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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.

The ceremony took place in front of a full room in the auditorium at the Royal Academy. Both laureates were introduced by members of the Royal Academy: 

After both Alain Hubert and Professor Chappellaz received their medals from the Academy, both laureates gave presentations about their work. First, Professor Chappellaz spoke about his decades-long research tracking methane (one of the most powerful greenhouse gases) in Earth’s atmosphere in his work researching atmospheric gases trapped in ice cores taken at the poles. Afterwards, Alain Hubert recounted how his polar expeditions inspired him to establish the International Polar Foundation and to build the world’s first zero-emission polar research station, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.

“The Princess Elisabeth Antarctica is not only a first-of-its-kind research station, which has welcomed scientists from Belgium and internationally, but it also forces us to rethink our relationship with energy,” he stated during his acceptance speech. 

The ceremony ended with a memorable 15-minute film that highlighted all of the research projects that have taken place at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica over the last 17 years it has been operating.

The entire event was recorded and will be made available on the Academy’s website in the coming weeks.

“The Class of Sciences at the Royal Academy is very happy to award the Belgica Prize to Professor Jérôme Chappellaz and Alain Hubert,” commented the Academy. “In this the 125th anniversary year of the overwintering of the Belgica in Antarctica, we wanted to also recognise a modern explorer who has contributed so much to polar research, not only to the Belgian scientific community, but also to the international scientific community.”

The prestigious Belgica Prize is awarded every five years to persons who have made exceptional contributions to polar science during their careers.

Alain Hubert was awarded the prize in recognition of his record-breaking expeditions to the poles, realising the world’s first zero-emission polar research station, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, and helping to establish important scientific research programmes at this groundbreaking station.

The construction of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica has breathed new life into Belgian polar research. The zero-emission station not only significantly reduces the environmental footprint of conducting scientific research in Antarctica, but it also regularly attracts world-class scientists from both Belgium and around the world, working in close collaboration to better understand our planet and its climate in fields such as glaciology, atmospheric sciences, biology, and the geosciences.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to have been able to contribute to the tradition of Belgian polar exploration and international polar research begun by Adrien de Gerlache, and to have helped Belgian polar researchers to benefit from a platform that fully exhibits their very considerable scientific prowess,” Mr Hubert commented about receiving the prize.

Dr Jérôme Chappellaz, who is currently affiliated with the EPFL (Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland, received the award for his analysis of ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, which have made it possible for scientists to reconstruct atmospheric methane concentrations over the last 800,000 years. 

The EPFL is currently involved in a number of research projects being undertaken at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.

This year was the twelfth time the Belgica Prize has been awarded. It was initially established in 1904 by royal statute to commemorate the first overwintering expedition to Antarctica aboard the Belgica research vessel, led by Belgian Navy Lieutenant Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery in 1897-99, which was also the first international research expedition to Antarctica. The first recipients of the prize were members of the Belgica expedition crew and the diverse team of scientists who contributed to the quantity of scientific information collected during that voyage and during the year the ship spent in the sea ice in Antarctica.

Since 1963 the prize has been awarded every five years in recognition of the work of polar scientists active in Antarctica. A variety of researchers from Belgium and other countries have received the prestigious award. Notable winners include the Belgian Antarctic research expedition of 1957-58 (which began construction of Belgium’s King Baudouin research station), Edgard Picciotto (Geologist from the Université libre de Bruxelles who took part in several Belgian and American Antarctic research expeditions in the 1950s and 60s), Claude Lorius (Glaciologist and former President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research), David John Drewry (former Director of the British Antarctic Survey),  Dominique Raynaud (Glaciologist at the Centre national de recherche scientifique in France and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner), and Thomas Stocker (climatologist at the University of Bern).

Have a look at photos from the ceremony here.

Read the full press release in three languages.
 

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.

The highly anticipated ceremony will begin at 4:00 pm and will feature presentations from both laureates.

The prestigious Belgica Prize is awarded every five years to persons who have made exceptional contributions to polar science during their careers.

Alain Hubert will receive the prize in recognition of his record-breaking expeditions to the poles, realising the world’s first zero-emission polar research station, the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, and helping to establish important scientific research programmes at this groundbreaking station.

The construction of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica has breathed new life into Belgian polar research. The zero-emission station not only significantly reduces the environmental footprint of conducting scientific research in Antarctica, but it also regularly attracts world-class scientists from both Belgium and around the world, working in close collaboration to better understand our planet and its climate in fields such as glaciology, atmospheric sciences, biology, and the geosciences.

“It has been an honour and a privilege to have been able to contribute to the tradition of Belgian polar exploration and international polar research begun by Adrien de Gerlache, and to have helped Belgian polar researchers to benefit from a platform that fully exhibits their very considerable scientific prowess,” Mr Hubert commented upon learning that he will receive the prize.

Dr Jérôme Chappellaz, who is currently affiliated with the EPFL (Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland, is receiving the award for his analysis of ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, which have made it possible for scientists to reconstruct atmospheric methane concentrations over the last 800,000 years.

The EPFL is currently involved in a number of research projects being undertaken at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.

This year will be the twelfth time the Belgica Prize will be awarded. It was initially established in 1904 by royal statute to commemorate the first overwintering expedition to Antarctica aboard the Belgica research vessel, led by Belgian Navy Lieutenant Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery in 1897-99, which was also the first international research expedition to Antarctica. The first recipients of the prize were members of the Belgica expedition crew and the diverse team of scientists who contributed to the quantity of scientific information collected during that voyage and during the year the ship spent in the sea ice in Antarctica.

Since 1963 the prize has been awarded every five years in recognition of the work of polar scientists active in Antarctica. A variety of researchers from Belgium and other countries have received the prestigious award. Notable winners include the Belgian Antarctic research expedition of 1957-58 (which began construction of Belgium’s King Baudouin research station), Edgard Picciotto (Geologist from the Université libre de Bruxelles who took part in several Belgian and American Antarctic research expeditions in the 1950s and 60s), Claude Lorius (Glaciologist and former President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research), David John Drewry (former Director of the British Antarctic Survey),  Dominique Raynaud (Glaciologist at the Centre national de recherche scientifique in France and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner), and Thomas Stocker (climatologist at the University of Bern).

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.

This 7500 Euro prize, handed out every year at the Arctic Futures Symposium, is given to help a young entrepreneur or startup advance their business to the next level, which in turn contributes to the economy of Arctic communities.

The winner of the award will be invited to attend the Arctic Futures Symposium to present their business project and take part in a panel discussion focused on innovation in the Arctic.

Applications will be accepted until Friday, September 27th, 11:59 PM Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time (UTC - 9).

The award is financed by the Trân Family Foundation and is managed by the International Polar Foundation. A jury of experts from across the Arctic from organisations specialised in entrepreneurship and managing startups will select the winning candidate based on criteria stated on the application page of the Arctic Futures Symposium website.

Please don’t hesitate to contact the international Polar Foundation in case you have any questions at events@polarfoundation.org. Please make sure to mention “Laurence Trân Arctic Futures Award 2024” in the subject line.

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.

Held every autumn in Brussels’ EU Quarter, this multidisciplinary event brings together a diverse group of Arctic stakeholders representing local, regional and national governments of Arctic states, the EU, Arctic indigenous communities, the business sector, young people, and academia.

This year’s symposium will focus on how Arctic cooperation is faring in light of the current geopolitical situation, what Transatlantic cooperation in the Arctic will look like following elections in Europe and the US in 2024, critical raw materials and building a just Green Transition, keeping the Arctic an area of low tension, bolstering the resilience and wellness of Arctic regions and communities, innovation to meet challenges in the Arctic, building a skilled workforce in Arctic communities, and attracting people to live in the Arctic. Youth from the Arctic will be invited to take part in the panel discussions..

The symposium is free and is open to anyone interested iin the Arctic. Registrations will open in early September.

In the meantime, we encourage you to regularly consult the Arctic Futures Symposium website for the latest updates to the draft programme, the list of confirmed speakers, and symposium side events.

Two members of the International Polar Foundation team had prominent roles at the recent Arctic Circle Forum in Berlin on May 7th and 8th.

On the first day, from 9:00-10:00 am, IPF Board Member and Senior Fellow at the Egmont Institute Marie-Anne Coninsx participated in the panel discussion entitled, "International Research in the Arctic Amidst Global Tensions,"  which discussed the current state of cooperation between scientists working to monitor the Arctic following the start of the war in Ukraine.

Then on Wednesday May 8th, from 1:30 - 2:30 pm, IPF Education and Outreach Coordinator Mieke Sterken spoke on the panel "Voices for the Future - The Next Generation's Role in Shaping the Arctic", which focused on educating young people about the Arctic, and was organised by Karen van Loon and the Egmont Institute.

Marie-Anne then moderated the panel "Non-Arctic European Countries: an Asset for the Arctic?" as part of the IV plenary from 4:30 - 6:00 pm on Wednesday, May 8th, where the contributions of non-Arctic states to the work of the Arctic Council and beyond were discussed.

IPF was happy to be present and looks forward to taking part in the annual Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik in October.

It was a successful day for education and outreach as teachers gathered to listen to IPF's Education Coordinator Mieke Sterken as she gave a presentation about the geopolitical situation in the polar regions.

Are the polar regions facing a geopolitical storm? Mieke Sterken addressed this question at the recent VLA Conference, organised by the Flemish Geography Teachers Association on Saturday, March 23rd in Antwerp.About 150 teachers, primarily specialised in teaching geography and history, attended the one-day event.

The day started with keynote speeches addressing the current situation in international relations. This was then followed by eight different topics the teachers could choose to explore further. The topics included the energy transition, lithium markets, China, and the war in Ukraine.

Mieke was given the task of giving two one-hour presentations on IPF’s behalf about the geopolitical situation in the polar regions. Both sessions saw a good turnout, and the second session was fully booked. In her talk she addressed the major climatic and ecological changes in the polar regions and how these are influencing international politics and political trends.

Mieke’s detailed lectures ensured that the teachers left the event with a wealth of information they can use when discussing the polar regions in their classrooms.

Mieke was very pleased with the interest the teachers showed in her lectures. “It’s important to address these themes comprehensively and keep teachers informed about the latest developments in climate change research and geopolitics,” she stated.”I think this kind of conference would even be of great value for people who aren’t geographers or teachers, especially journalists, policy makers and the public at large.”

The International Polar Foundation was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Stephen Cox CVO, former Executive Director of the Royal Society in London and Trustee of the International Polar Foundation’s UK arm (IPF UK).

Stephen came from Blackburn, England, where he was an outstanding student as a child. Following voluntary service overseas in Bolivia, he pursued an undergraduate degree in geography and a master’s degree in education. On completion of his studies, he joined the British Council, where he was stationed in Warsaw, Ghana, Washington DC, and London.

In 1984 he became Assistant Secretary at the Royal Society to lead the society’s international programmes, where he established links with scientists in Europe, the US and across the British Commonwealth. He later became the Society’s Executive Director. In the 1990s, he was elected Director-General of the Commonwealth Institute and worked as Chief Executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, helping support emerging democracies in eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. He was appointed a Commander in the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in 1997.

Stephen also found time in his busy schedule to volunteer for the British Science Association, the Council for Assisting Refugee Academics (now the Council for At-Risk Academics) and the Royal Geographical Society, where he was elected a fellow.

It is in this spirit of giving back that Stephen also volunteered to become a trustee of the International Polar Foundation’s UK branch, thanks to an invitation by another IPF UK Trustee, the Australian historian, author, and Antarctic expert Meredith Hooper.

“I’m really sad to learn that Stephen has passed away,” stated Alain Hubert, IPF Founder and President. “We’ve been honoured to have someone so distinguished and with such commitment to service as one of our IPF UK trustees. He will be sorely missed.”

“IPF is very grateful to Stephen for his encouragement and support when we first launched IPF UK,” stated Nighat Amin, Head of Environmental and International Affairs at IPF. “I remember clearly the welcome that we unfailingly received at the Royal Society when we had our meetings there. His passionate belief in the importance of education always made me smile.”

Drawing on his vast experience in education, he provided helpful insight to IPF UK Executive Secretary Dr Liz Pasteur as she developed pedagogical content for Class Zero Emission UK, an educational initiative the International Polar Foundation created to teach young people about topics such as polar science, climate change, energy, biodiversity, and how to have a more sustainable livelihood.

“He was an excellent trustee, was witty and personable, and always offered good suggestions and encouragement,” recalled Dr Pasteur. “His perceptive comments helped significantly during the development of the Class Zero Emissions workshops in the UK. He had a broad depth of experience to draw on and was very generous with his time.”

“He remained a very charming, supportive and approachable person despite his achievements,” remarked photographer and author Dr Jean de Pomereu, a longtime collaborator with IPF who took part in IPF UK Trustees meetings from time to time. “I was very sad to hear of his passing.”

After retiring from the Royal Academy in 2011, he chaired the council of Royal Holloway University of London as well as the governing body of Atlantic College. He was also a trustee of the Frederick Soddy Trust.

Stephen remained a trustee of IPF UK until his passing.

Stephen was also an avid cricketer and published author. His works include The Commonwealth Institute: A Tale of Two Buildings, and The Royal Society in Cold War Europe.

He is survived by his wife Pauline, who was a respected educationist and Head Teacher at The Tiffin Girls’ School in Kingston upon Thames from 1994 to 2010, his daughter Rachel, and his son David.

Yet another successful research season has come to an end at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica.

This past week the final 12 members of the BELARE 2023-24 team wrapped up the last in-situ science projects of the season and performed the final maintenance and logistics tasks before closing up the station and heading to Cape Town on Wednesday, February 21st.

At the beginning of the week, the team enjoyed their last big Sunday dinner of the season, which included delicious homemade fries and raclette. The cosy yet hearty meal gave the team the energy they needed to finish out the season.

During the last few days before leaving, the remaining team removed a number of the scientific instruments on the roof of the station and in the scientific shelters that only collect data during the four months that the station is inhabited. The station's annexes were also adjusted before leaving to compensate for the movement of the ice underneath them during the season. A full inventory was done of equipment and spare parts in the garage as well as the food stocks in the pantry. And on Tuesday the new water treatment system was shut down and the final vehicles were parked either in the winter park or the station’s garages.

One always knows the end of the season coming. During the majority of the season, the team experiences 24 hour daylight. But starting in February each year, the sun starts to dip below the horizon for longer and longer periods of time each day. By the last week of the season, night had already grown to 7 hours a day.

On to CapeTown

Then on Wednesday morning around 9:00 am UTC +1, the final 12 members of the BELARE 2023-24 team closed up the station forteh austral winter. They hopped onto a skidoo train and headed to the air strip 2 km from the station to take the DC-3 to Ultima Air Base, where they transferred onto a cargo plane bound for Cape Town with scientists from other Antarctic programmes in the region.

The BELARE team landed in Cape Town at 10:35 pm SAST (UTC +2) and are now taking a few days to rest an relax after a job well done!

This Friday, the Consualte General of Belgium in Cape Town will host the BELARE team to congratulate them on the hard work they've done during the season.

Last week most of the scientists and several of the crew headed home from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, having accomplished their scientific objectives for this season. Only a core crew and one scientist will stay until the end of the season.

A successful season for science

From the ExPoSoils project, Valentina and Björn were able to take microbe samples from all the target sites the project had identified. They even had time to return to a few sites to take more samples after a few weeks had gone by. The HYPSTAR radiometer Quentin had installed at a number of sites also took solar radiation measurements for a few weeks before being repatriated. Quentin also managed to set up several time-lapse cameras that will take occasional regular photos of the sample sites until the scientific research team returns next year.

Paula and Sibylle also had a good season working for the PASPARTOUT project.  Paula’s automatic volatile organic compounds sampler on the roof of the station is running well. The IPF crew still at the station will keep an eye on it until the end of the season, but it will be left at PEA over the winter to collect samples during the eight months the station is uninhabited.

During her trip to the coast at the end of January, Paula successfully set up an active snow sampler to collect snow particles over the upcoming austral winter, while Sibylle managed to take several snow samples from the two 2-metre deep snow pits she dug at the coast. The deeper the snow sample, the further back in time the snow (and the atmospheric particles attached to the snow) originally fell.

The samples Paula and Sibylle took have been shipped to Belgium, where particles trapped in the snow will be analysed to determine atmospheric circulation patterns over Antarctica and from where these air masses that reach Antarctica originate.

Sibylle will be interviewed by Belgian TV station RTB in the coming weeks, so look out for her explaining her work in an upcoming report!

Although he had a few technical issues to overcome, Eric Rignot was able to complete his radar transects along the King Baudouin Ice Shelf, and Brandon helped him set up an automatic weather station to monitor weather conditions on the ground over time to help determine surface mass balance of the ice in the area for the RINGS project.

And even though it required a few return trips during their last week at the station, Simon and Nico completed their maintenance of the automtic weather stations in the PEACE project, making sure they will continue to collect weather data over the winter months to contribute to weather and climate modelling in the Queen Maud Land region or East Antarctica.

A quieter station

The station is nwo a lot quieter than it was just two weeks ago. Brandon is the only scientist still at the station along with about a dozen IPF crew. Brandon will continue to take wind speed measurements for his research project and help out aroudn the station until it’s time to leave.

Meanwhile, Expedition leader Alain Hubert and the remaining engineers, technicians, plumbers, and mechanics are slowly starting to prepare the station for overwintering.

Several tasks need to be completed before leaving, including making sure the software in the programmable logic circuit is up to date and able to respond to any changes in energy production during the austral winter, not to mention accept commands via satellite from Belgium, as the station is run remotely for eight months.

It also means slowly preparing the newly installed water treatment system for shutdown, which includes draining the pipes and tanks of the new system

And of course the mechanics are doing final maintenance on all the vehicles before storing them at the winter park.

It’s amazing how quickly the season has gone by! It will soon be time to say au revoir to the Princess for eight months.

Last week IPF staff, scientists, and engineers were very active in outreach activities from Antarctica.

A school visit

Last Monday, Education Outreach Manager Mike Sterken and IPF Logistics Manager Alain Thierry Barrera visited the British International School in Brussels to give lessons about the polar regions to two classes of elementary school children.

After learning about the basics of the Arctic and Antarctic from Mieke and Alain Thierry and what it takes to be a polar scientist, the children got to speak live with IPF engineer Oscar Pickerill directly from the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica! Oscar was happy to answer the childrens' questions about daily life at the station and what life is like in Antarctica. Perhaps one day some of the children will want to become polar researchers themselves!

A live webinar with global reach

Then on Wednesday evening, Central European Time, engineers and scientists at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica gave a 90-minute webinar to more than 150 students, journalists, researchers, and members of the general public from around the world.

The webinar showcased the renewable energy production and water treatment system at the station, along with the diverse scientific projects taking place there this season from the fields of microbiology, atmospheric sciences, weather and climate data collection, and surface mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. There was also a special surprise presentation on the IPF’s future projects at the end of the webinar.

Organised in partnership with the Center for Social and Environmental Futures (C-SEF), the Media and Climate Change Observatory (MeCCO), the Boulder Faculty Assembly Climate Science and Education Committee, the National University of Singapore, and CIRES Education and Outreach, the event’s aim was to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and learning among the polar research community and the general public.  Feedback on the event was very positive and it was agreed to host similar events in the future.

For those who missed the webinar, a recording of the entire webinar is available on the CIRES YouTube channel.

A few more webinars with schools in Belgium directly from Antarctica will take place during the last few weeks of the 2023-24 austral summer research season. Every year the IPF team in Antarctica holds live webinars with schools and universities in Belgium and around the world to discuss topics including polar science, the zero emission design of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica, climate change, and biodiversity.