Interesting Facts about Vernadsky Research Base, a Ukrainian Academician Vernadsky Antarctic Station

Search engine giant Google celebrates the Vernadsky Research Base, a Ukrainian Antarctic Station, with an animated Doodle on Feb 6, 2021. On this day in 1996, Academician Vernadsky Antarctic Station was officially shifted from British to Ukrainian control.

Interesting Facts about the Vernadsky Research Base

• Vernadsky Research Base Akademik Vernadsky (Антарктична станція Академік Вернадський) is a Ukrainian Antarctic Station (Українська антарктична станція) at Marina Point on Galindez Island in the Argentine Islands, Antarctica.

• On February 6, 1996, over the Antarctic station, which Great Britain had moved to Ukraine, the blue-yellow flag was raised for the first time, and the station previously called Akademik Vernadsky started its new history.

• Scientific base on Argentine Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula was established during the British campaign to Graham Land in 1934-1937 years.

• In 1947, the British decided to build up a full-round weather station. The project imagined the base station based on the first building on the island of Winter.

• The station was set up by the British Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey as Base F or ‘Argentine Islands’ on Winter Island in 1947.

• The station was named Base F and was intended for wintering 4-6 people.

Read More: Google animated Doodle celebrates the Vernadsky Research Base, a Ukrainian Antarctic Station

• Up to 1953, the men wintered at this spot. Also, just in 1954, the new building was constructed on a close-by island Galindez, which as of now can live up to 10 individuals.

• The station researches a few directions. At first, it was focused on the meteorological program. Hence, this station has a bizarre long series of continuous meteorological perceptions in the Antarctic Peninsula.

• In 1957 a program of geophysical research was begun, which incorporates magnetic and ionosphere research.

• In 1957, the spectrophotometer Dobson was installed at the station, which denoted the start of the measurements of ozone in the atmosphere.

• The base was renamed Faraday Station in August 1977 out of appreciation for British scientist Michael Faraday.

• The last major rebuilding of the station was in 1980 when it was worked out of the old one-story two-story building.

• In August 1994, it was decided to move the station “Faraday” Ukraine. In August-September 1994, during the twenty-third session of the SCAR, Ukraine joined this international association, which is engaged in scientific research in Antarctica.

• In 1994 it was begun the project “Ukraine returns to Antarctica”, which Soros Foundation “Renaissance” gave a grant for 12 thousand USD.

• To honor the historic landmark, on 19 May 1995 the Wordie House at Winter Island has been reestablished and assigned as Historic Site and Monument No. 62.

• After the Faraday base complex at Galindez Island was moved to Ukraine, the new Vernadsky base personnel proceeded temporarily to supervise the Wordie House.

• In 1996, a new, more modern station “Rosera” was opened 300 km south of the “Faraday”, which is supplied with the runway and the ability to at the same time accommodate around 100 professionals in the summer season.

• The British passed the station with the equipment, among which the polar relic – the spectrophotometer Dobson – a gadget for measuring ozone, whereby in the 80s was found the ozone hole over Antarctica. Ukrainian explorers raised blue and yellow flag station on February 6, 1996. The station was named “Academician Vernadsky”.

• Ukraine took over the activity of the base in February 1996. Antarctic station “Aсademician Vernadsky” was opened in February 1996, when the British Antarctic Society gave Ukraine the station “Faraday”.

• The Ukrainian Antarctic Center proceeds with a program of meteorology, upper atmospheric physics, geomagnetism, ozone, seismology, glaciology, ecology, biology, and physiology research.

• The number of Ukrainian expedition is normally under 15 individuals, generally researchers. The most significant among them is Geophysics and Meteorologists – the station is focused fundamentally on the study of weather.

• The first Ukrainian expedition to the research base is featured in the Death and the Penguin (1996) novel by Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov, which was one of the first internationally successful books of independent Ukraine, as well as its sequel Penguin Lost (2002).

• The station presently honors Vladimir Vernadsky, first president of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

• Coordination and operational organization of the base are led by the National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine which is part of the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Ukraine.

• Vernadsky Station works a few services for visiting vacationers. A post office acknowledges postcards at an expense of US$2 each. This is one of a few post offices where guests may send mail from Antarctica.

• In January 2007 the landmark was investigated by conservation architect for BAS and since October 2009 the Wordie House is supervised by United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust under a “Memorandum of Understanding” with BAS.

• During 2013-14, Vernadsky Station is staffed by 12 Ukrainians who make up the XVIII Ukrainian Antarctic Expedition.

• A study published in the April 2013 issue of the International Journal of Climatology analyzed the daily noticed temperature at the Faraday/Vernadsky station from 1947 to 2011.

• The nearest adjoining Antarctic stations are Palmer Station of the United States and Yelcho Base of Chile, reopened in 2015.

• At Rasmussen Island, there is a hut that was under official use in Mar 1984–6 Feb 1996. Right now it is considered as shut, yet utilized periodically by Ukrainian personnel from Vernadsky Station for crisis refuge shelter and recreational.

• As one of the longest working bases in Antarctica, Vernadsky Station has been the subject of scientific research studies on long term temperature trends that demonstrate global warming.

• On February 6, 2021, Google animated Doodle honored Vernadsky Research Base.