the station.
With the weather on our side, we were able to visit the distant measurement station to replace its wind generator and a broken fuse. Unfortunately, an unexpected electrical issue kept me occupied most of the day, so in the evening, we had to return to the Princess Elisabeth without having solved the problem completely.
I discussed the problem with a few members of the BELARE team, and I received valuable advice about what to do. The following day when I returned to the distant measurement station, I was able to solve the problem by connecting a wire differently. I was relieved. Now, all the instruments were powered up and working!
I spent the final days of my time in Antarctica taking advantage of the nice weather. I took photogrammetry measurements of the area using a professional mapping drone. These measurements allow us to determine short-term and long-term changes in surface elevation over a large area.
Overall, my trip was a wonderful and unique experience. I am thankful for the excellent support from the expedition team!
With most parts of the world experiencing some sort of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Year’s celebrations have been, for the most part, relatively small and rather calm affairs. With only 15 people at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, New Year’s was small compared to previous years. Yet the crew still was able to have a festive evening.
As there is currently no designated cook at the station until the next crew rotation, the crew is taking turns cooking for everyone each day. On New Year’s Eve, Expedition Leader Alain Hubert was in charge of making dinner.
As a starter, he prepared a traditional Belgian dish of tomatoes stuffed with shrimps, which was a nice taste of home for the Belgian crew. The main dish was composed of duck legs cooked in the oven accompanied by potatoes and fruit salad with berries, with tiramisu for dessert.
Later in the evening, everyone stayed up chatting with one another cheerfully in the living room of the station until midnight came.
After weeks of work insulating the new garage, renewing the floor of the station near its entrance, upgrading the Toyota Hiluxes the team uses to transport material, and installing new double-sided solar panels for the station on ridge next to the station, it was nice to be able to have a few days off to relax or work on a few side projects.
Alain and a number of team members headed to the former Japanese Asuka Station site, which has been abandoned since the 1990s. Located 60 km towards the east, it was a great opportunity to test out the upgrades the mechanics had made to the Toyota Hiluxes for driving on rough terrain. While there, they collected some fuel drums that a previous BELARE expedition had left there in case of need.
Others took advantage of the time off to enjoy their surroundings, taking a guided hike along the nunatak in the vicinity.
Now everyone is back to work and ready to finish off what needs to be done for the 2020-2021 season!
Christmas 2020 has already come and gone at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.
With a smaller number of people at the station this year due to the pandemic, the traditional three-course Christmas Dinner, prepared by the station’s cook, did not include as many participants as it has in recent years.
This didn’t stop the BELARE team from getting into the Christmas spirit, however. The team managed to fashion an eco-friendly Christmas tree out of recycled wood, which now decorates the station’s living room.
The team has had a full workload undertaking maintenance projects around the station over the last several weeks.
One of the first orders of business this season was to adjust the station’s annexes, which sit atop a slow-moving glacier. Thanks to a new system of pistons and hinges the team installed last year underneath the newly rebuilt garage, the entire structure of the building can be adjusted and leveled to compensate for the glacier’s flow.
Meanwhile, the team added finishing touches to the rebuilt garage, including insulation and a snow-tight door to the outside. They also added stainless steel plates to cover the garage and the new annexes of the station.
Engineers Guus Luppens and Johan Demuylder, added additional solar panels on the new building’s façade, which increases renewable energy production by 10%.
In addition to the usual mechanical maintenance the crew is required to do on all of the vehicles used at PEA, it was also necessary to clear blocks of ice and some stones from the crevasse underneath the station (where clean, fully treated wastewater is dumped after use) and re-channel it so it can now flow unhindered.
As the first part of the season draws to a close, the team has a lot to look back on and be proud of. Everyone will get a much-deserved two-day break around New Year’s as they look forward to 2021.
The first week of the new year will bring more interesting adventures, as a field expedition for the CHASE project is scheduled to depart.
It’s amazing how time flies when you are in Antarctica, away from the pandemic crisis, and focusing on the mission. The BELARE team has been at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica for three weeks now, and we’ve already seen the first team members and scientists leave.
On Wednesday 16 December, we said goodbye to Alexis Merlaud, from the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB), and Armin Sigmund from the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), who accomplished their task of installing weather stations and a number of instruments to monitor atmospheric parameters and the ozone layer thickness in this part of Antarctica.
Until the next flight scheduled mid-January, only one scientist, Preben Van Overmeiren from Ghent University (UGent), will remain at the station to continue to study the origin of organic and inorganic particles transported in the atmosphere all the way from Africa and South America to Antarctica.
The departing crew included engineer Benoit Verdin, who installed and maintained scientific equipment, most of which continuously gathers data year-round. He also performed maintenance and worked on improving the station’s communication system.
Also leaving was engineer Aymar de Lichetvelde, who started up and improved the water treatment systems at the station - a delicate process involving several tanks, filters and a bioreactor. The season's first cook Thomas Duconseille, the season’s first doctor Martin Leitl and Station Manager Nighat Johnson-Amin also left.
After spending a one-night layover at Novo Station, they departed Antarctica on a flight back to Cape Town the following day. Two days later, they’ll be home in time for Christmas.
The plane that brought out the departing team members also arrived with some fresh faces who will be working at the station for the next part of the season.
Engineers Guus Luppens and Johan Demuylder will be working on maintaining and improving the station’s sustainable energy production systems, wich funcion on wind and solar power. In their spare time, they’ll also continue to create solar-powered devices to help give scientists renewable energy sources to run mobile living quarters used during field expeditions and to power their equipment in the field.
Also newly arrived is the station's Chief Doctor and mountain guide, Jacques Richon. This year will be his 10th Antarctic campaign at the PEA Station.
Alexis Merlaud is an atmospheric scientist from the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB). He is currently part of the 2020-2021 BELARE expedition, installing instruments dedicated to observing the atmosphere above Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. Dr. Merlaud dedicated some of his time to talk about the ozone hole over Antarctica that forms every year during the austral spring, and why this year’s ozone hole is persisting longer than normal.
It has to do with the temperature in the stratosphere (the layer of Earth’s atmosphere that sits at between about 10 and 50 km altitude, and which contains the protective ozone layer), and ozone-destroying chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that have remained in the atmosphere, even several decades after their use was banned.
CFCs are very stable gasses, which has allowed them to make their way from the ground into the stratosphere over time. Above the Antarctic, the cold stratospheric temperatures lead to the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). The special chemistry at the surface of these clouds combined with the high-energy photons from the sun, break CFCs apart into their components. The chlorine atoms (Cl) that detach from CFCs when they break apart react chemically with ozone molecules (O3), destroying them.
The ozone hole over Antarctica usually starts to appear in September as the sun returns to Antarctica, but it usually disappears by November, once the stratosphere has warmed up enough to stop the formation of PSCs. However this year, temperatures in the stratosphere have remained colder for longer than normal, thanks to a very stable polar vortex over Antarctica this spring.
Polar vortexes exist over both the North Pole and the South Pole, due to Earth’s rotation. While the Arctic Ocean and several surrounding landmasses make the polar vortex in the Northern Hemisphere less stable, the fact that you have the huge landmass of Antarctica surrounded by water makes the polar vortex in the Southern Hemisphere much more stable. This means that cold air masses over Antarctica don’t mix with warmer air masses in the mid-latitudes as much as they do in the Northern Hemisphere.
If there’s less mixing of polar air with warmer air from the mid-latitudes, then the part of the atmosphere inside the polar vortex remains thermally isolated, keeping it much colder for longer periods of time, and enabling the formation of PSCs and thus the destruction of ozone in sunlight.
The chemical state of the stratosphere has not changed much since last year when the ozone hole was - unlike this year - very short-lived. Meteorological conditions drive these short-term changes from year to year.
Explaining how the meteorological conditions in the stratosphere change each year is quite complicated. These changes are linked to the large natural oscillations of the Earth system, such as El Niño/Southern Oscillation, themselves changing partly due to man-made climate change.
The Montreal Protocol and subsequent treaties banning the use of ozone-depleting substances like CFCs have certainly had a noticeable effect. They’ve kept more ozone-depleting substances from entering the atmosphere and causing more damage.
However, their disappearance from the stratosphere is slow since these glasses are very stable. For instance, the lifetime of CFC-11 is 50 years. Its concentration in the atmosphere reached its peak in 1994 (270 ppt) but has since decreased to 220 ppt.
Unfortunately CFCs will remain in the stratosphere for several more decades. We estimate that a hole in the ozone will continue to form over Antarctica every austral spring until about 2060 if no more ozone-depleting substances are added to the atmosphere.
Ozone is one of the easiest molecules in the atmosphere to observe, because of its strong absorption in the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun
Scientists have been measuring ozone in the atmosphere since the beginning of the 20th century. The first European network of ground-based measurements of ozone began in the 1920s, and ground-based observations in Antarctica began in the 1950s, starting in earnest during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-1958. Satellites have been observing atmospheric ozone levels since the 1960s.
As far as we know, there was no naturally-occurring ozone hole over Antarctica before humans started producing CFCs and other ozone-destroying chemicals.
There are natural sources of ozone-depleting substances. For instance, some volcanic eruptions and oceanic ecosystems produce them. However, the amount of such gasses they produce is too small to have any noticeable effect on the ozone layer.
For more information, I suggest consulting Twenty Questions and Answers about the Ozone layer, put together by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The PEA Station has several scientific measurements to measure the ozone hole. During this season, we’ve installed two instruments to measure atmospheric ozone: a Brewer Spectrophotometer from the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium, and a MAX-DOAS instrument the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy.
Note that this second instrument is first intended to measure the optical properties of aerosol but can also measure stratospheric ozone. This is important since we plan to install the MAX-DOAS permanently once the Brewer Spectrophotometer is removed at the end of the season. As long as the instrument is powered and running next September, we should be able to track the ozone hole's formation and growth during the austrla spring of 2021.
The data we collect at the PEA Station contributes to the global scientific effort to monitor the ozone hole.
At the same time, our work also has immediate benefits for people working in Antarctica: it reminds them that they need to take extra care to cover their skin (by applying sunscreen) and protect their eyes when outdoors. It’s possible to get a very bad sunburn or cause damage to your eyes in these high-UV conditions.
While the COVID-19 pandemic kept the symposium from taking place phsycially in Brussels, the 11th annual Arctic Futures Symposium managed to be a highly successful online event.
Held in a webinar format for a few hours each day over three successive days (30 November - 2 December), the symposium managed to attract hundreds of attendees from around the world to engage in constructive conversations with a diverse group of Artic stakeholders.
Opening with a keynote speech from Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, and a high-level panel discussion led by Dr. Mike Sfraga from the Wilson Center Polar Institute, the symposium explored a number of thematic topics of great importance to the symposium's target audience of Arctic stakeholders and representatives from the European Institutions.
The International Polar Foundation would like to express its gratitude to all symposium speakers and attendees who engaged in fruitful dialogue on Arctic issues, as well as to all of the symposium partners, whose contributions were essential to making this year's symposium a success.
For those who were unable to take part in the symposium this year, please consult the event's website for a detailed programme and speaker bios, as well as news and information about the event.
Videos of each symposium panel discussion will soon be available on the IPF's YouTube channel.
After an extended quarantine in Cape Town, due to poor weather conditions in Antarctica, the 2020-2021 Belgian Antarctic Research Expedition (BELARE) was finally able to reach the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica (PEA) station!
A hectic journey
With the weather having improved in Antarctica, the BELARE team, including Expedition Leader Alain Hubert and several scientists, travelled from Cape Town to the Russian Novolazarevskaya Station (Novo) on Thursday 26 November. Once they had arrived at Novo, the first part of the team was immediately transported to PEA on a Basler to open the station.
Before landing at the airstrip close to the station, the pilot needed a few fly by approaches to assess conditions. The visibility was marginal and the snow cover quite thick. They were taken aback by the incredible amount of snow that had accumulated around the station since last season's team left PEA nine months ago. This would mean a lot of work ahead clearing away snow!
While the first part of the team settled in at the station, mother nature created complications for the rest of the team. During the Basler’s return flight from PEA to Novo, the weather deteriorated. A second flight to PEA the same day would be impossible.
The last four members of the team, along with a lot of scientific equipment, cargo and food for the season, remained stranded at Novo for the next 42 hours while they waited for weather conditions to improve. Thankfully, on Saturday 28 November, the weather was clear enough for the rest of the team and cargo to fly to PEA and be reunited with their BELARE colleagues.
The first order of business for the team was to ensure that all station systems and scientific instruments - which had been running autonomously since the station was closed down at the end of February - were running smoothly. The team then started to collect and melt snow to produce drinking water.
Meanwhile, others used Prinoth tractors to clear massive piles of snow that had accumulated outside the station during the winter. Until A six-metre layer of snow has been cleared away from the station’s annexes doors of the garages and the lower entrance hall. Before that, the team was only able to enter the station through the main red door at the base of the station’s tower.
The team also had to spend several days clearing a flat 120 x 120 metre area in front of the station where they could arrange containers of equipment, mechanical parts, scientific equipment, vehicles and expedition materials.
After four days of hard work, the station’s power generation, water production and water treatment systems were online and fully functional, and enough snow had been cleared to allow the team to operate freely. This is an important accomplishment that allows this year’s expedition to get off to a good start.
Three scientists from Ghent University, the Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB) and the "Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne" (EPFL) who arrived with the first station team have already been able to start their work for the season. They’ve managed to install the majority of their equipment on the roof of the station and in special scientific equipment shelters located on a rocky outcrop not far from PEA
They’re now preparing to do fieldwork, which is scheduled to start in the coming days.
More to come from the team soon. Stay tuned!
After 24 days of social isolation in the vicinity of Cape Town and three Covid-19 tests per team member (all came back negative!) the 2020-2021 BELgian Antarctic Research Expedition (BELARE) is ready to begin!
Due to poor landing conditions in Antarctica, the quarantine for the BELARE team in Cape Town was extended until travel was possible. Now that conditions in Antarctica have improved, the BELARE team, comprised of Expedition Leader Alain Hubert and several scientists, has been cleared for travel and are on their way to the Russian Novolazarevskaia (Novo) Station aboard an Illyushin transport plane.
At Novo, the team will tranfser to a flight that will take them on to the first zero emission polar resaerch station, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica (PEA).
Upon arrival at the station, the team will have to get to work stright away. Their first task will be to head to the hangar (which the BELARE team built two years ago on a local blue ice field), where maintenence vehicles and equipment are stored. The team will use the vehicles to clear away snow that has accumulated in front of the station during the autral winter.
The team will then complete a verification and maintenance check of all the electronic, energy, water production and water treatment systems at the station. This must be done before starting any scientific activities.
Stay tuned for more news from the team once they reach Princess Elisabeth Antarctica!
The time has finally arrived! The 2020-2021 Antarctic season upon us!
The BELARE (Belgian Antarctic Research Expedition) team arrived in Cape Town, South Africa at the beginning of November, where they are currently spending two weeks in quarantine before being allowed to journey to the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica (PEA) Research Station, where a shortened 2020 - 2021 season with a reduced team will take place.
Times are different this year, as the spread of COVID-19 has rendered the execution of the of this current season more challenging, but not impossible.
Following the DROMLAN (Dronning Maud Land Air Network) COVID 19 Sanitary Protocol and with the help of the IPF Cape Town Operations Team, all members of the BELARE team have been self-isolating since their arrival in Cape Town at the beginning of November.
Every member of the expedition is required to isolate for a period of two weeks in Cape Town and undergo a number of COVID-19 tests before being allowed to proceed with their journey to the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.
Every precaution to isolate and protect the BELARE team has been taken.
Once they arrive in Antarctica, the team will be isolated on Earth’s southernmost continent for the next few months.
For more details on these setons events, check out the website dedicated to the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. Here you can find the latest news, photos, and videos of the season.
We’ll post regular updates about the important scientific research projects being undertaken at PEA as well as everyday happenings at the station.
As the ill-fated year 2020 rolls to an end, the new Antarctic Season begins for the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Research Station.
It is a testament to the dedication of the crew and the research teams, that they are not daunted by what they are called upon to do. Despite the difficult months that we, collectively as inhabitants of Planet Earth, have lived through following the announcement of the pandemic and with the confinements in Europe and throughout the World, there is a certain resolve and determination as Alain Hubert and his team contemplate the coming season.
The first team is currently in quarantine in Cape Town, following the DROMLAN (Dronning Maud Land Air Network) COVID 19 Sanitary Protocol, having arrived under special permit issued by the South African Department of Home Affairs. Cape Town is currently in low-level lockdown (Level 1) and life has returned to something approaching a semblance of normal……but with masks. However, the restrictions on foreign arrivals are still in place, and it took the coordinated efforts of the Belgian Embassy and the South African National Antarctic Program, in support of the applications of the team, to finally help obtain the laisser-passers needed to board flights.
The quarantine requires that all the participants should be in self-isolation for a period of two weeks after arrival in Cape Town. Two PCR tests are conducted after arrival, one at Day 5 and one at Day 12. The team is accompanied by the station doctor, Dr Martin Leitl, who will be responsible for the first rotation, and who is carrying out the tests. Dr Jacques Richon will cover the second rotation. The Belgian Antarctic Research Expedition has obtained its own PCR testing equipment, which has the capability to test either for the SARS COV-2 virus or a range of other viruses including mutations of the COVID-19 virus causing the pandemic. This has allowed the team to put in place a pro-active strategy for testing giving rapid results and permitting certain flexibility in the management of the self-isolation.
The team is currently staying in the foothills of Table Mountain National Park and has been given the liberty to exercise outdoors in the fresh air by taking walks around the national park. This has contributed to team morale while maintaining the general physical condition of the Expedition.
The Cape Town Operations Team is managing the cargo preparations, procurement and quarantine support for the station crew as they have to cook for themselves, and are not allowed to have contact with others.
The Ilyushin 76 which will take the team to the Antarctic and which will assure a medevac standby during the whole season is also in Cape Town while the flight crew carries out the same quarantine procedures, under the management of the Antarctic Logistics Company International (ALCI). The DC3 ski-equipped planes which will assure the final leg are also in quarantine in Punta Arenas, from where they will make their way to Novo Air Base when the weather window opens in the coming days.
The amount of preparation required for this year’s Expedition is significantly more than for a “normal” season, and every effort will be made to assure that the virus does not reach the Antarctic.
Once at the station, the crew will carry out essential work to protect the infrastructure of the station, while the researchers will carry out maintenance on the monitoring instruments and will install some new devices.
The enforced quarantine hase provided the time to prepare for the season using Zoom and Skype meetings with colleagues in Belgium to prepare strategies and work on new aspects such as computer modelling of the Air Handling Units. The time of forced reflection has created a fresh dynamic as creativity has blossomed. More on this soon.
The latest edition of the annual Arctic Futures Symposium organised by the International Polar Foundation and its many Arctic stakeholder partners will take place in early December. Register to secure your spot!
IPF is sad to learn of the passing of glaciologist Professor Roland Souchez, who made important contributions to the fields of glaciology and climate science during his decades-long career.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit “To the Antarctic: Belgica’s Polar Pioneers”, Antwerp resident and LEGO enthusiast Daniel Vermeir built an amazing scale model of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the world’s first and to date only zero-emission polar research station.
To celebrate the opening of the exhibit “To the Antarctic: Belgica’s Polar Pioneers”, Antwerp resident and LEGO enthusiast Daniel Vermeir built an amazing scale model of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the world’s first and to date only zero-emission polar research station.
The International Polar Foundation has been part of creating a fascinating new exhibition on Belgium's contributions to Antarctic exploration and research, opening at the MAS Museum in Antwerp starting from Friday, June 21st.
After much anticipation, on Thursday, June 20th, the exhibition “To the Antarctic: Belgica’s Polar Pioneers” at Antwerp’s MAS Museum officially opened its doors.
On Tuesday, June 11th, IPF Founder and President Alain Hubert was invited to participate in the “Debate with Ambassadors” panel at European Sustainable Energy Week 2024 (EUSEW24).
At a ceremony held the afternoon of Monday, June 10th at The Royal Academy of Sciences of Belgium, Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation, received the prestigious Belgica Prize alongside French glaciologist Professor Jérôme Chappellaz.
At a ceremony held the afternoon of Monday, June 10th at The Royal Academy of Sciences of Belgium, Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation, received the prestigious Belgica Prize alongside French glaciologist Professor Jérôme Chappellaz.
Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation, is set to receive the Belgica Prize at a ceremony to be held at the Royal Academy for Sciences and the Arts of Belgium the afternoon of Monday, June 10th, alongside French glaciologist Dr Jérôme Chappellaz.
Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation, is set to receive the Belgica Prize at a ceremony to be held at the Royal Academy for Sciences and the Arts of Belgium the afternoon of Monday, June 10th, alongside French glaciologist Dr Jérôme Chappellaz.
For the 3rd year in a row, entrepreneurs 35 or under based in the Arctic are invited to submit an application for the annual Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award.
The International Polar Foundation and its many Arctic stakeholder partners are happy to announce that the 15th annual Arctic Futures Symposium will take place on December 2nd-3rd at the Residence Palace in Brussels.
