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In January 2025 part of the IPF team climbed the antenna at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica to install instruments for the EPFL-CRYOS project.

During the height of summer at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, temperatures can sometimes climb above freezing, which is warm enough to melt ice in the nearby Utsteinen Nunatak windscoop!

On December 24th, 2024, the first hyrdrogen produced at PEA from renewable energy was used to fill a weather balloon that takes radiosonde measurements as it rises into the atmosphere. It marks a huge milestone in making the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica more self-sufficient and sustainable as it is not longer required to bring large canisters of helium to the station every season to fill the weather balloons that are lunched into the atmosphere.

During the last week of December 2024 at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, participants in the "Nerdland for kleine nerds" (Nerdland for small nerds) events were treated to videos of IPF #engineer Johan De Muylder talking about life in #Antarctica and doing experiments at the #PrincessElisabeth station such as throwing hot water in the air and freezing soap bubbles. The audience of families at the Lotto Arena were fascinated by the experiments, as you can see from the video here. We're always happy to do our part get young people interested in #STEM subjects!

On December 24th, the first weather balloon filled with hydrogen was launched from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station. This milestone marks the firs time hydrogen produced at the station has been put to practical use.

In late December, members of the BELARE team headed to the coast to prepare the site where members of the NISAR and PASPARTOUT projects will install instruments.

Here we see IPF engineer Mathilde Renard and IPF Founder and BELARE Team Leader Alain Hubert inaugurating the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica's new hydrogen production facility, which will be used to supply weather balloons with gas to float up into the atmosphere as they take measurements and eventually the backup generators for the station. Mathilde explains how the process of electrolysis works in the machine.

Planes including the Alfred Wegener Institute's Polar 6 aircraft at the PEA Airfield getting ready to take off to conduct aerial surveys of the the ice margin at the coast for the international RINGS project. Each year the International Polar Foundation assists scientists working on this project managed by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).

This panel highlighted key challenges and smart initiatives that allow the High North to build and maintain a well-trained Arctic workforce and resilient communities. The panel discussed the situation for young people across the Arctic, the role of education and skills, health and wellbeing, and what the EU can do to support Arctic communities.