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Dr. Katherine Leonard and Alain Hubert give you the 101 about antarctic ice. Discover the differences between sea ice and ice-shelf and their influence on sea levels.The International Polar Foundation would like to thank T.A.G.E.O. for giving us the rights to use their music as the soundtrack for this video. myspace.com/tageo

During their scientific expedition to the coast, Katherine Leonard and Alain Hubert shared some interesting anecdotes on their encounters with the locals.The International Polar Foundation would like to thank T.A.G.E.O. for giving us the rights to use their music as the soundtrack for this video. myspace.com/tageo

Irina Gorodetskaya is a Post-doctoral Research Scientist at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium). In previous years, she was responsible for installing the instruments to be used at the Princess Elisabeth Station in the framework of the HYDRANT project, a project aimed at measuring various parts of the hydrologic cycle of Antarctica.

From its labs over its offices to its scientific shelters on the ridge, the Princess Elisabeth Station offers scientists a wide array of well-equipped facilities to conduct their research. This support also head into the field with them with the entirely outfitted lodging containers and mobile laboratories.

This movie details the Princess Elisabeth Station project from the plans to the end of the building phase. It is a short version of a movie created to present the station at the 2009 Baltimore ATCM. The International Polar Foundation would like to thank T.A.G.E.O. for the video soundtrack.

The last stage of the construction involves laying the insulation layer against the building, including down on the floor. This work requires a lot of precision and an insulated layer of high quality. The material measures 40 cm thick and covers over 400 m2.

Far more than a mere symbol of Belgium's return to Antarctica, the Princess Elisabeth Station is first and foremost an Antarctic research station. As such, it welcomes scientists from everywhere around the globe to conduct scientific research in the Sør Rondanes. For this year, besides the JARE 51 program, the station has welcomed:Elie Verleyen (University of Ghent), and Steve Roberts (BAS) for their research on cosmogenic particles;Zorigto Namsaraev and Josef Elster, for their study of the microbiology in the area, continuing the work of BELDIVA from last year;Irina Gorodetskaya (KULeuven), for the preparation of the installation of meteorological instruments around the station.In this capsule, these scientists take you with them in the field. You will thus be able to see Steve Roberts and Elie Verleyen take rock samples, while Josef Elster and Zorigto Namsaraev head to a cryoconite field to sample micro-organisms. We then accompany Irina Gorodetskaya, before going back to Steve and Elie on an icy lake at Utsteinen to conduct a radar survey.

"When I look at it, I tell myself that it isn't possible. It's still a dream. But it's not! Mission accomplished." Those were the words of Alain Hubert, general supervisor of the project, about completing the first phase of the station's construction.

The Ivan Papanin, used to transport the equipment and material needed to build the station, is an Ice-class cargo ship. To reach Antarctica, the ship had to break the ice that covers the ocean several times. After having left Cape Town, the first stop along her trip was near the Norwegian Troll Station. Here is some footage filmed during the ship's journey to Troll station.