international
polar
foundation

To mark UN World Environment Day in June each year, the Belgian Energy and Environment Awards are presented to Belgian citizens who have undertaken outstanding initiatives on environmental protection and promoting sustainable energy use. This year, the awards ceremony will celebrate its 10th edition!

The 10th Belgian Antarctic Research Expedition (BELARE) was successful on all fronts. A lot happened to write home about, as followers were able to see on the Princess Elisabeth station website. Scientists were particularly happy with the research they were able to accomplish and the support they got in the field from the station team.

With Earth’s magnetic poles in the Polar Regions, Antarctica is an interesting place to study the planet’s magnetic field. Stephan Bracke from the Belgian Royal Meteorological Institute’s Geophysical Center of Dourbes is involved in a project called GEOMAG, which has established a new geomagnetic observatory at the Princess Elisabeth station in Antarctica. Back from Antarctica, Stephan discusses the success of the season.

Today the BELARE 10 team closes the station for the winter and starts the journey back to Belgium. Over the past week, everyone has been busy finishing up their work for the season and making the final overwintering preparations.

BELARE 10 leader Alain Hubert recounts finishing the technical facilities and garage ahead of schedule, and thanks the team who has made everything possible.

InBev-Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship laureate Jan Lenaerts reflects on the time he spent in Antarctica on the King Baudouin Ice Shelf conducting research for the BENEMELT project and discusses plans for next season.

The Toyota Hiluxes go on their first field trip, the last of the containers are brought from the coast, and preparations are made for installing instruments in the geomagnetic observatory.

Around the time the Princess Elisabeth station crew were unloading the Mary Arctica, a 70 km2 iceberg calved off of the King Baudouin Ice Shelf, just 40 km away from Breid Bay.

Jos Van Hemelrijck recounts the journey home to the Princess Elisabeth station form the coast. On the way, the team gets to test out the new customised Toyota Hiluxes.

The Princess Elisabeth team heads to Breid Bay to meet the Mary Arctica to unload its cargo and transport it back to the station. A rough sea complicated things, however ...