A new Ukrainian expedition has begun its work at the Akademik Vernadsky station
Kyiv • UNN
The 31st expedition officially began its work in Antarctica, taking over from the 30th team. Scientists report an early closure of the ozone hole and the absence of ice.
At the "Akademik Vernadsky" station, the annual teams changed shifts. The 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition began its work, and the 30th went home. This was reported by the National Antarctic Scientific Center, according to UNN.
The shift change of the annual teams has been completed at "Vernadsky". The 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition has fully started its work at the station, and the 30th UAE has gone home. A long journey awaits the polar explorers. First, our vessel "Noosphere" will take them to the port of Punta Arenas in Chile. From there, the team will travel by plane to Poland, and then by bus to Ukraine.
It is reported that the 30th expedition worked for a year at "Vernadsky", where its participants conducted research in three main areas: geophysics, meteorology, biology, and also supported the station's operation.
First of all, the team ensured the collection, processing, and transmission of data, most of which are the longest in Antarctica. They are used worldwide to track global processes affecting our planet. For example, thanks to observations of the ozone level in the atmosphere (they have been ongoing at the station since 1957), a positive dynamic regarding the "tightening" of the ozone hole over Antarctica was recorded last year. It closed not only earlier than expected, but also the earliest since 2019.
It is also noted that another measurement, on the contrary, confirmed the alarming trend of warming in Antarctica. Last year, the temperature of the seawater in the area of our station never dropped below freezing, and no stable ice cover formed around the island.
In addition to implementing the scientific program, the 30th expedition actively participated in international cooperation, cultural diplomacy, and science popularization. In particular, participants of the First Mexican Antarctic Expedition worked at "Vernadsky" together with Ukrainian scientists.
This is important not only from the point of view of scientific interaction, but also as an instrument of our "soft power" in the countries of the Global South. Also, the polar explorers of the 30th hosted almost 2,000 tourists from different parts of the world (of course, except for the Russian Federation and Belarus) at the station and held more than 130 online meetings for schoolchildren. Now the baton of the Ukrainian Antarctic mission has been taken over by the 31st expedition. The head of the 30th UAE, Oleksandr Poluden, handed over the symbolic key from "Vernadsky" to his successor Anzhelika Hanchuk. They also jointly signed the act of acceptance and transfer of the station and changed the flags on the flagpole.
Recall
A humpback whale staged a "farewell show" for the participants of the 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition. During the meeting with the scientists, it made more than 50 jumps in a row.