We
arrived at King George Island at around 8 this morning, this is the largest of
the South Shetland Islands and also home to the biggest collection of
scientific stations in Antarctica. Our first destination was Admiralty Bay,
where two stations are located, the Brazilian Ferraz Station, and our goal, the
Polish Arctowski Station.
The
station is named after the geologist Henryk Arctowski, he was a member of the
first truly scientific expedition “Belgica” (1897-99) to Antarctica under the
command of Adrien de Gelache. The station is near the Point Thomas Antarctic Specially
Protected Area, which is off limits to visitors. Here, Adelie, Chinstrap and
Gentoo Penguins breed, making it a unique place for comparative studies on
their breeding biology.
We had the chance to see all three species resting on
the beach before their final hike up to the colony, as well as a Skua feasting
on a stolen egg.
We also had the possibility to see for ourselves the living
quarters of the scientists from many nationalities that spend the austral
summer here.
During
lunch the ship repositioned to Maxwell Bay on the western extremity of King
George Island. This bay is home to Russian, Chilean, Uruguayan, Korean and
Chinese Stations, and the latter, the Chinese Great Wall Station, was our
second destination of the day.
It was built in 1985. This station can accommodate up to 80 scientists during summer, and the wintering team is always composed of 12 to 14 members.
The
weather didn’t change much, as we arrived, snowfall was constant and the
visibility very limited. But as always in Antarctica, conditions changed trough
out the landing and by the end it stopped snowing and we had a clearer view of
our surroundings. There is little wildlife around the station, therefore we
focused on visiting the facilities and hiking up a nearby hill that offered
astonishing views of Maxwell Bay.
