The journey of 19 Turkish and 3 foreign scientists in the 7th National Antarctic Science Expedition, conducted under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Türkiye, with the support and financing of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and under the coordination of TÜBİTAK MAM Polar Research Institute (KARE), started on January 30, 2023 from Istanbul Airport.
The science team, flying first to Sao Poulo, Brazil, will travel 13,800 km after 4 separate flights of approximately 22 hours and will arrive at the temporary science base in Antarctica via King George Island at the end of 3 days.
TÜBİTAK MAM Climate Change and Sustainability Vice President and TÜBİTAK MAM KARE Director Prof. Burcu Özsoy made important statements about the expedition before departure.
Studies will be Conducted on Glaciers
Drawing attention to climate change in her speech, Burcu ÖZSOY said, “Actually, the polar regions are in everyone's eyes. Especially we are experiencing water scarcity in Istanbul. Drought is upon us. January is ending. We're going into February. We haven't really experienced the winter season. Of course, we are not alone in this experience. Polar regions are also affected by this. So, we will conduct glacier studies during our expedition. Because glaciers, especially terrestrial glaciers, break away from the land and integrate into the ocean. Glaciers integrated into the ocean not only increase the sea water level, but also affect the existence of the total ecosystem. As a globally trumpeted incident recently, a giant ice mass, almost at the size of the Salt Lake in Türkiye, broke away and integrated into the ocean. I don't think that we will directly observe an iceberg during the expedition, but there are very serious melting and breaking incidents in the glaciers. We are also witnessing that the glaciers that previously existed near our science base are no longer there. Of course, we will also have glacier studies during our expedition.”
Prof. Özsoy also underlined that it is of great importance that scientific research contributes to the world literature and that these studies will also contribute to Turkiye's international visibility.
Detailed Research on 18 Projects in Antarctica
The science team will carry out studies on a total of 18 projects in various fields such as earth sciences, life sciences, social sciences and physical sciences on the research ship of Spain. Scientists from the General Directorate of Meteorology, the General Directorate of Mapping, the Turkish Naval Forces Command Office of Navigation Hydrography and Oceanography will also take part in the studies on site. Scientists will collect data from the equipment installed in Antarctica in previous years and complete their preparations for the next year.
The delegation is expected to reach Horseshoe Island, where the Turkish Research Camp is located in Antarctica, with a one-week cruise.
TEKNOFEST Winners Go to Antarctica
This year, unlike previous years, TÜBİTAK Scientist Support Department (BİDEB) organized a "Polar Research Projects Competition for High School Students" during TEKNOFEST. High school students from Antalya won the first place with the project "Production of National Bioplastic Materials to Prevent Microplastic Pollution in Polar Oceans". These students will conduct studies within the scope of their project for 1 week in the White Continent Antarctica.
Sharing the excitement of the students, Prof. Burcu ÖZSOY said “We will go to the bases of other world countries with our friends, and they will have the opportunity to conduct studies in the laboratories there. They will be able to discuss their project with the international scientific teams. Of course, they are very excited and I will be with them and support their excitement and complete the execution of their scientific project of first-place, in the field.”
Antalya high school students Azra Ayşe Bıçakcı, Hilal Başak Demirel and Zeynep İpek Yanmaz also said that they were very excited to participate in the expedition.
Zeynep İpek Yanmaz, giving information about the project they won the first place, said that the biological plastic made of the acorn of the oak tree will dissolve in a short time, 45 days, unlike traditional plastics that dissolve in nature in a period of 450 years. Yanmaz said, "The plastic we produce is 20 times more durable than the grocery bags currently used. First, we presented our project to the jury in Giresun. We were interviewed at TEKNOFEST Karadeniz. We came first. We are very excited. It is a great chance for us to try our project in the region. It is also a great chance for us to visit the science bases of different countries again and work in their laboratories. We are proud."
Saying goodbye to the Science Team, TÜBİTAK Scientist Support Department (BİDEB) Head Prof. Ömer Faruk Ursavaş stated that, as the department, they support young people's projects in many fields such as environment, climate, mathematics, physics and chemistry, and said, “Our 3 students will be the first in Turkiye and will guide students who take steps to conduct research in the future. They will realize their projects there and we will see the results together."
One-Third of the Team is Female Researchers!
Expressing that the 7th expedition is different from other expeditions, ÖZSOY shared her happiness by stating that the number of female researchers in the team constituted one third of the total researchers.