ExPoSoils

  Hello from 72° South! An intensive 2 weeks have past. The weather has been good – nearly too good – so we had to make the most out of it. Seeing the Utsteinen nunatak for the first time is very impressive. It’s so much bigger than you expect from pictures. The station seems so tiny next to it (but it’s not!). We arrived in the early hours of Friday Jan. 12 th at Princess Elisabeth Station Antarctica (or PEA in short). Nearly the entire population of PEA was present at the airstrip. What a welcome! Finally at the station!   Some hours of sleep, and we started the training: GPS, skidoo, medical, … this is not your average walk on the beach. Safety is not taken lightly!   Ready for some science!   Bjorn Tytgat

  The first field campaign to Antarctica within the ExPoSoils project has begun! A first team member, Quinten, already set out for Princess Elisabeth Station on December 16 th 2023. A second team, consisting of Valentina and Bjorn, has left on January the 8 th 2024 to join him. Today, Jan. 11 th , we finally arrived on Antarctic soil, or better, ice, at Novo airbase. We’re currently waiting for our next flight to the Belgian Princess Elisabeth Station, which may or may not be this evening. To be continued!       Bjorn Tytgat