Key points
- The 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition (UAE) has departed from Kyiv for the Akademik Vernadsky station.
- The route runs through Warsaw, Punta Arenas and the Drake Passage.
- The expedition will work at the station for a year, replacing the team of the 30th UAE.
- Research areas include geophysics, meteorology and biology.
- For the first time, the expedition is led by a woman – Anzhelika Hanchuk.
- Ukraine marks 30 years of presence in Antarctica.
The team of the 31st Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition has set off for the Akademik Vernadsky station. The journey to Antarctica began on the night of 24–25 February from Kyiv. The participants will travel by coach to Warsaw and then fly to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in Chile.
In Chile, the polar researchers will board the Ukrainian icebreaker Noosfera, which will carry them across the Drake Passage to Galindez Island.
This is where Ukraine’s Antarctic research station Akademik Vernadsky is located, marking 30 years of continuous scientific observations by Ukraine on the frozen continent.
The expedition will remain at the station for a year, taking over from the 30th UAE team. Research will traditionally focus on three key areas: geophysics, meteorology and biology. The polar team will also ensure the technical maintenance and stable operation of the station’s infrastructure.
This year we marked the anniversary of independent Ukraine’s presence in Antarctica. It has been 30 years since the United Kingdom transferred its Antarctic station to us, and we have been writing our own chronicle of polar science. Our work there has a much broader dimension. Antarctica is the region where we measure the pulse of the entire planet, and we continue some of the longest-running Antarctic observation series, which go back far beyond 30 years.
– Yevhen Dykyi, Director of the National Antarctic Scientific Centre.
The 31st expedition consists of 14 members: nine scientists, including meteorologists, geophysicists and biologists, as well as a doctor, a cook, a systems administrator, a diesel mechanic and a mechanical engineer.
For the first time in Ukraine’s history, the expedition is headed by a woman – meteorologist Anzhelika Hanchuk.
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