2019-2020 Season Has Officially Started
On the evening of 5 November, the first 12 members of the station team (including team leader Alain Hubert, field guides, engineers, mechanics, a doctor, and a cook) arrived at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station to officially start the 2019-2020 Belgian Antarctic Research Expedition (BELARE)season. They wasted no time in getting the station up and running!
Fully charged
The BELARE team was happy to find the battery packs that collect renewable wind and solar energy were fully charged and ready to power the station. The team was able to get to work getting everything ready for the austral summer research season.
The first tasks consisted of getting the station’s water treatment system started up, checking the scientific instruments that have been collecting data over the winter, and getting the vehicles and equipment ready for use in the field.
Amazingly, within three hours, all of the vehicles at the Winter Park were started up and taken out of the hangar that was built to protect them over the winter. It was certainly worth the time spent building the wooden structure! Before the protective hangar was built, it could take them up to a week to dig all the snow away from the equipment and get them all started up.
The lead team won’t be alone for long, as they will soon be joined by 8 more on 13 November to help them prepare for the arrival of the first sicentists about a week later!
We’ll keep you updated on the latest actives of the BELARE team as they come in!
Picture: The first members of the 2019-2020 BELARE team as they prepare to board their flight to Antarctica in Cape Town - © International Polar Foundation