During the exhibition, the polar researchers spent much time studying the ozone layer. For the first time, it was investigated along a length of the Antarctic shore, on board the Academician Fedorov ship. In addition, geological samples and water samples were taken from Antarctic lakes. Mr. Giginyak observed cetacean, pinnipeds and fish, making several visits ashore, where he collected samples of moss and lichen.
The expedition differed from the usual tours, being conducted outside the Belarusian permanent base: the field camp by Vechernyaya Mountain. Last December, Belarusian polar researchers visited for a while, to inspect the site, and were pleased to discover that our equipment had been almost untouched by snow storms — unlike that of the Russians at Molodezhnaya Station.
Such visits to the Antarctic are of major significance from the point of view of scientific research and national prestige. “Owing to the achievements of our Belarusians on the sixth continent, in logistics and science, we now enjoy respect in the Antarctic,” stresses Mr. Gaidashov.
Belarusian polar researchers have the ultimate goal of establishing a permanent seasonal base.
