Turkish Antarctic Expeditions
Although the Republic of Turkey made its first official attempt to be involved in Antarctic affairs by ratifying the Antarctic Treaty in 1995, Turkish scientists have been carrying out scientific studies on the region since 1967. In 2017, the Antarctic studies were put under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey and gained remarkable momentum since then. A total of five national Antarctic expeditions were organized from 2017 to 2021, where the first three were coordinated by Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center (ITU PolReC) and the fourth by TÜBİTAK MAM Polar Research Institute.
Polar Research Institute (PRI) was established in 2019 within the Marmara Research Center (MAM) of “the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK)” to ensure the coordination and logistics of future national polar expeditions. Polar Research Institute aims to provide support for R&D and scientific research studies that can be conducted in polar regions, to operate Turkey’s polar research camp(s) and station(s), to plan and coordinate logistics, to facilitate communication among relevant organizations, to conduct bilateral international collaborations, to develop and implement the national polar strategy in cooperation with stakeholders, to raise awareness of polar regions at the national scale, to materialize national and international scientific diplomacy on polar regions and to increase the scientific involvement of Turkey in science by representing in the international arena. The Institute’s vision is to serve as an interface conducting the efforts in science, research, and development in technology and to raise awareness and provide training/education on climate change.
The first Joint Ukrainian-Turkish Antarctic Expedition took place in the 2015-2016 season using the vessel supplying the Ukrainian Antarctic Program during the rotation of the Ukrainian wintering team. Vernadsky Station hosted 13 Turkish scientists to conduct scientific projects on physical oceanography, ecology, geology and human health.
The Republic of Turkey conducted its first national Antarctic expedition in 2017. Turkish Antarctic Expedition-I (TAE-I) was supported by the “Presidency of the Republic of Turkey”, sponsored by the “Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology” and coordinated by the Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center (ITU PolReC). The expedition consisted of scientists from various universities in Turkey. During the TAE-I, researchers focused on scientific disciplines including physical sciences, life sciences, geosciences social sciences & humanities. TAE-I was conducted through R/V Australis authorized by the Australian Antarctic Division. With the support of the R/V Australis, the expedition included the physical sampling of planktons, algae and benthos distributed over a distance of 2000 nautical miles along the West Antarctic Peninsula. This expedition allowed terrestrial mapping, satellite validation, ground-truthing at some points, sea ice observations as well as bathymetric surveying at adjoining locations. Bathymetric surveys were jointly conducted by the expedition team and the crew of the R/V Australis. The expedition reached 68° South along the Peninsula. During the expedition, Turkish scientists visited Prof. Julio Escudero Base of Chile, Carlini Base of Argentina, Rothera Station of UK, Vernadsky Station of Ukraine, Bellinghausen Station of Russian Federation and Great Wall Station of China.
Turkey conducted the second national Antarctic expedition (TAE-II) during the 2017-2018 Antarctic season. The expedition consisted of 28 participants with 19 scientific projects. The expedition was organized in two legs where the first leg consisted of camping around the Chilean Risopatron Station on Robert Island. Ten people were deployed to the field to carry out six projects during the camping period. The camping team involved a medical doctor, cook, and technician. The second leg included the route from Robert Island to Horseshoe Island along the West Antarctic Peninsula. This leg of the expedition included nine scientific projects.
TAE-III was organized with 24 scientists (including six researchers from Bulgaria, Chile and Czechia, Germany and New Zealand) and 24 projects, along the West Antarctic Peninsula in February 2019. The operations included the installation of a Temporary Scientific Research Camp on Horseshoe Island consisting of 3 container-sized modules (Fig. 1). M/V Betanzos sailed South along the Peninsula and back to King George Island. Additionally, an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) for measuring basic meteorological parameters was established with solar panels and batteries that could support the system for up to four months during the dark Antarctic winter periods. The station is also equipped with a satellite modem and antenna for data transmission. In addition to the scientific projects, education and outreach activities were also performed during TAE-III. Within the scope of these activities, the drawings of elementary and middle school students about Antarctica from their perspective were taken to Antarctica by the expedition team.
TAE-IV was conducted with 24 participants (including 2 scientists from Belarus and Bulgaria) and 15 projects in February and March 2020. Similar to the former expeditions, TAE-IV followed the route from King George Island to Horseshoe Island and back, onboard M/V Betanzos. The operations within the scope of the expedition included the installation of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) stations on Horseshoe Island and Dismal Island for monitoring the changes in ice thickness, sea level and tectonic movements.
The 5th expedition was held in 2021 under the shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic which heavily impacted the polar research activities globally due to the travel limitations and risk of introducing the virus to Antarctica. However, for the sustainability of the national polar research, a limited number of team sailed to Horseshoe Island by R/V Australis in March 2021 to conduct repair and maintenance of the monitoring stations and infrastructure. With the health precautions taken meticulously, the team successfully completed the essential tasks and returned to Turkey without any health problems.
TÜBİTAK MAM Polar Research Institute is now organizing the Sixth Turkish Antarctic Expedition (TAE-6) under challenging conditions of the ongoing pandemic. The team, who received at least two doses of WHO-approved vaccines, stayed under quarantine in Puerto Williams of Chile before reaching the White Continent. Strict procedures on Covid-19 applied before entering Antarctica including a series of PCR tests started before leaving Turkey. The expedition is now underway from King George Island to Horseshoe Island in West Antarctic Peninsula where the scientific studies will be conducted. The projects involve field studies on geology, biology, astronomy, marine and terrestrial biodiversity, geodetics, aerosols and glaciers. Two researchers from Bulgaria and Portugal to conduct bilateral cooperation projects along with 17 Turkish scientists are on board the expedition vessel.
Until the first national Antarctic expedition in 2017, approximately 150 scientific articles were recorded which were published by Turkish scientists regarding their works in Antarctica. As an outcome of these expeditions, 87 new articles were published since 2017 to date. It is clear that since the start of the national Antarctic expeditions in 2017, the number of scientific publications has gained momentum. Considering the fact that analyses/studies of projects and preparation/submission processes of publications will take a while after an expedition; it is estimated that the number of scientific papers will increase in time.
