A team of scientists working at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica has recently discovered a meteorite weighing 18kg embedded in the East Antarctic ice sheet, the largest such meteorite found in the region since 1988.Head over to Princess Elisabeth Antarctica's website for more information : antarcticstation.orgFor any press inquiries, please contact Press officer Dave Wash: press@polarfoundation.orgCopyrights: International Polar Foundation - Harry Zekollari

Inside the Station will take you on an interactive journey inside the legendary Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the world’s first zero emission polar research station. People of all ages will experience what it’s like to live and work in the frozen south, learn about polar science, and the continuing evolution of the wind and solar-powered centre for international polar scientific research.“In 2007, an incredible 35,000 people came to Tour & Taxis to see Princess Elisabeth Antarctica for themselves before it was shipped south to Antarctica”, said International Polar Foundation Executive Director Thierry Touchais. “Now it’s our pleasure to welcome the public to once again share in the success story that is Princess Elisabeth Antarctica”.Inside the Station features amazing reconstructions that give you the opportunity to experience first hand:The technologies used at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica– the electrical smart grid, the renewable energy systems, and moreThe incredible Antarctic environment - including glaciers, rugged mountains, blue ice fields and exotic wildlifeLogistics – the arduous yet exciting journey to the Antarctic – using satellites, aircraft, ships, and tractorsThe Science – the scientific programmes at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, which help us to learn more about our planet, its climate and how it worksDaily Life – Working, eating, sleeping and managing energy use in the remote and frozen SouthPrincess Elisabeth Antarctica is an example of how we can deal with climate change – and the actions we can take at a personal and community level to respond to this challenge.Inside the Station coincides with Belgium’s Antarctic Research mission (BELARE 2012-2013), during which some 30 scientists from Belgium and other countries live and work at Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.Need more information? Head over to the Inside the Station website for detailed information on ticketing, guided tours, opening hours and directions : insidethestation.be

Three members of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica team have the honour of being the first humans to have visited and photographed a newly-discovered 9,000-strong colony of emperor penguins on Antarctica’s Princess Ragnhild Coast.Head over to Princess Elisabeth Antarctica's website for more information : antarcticstation.org--------------------------------Also - Inside the Station, currently taking place in Brussels, is an interactive journey inside the legendary Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, the world’s first zero emission polar research station. Visitors can experience what it’s like to live and work in the frozen south, learn about polar science, and the continuing evolution of the wind and solar-powered centre for international polar scientific research.Need more information? Head over to the Inside the Station website for detailed information on ticketing, guided tours, opening hours and directions: insidethestation.be

Dr. Walt Meier, sea ice scientist from the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, puts into context the recent dramatic summer sea ice minimum in the Arctic, along with the winter sea ice maximum in the Antarctic.

Charles Emmerson, Senior Research Fellow for the Energy, Environment and Development Program at Chatham House, offers his perspective on hydrocarbon exploitation in the Arctic.

Prof. David Vaughan, glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey and Lead Co-ordinator of the EU-funded ice2sea project, discusses potential sea level rise, improvements in modelling sea ice melt, and some of the factors contributing to dramatic ice loss from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets.

Vladimir Romanovsky is a Professor of Geophysics at the Permafrost Laboratory at the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Prof. Romanovsky gives a brief overview of how permafrost is warming and the consequences on infrastructure and the carbon cycle as well as the importance of the IPY ‘Thermal State of Permafrost’ research project in providing new data sets.

Paula Kankaanpää is the Director of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland. Prof. Kankaanpää offers a brief description of the new EU Arctic Information Centre initiative she is coordinating.

Konrad Steffan, Director of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Studies (CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder, underlines why it is important to monitor the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans and describes how feedbacks accelerate warming in the Arctic. He also emphasizes the importance of scientists to communicate their findings to policymakers.