international
polar
foundation

The long and difficult chapter concerning the dispute over the management and operation of Princess Elisabeth Station research station has come to a close, or one might say, has turned a page. Zuhal Demir, Belgian Federal Secretary of State for Science Policy and Alain Hubert, Founder and President of the International Polar Foundation (IPF), shook hands on a new agreement to reset PEA on a positive course for collaborative international scientific research on the icy continent.

Dr. Lori Ziolkowski takes a look back on her first field season at the Princess Elizabeth Antarctic Research Station and the small life forms that manage to survive around it

Young polar scientists were invited to submit their application for the 2016 - 2018 Baillet Latour Antarctica Fellowship by 15 September 2016.

With the conflict over the management of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica research station in East Antarctica between the International Polar Foundation and the Belgian State has attracted much attention in the national press over the past few months, and has even received some attention in the international press.

Arctic stakeholders gathered in Brussels on Tuesday 17 November and Wednesday 18 November as the International Polar Foundation and a large family of partners held the sixth annual Arctic Futures Symposium at the Residence Palace in Brussels.

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.

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.