Press releases

28 Oct 2024

17th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition to last from November to April

MINSK, 28 October (BelTA) – The 17^th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition will last from November to April, Deputy Head of the National Center for Polar Research of Belarus' National Academy of Sciences and head of all Belarusian Antarctic expeditions Aleksei Gaidashov told the media in Minsk on 28 October, BelTA has learned.

"Time flies fast. The National Academy of Sciences is ready to start the 17^th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition. It will last from early November 2024 to mid-April 2025. It will be a little shorter than the previous ones. The implementation of the state program to explore the polar regions of the Earth is among our major tasks. We plan to mount a new facility of the Belarusian Antarctic Station, which was manufactured this year. This is a five-section cabin complex with a place for communication, meals and a waste and hygiene compartment. We are also planning to further improve the power supply network and energy supply of the station," Aleksei Gaidashov said.

According to him, the research will be conducted across eight main scientific areas and four additional ones. Aleksei Gaidashov named the most important of them: biology, microbiology, atmospheric physics, seismology, meteorology in terms of global climate changes and other processes.

The Belarusian polar explorers will also continue to expand the area of scientific interest of Belarus in Antarctica. For example, during the 16^th expedition, the Belarusian polar explorers made two trips. On 20-21 December 2023, they carried out a land scientific trip to the least explored coastal region of Antarctica – the Konovalov Mountains area. The total length of the research route was 70km. The explorers measured a series of various Antarctic environmental parameters, collected samples and specimens of natural materials, assessed the geochemical, geoecological, geocryological and hydrological situation. From 18 to 21 January 2024 the Belarusian polar explorers carried out a multiday scientific trip to the hard-to-access unexplored area of the Antarctic mainland with the Nai massif located there and the adjoining chain of other massifs (Ragatt, Scott, Naki, Dismad, Neupier) with the total area of about 35,000 square kilometers. The research route length totaled 570 km.

The 17^th Belarusian Antarctic Expedition was given a ceremonial start at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on 28 October. This year the expedition features 14 people (both experienced specialists and beginners) and will be led by Aleksei Gaidashov, seasoned polar explorer, participant of all the previous 16 expeditions. The expedition includes researchers from the NAS of Belarus (the National Center for Polar Research, the Scientific and Practical Center of the NAS of Belarus on Biological resources, the Institute for Environmental Management, the Institute of Physics), Belarusian State University, the national center for hydrometeorology, radioactive pollution control, and environmental monitoring Belgidromet, and other organizations of the country.