international
polar
foundation

IPF team member returning from working on a research site at the beginning of Antarctic plateau and driving back towards Princess Elisabeth Antarctica polar research station. In the distance the Sør Rondane mountains are visible. 

A member of the IPF team is taking in the surrounding landscape and reflecting on yet another successful season at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica before having to depart the ice sheet. 

This DC3 aircraft from the Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition (CHINARE) is equipped with high precision instruments to accuractly map the bedrock topography around Antarctica, by penetrating through all the ice with their high precision instruments on board. This is part of the RINGS project, which is a multi national project that aims to map the entire coastline of Antarctica to better understand its mass balance and contributions to global sea level rise. 

IPF crew members adding the sealing cover to the new protective covering between the roof of the station's annexes and the granite ridge on which the station is anchored.

Here a field guide assists a scientist from the EPFL Lausanne install an instrument on the 30 meter tower at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica. The instrument that was installed measures wind speed with high precision. 

Every year or two a cargo ship is organized to bring the biggest, bulkiest and heaviest items that are necessary to keep operations running smoothly to the Antarctic ice sheet. The ship typically departs from Cape Town and has various stops along it's route to resupply Antarctic research stations. 

A beautiful Antarctic sunset is captured out of one of the windows at the Princess Elisabeth station.

Panorama photo of the traverse team leaving the station and headed to the caost to meet the cargo ship coming from Cape Town. 

All the 6 AWS that make up the PEACE transect must be visited each season to ensure that all the instruments are properly functioning. This station received some upgrades in 2024, including a new iridium antenna for communicating with a polar orbiting satellite as well as recalibrating the anemometers that measure wind speed and direction.