Back to Princess Elisabeth Station, Utsteinen, Antarctica
Posted on the 06.11.2010 by Michel Brent
Last Friday (5 November), Alain Hubert left Brussels and IPF headquarters for CapeTown where he will be soon ready to fly to Utsteinen/Antarctica and open the Princess Elisabeth Station for another Belare season.
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About fourty people will take part in BELARE (Belgian Antarctic Research Expedition) this season, staying between one and five months at Utsteinen. As the leader of this new season, Alain Hubert is going to stay in Utsteinen until the end of season and until all the work will be done -which will probably take place around mid February.
The objective for this year is to finalize the tests of all the technical systems of the station. Moreover, a new satellite antenna will be installed next to the station.
Let's remind also that this season is set to face its most intense scientific season to date in its third year of scientific use. Some work will also be carried out on the station itself: stress tests sessions are scheduled and parts of the station’s infrastructure will be updated for better overall performance and efficiency.
All scientists going to Utsteinen this year will continue their work on multi-year projects those of you following the website for several years will already have heard of: BELDIVA, BELATMOS, BELISSIMA, HYDRANT or GIANT.
Amongst these, BELISSIMA has a special place in our hearts, since it was the first science project to take place at the station and to make use of the available infrastructure. Once again, Frank Pattyn, Jean-Louis Tison and their team will return to Antarctica to analyse ice shelf and ice sheet movements and dynamics in Antarctica in order to improve scientific models.
Following the success of last year's JARE 51 project meteorite search expedition in Antarctica, Steven Goderis and Vincianne Debaille will also head to Usteinen for another meteorites hunt in the framework of the SAMBA project.
These various projects will further be a fine opportunity to test the specially designed mobile laboratories for field research.
Stay tuned to follow this fascinating Belare new season, either on The IPF website, either on the site of the station itself.
IPF team and scientists are back to Princess Elisabeth Station Utsteinen
© IPF
