Turkish scientific team reaches Antarctica on 10th national research expedition

A Turkish scientific team set off for the 10th National Antarctic Science Expedition and reached Antarctica after a challenging journey.

The expedition was organised by the Turkish Industry and Technology Ministry under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency and coordinated by the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Institution (Tubitak) MAM Polar Research Institute.

The 25-member team departed from Istanbul and traveled around 14,000 kilometres (8,700 miles) via Brazin and Chile, and arrived at King George Island after a five-day journey. The voyage marked the first step to adapt to Antarctic conditions.

The team had to wait in Punta Arenas, the last gateway to Antarctica, due to weather-related flight cancellations.

Once flights returned, the team boarded a charter flight to the Teniente Marsh Airport on King George Island and transferred to the “Sola” vessel to begin the voyage.

The team will carry out 14 scientific projects in many disciplines, primarily in life, physical, earth and social sciences.

Burcu Ozsoy, a professor at the Istanbul Technical University’s Faculty of Maritime and the coordinator of the expedition, said the team is in the final stage of their flight to Antarctica.

After all flights were cancelled to the island, and the last flight the team tried to fly on was cancelled before the craft took off due to fog, the team managed to make their transfer to the island on Jan. 31.

Researchers from Spain, Portugal, South Korea, Bulgaria and Ecuador are among those who were on the flight, while more from Germany, Croatia, Romania and Greece were to come.

Ozsoy stated that she first flew to Antarctica through the same gate at the Punta Arenas Airport in 2006, exactly two decades ago.

“We are able to reach Antarctica today, three days after we were supposed to land, but now there’s a light breeze and the sun will make it so you don’t freeze as much,” she said.

She noted that the expedition is her 12th, and the sunny condition is the first she encountered.

“At a time when climate change is entering a critical phase, Türkiye is conducting its 10th national expedition this year,” she said. “Over 200 Turkish scientists conducted research on the island over the past decade to see where climate change is headed.”

Ozsoy called Antarctica the “black box” of the planet due to its importance in deducing the past and the present, as well as in making projections for the future.

Ahmet Ihsan Kiziltan, Turkish ambassador to Santiago, welcomed the delegation at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Chile.

“The 10th expedition shows Türkiye’s investments in this field and the importance it attaches to research in Antarctica,” he said.

Kizilatan stated that the team will conduct studies for one month, thanking Chilean authorities for their support.

“This is a scientific cooperation that both sides appreciate, and it makes up an important element of Türkiye–Chile relations,” he added.