Abstract
Germany has been operating permanently crewed research stations in Antarctica for more than 45 years. The opening of the Georg Forster Station (1976) and Georg von Neumayer Station (1981) initiated a period of continuous environmental monitoring that allowed both the former East Germany and West Germany to become contracting parties in, and achieve consultative status with, the framework of the Antarctic Treaty. This marked a milestone in German polar research. Continuous research at the Neumayer Station III, its two predecessors, and the now-dismantled former German Democratic Republic (GDR) Georg Forster Station is undertaken by teams of so-called “overwinterers”, presently with nine members, who stay at the base for longer than an entire Antarctic winter. Their long-term stay in Antarctica is defined by isolation, separation from civilization, routine work to sustain long-term scientific observations, and unique personal experiences. This article is dedicated to them and outlines their part and role in the German Antarctic research landscape.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Tidsskrift | Polarforschung |
| Vol/bind | 90 |
| Udgave nummer | 2 |
| Sider (fra-til) | 65-79 |
| Antal sider | 15 |
| ISSN | 0032-2490 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - 2022 |
Bibliografisk note
Funding Information:Today, Antarctic research in Germany is carried out by numerous research centres and universities served by two year-round observatories. In addition to the Neumayer Station III, the German Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS O'Higgins) has been operated by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in cooperation with the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG) since 1991. GARS O'Higgins is located near the Antarctic Peninsula and is mainly used to receive Earth observation data from polar-orbiting satellites and for geodetic monitoring (Klügel et al., 2014). The station has been operated in cooperation with Chile by a year-round crew of four since 2010. In addition to these two year-round crewed research stations, German polar research is also supported by summer stations that are usually only active between November and February. These include the Dallmann Laboratory and Kohnen Station (both operated by the AWI) and the Gondwana Station (operated by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, BGR). These stations are used for local measurement programmes but also serve as bases for scientific expeditions. This infrastructure is not reserved for use by operating institutes but is also utilized by researchers from numerous German and international institutes and universities. To provide financial support for universities involved in German Antarctic research, the German Research Foundation (DFG) established an extra priority programme in 2003, which is still active today.
Funding Information:
Steven Franke has been funded by the AWI Strategy fund and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) programme (Forschungsstipendien für promovierte Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen und -wissenschaftler; Kurzstipendien).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Alfred Wegener Institut fur Polar- und Meeresforschung. All rights reserved.