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15 years of Neumayer Station III
Happy birthday to Neumayer Station III!
Neumayer Station III is, as the name suggests, the second successor station to the Georg von Neumayer Station. It is located in the Antarctic near Atka Bay and is operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). It was inaugurated on February 20, 2009, and is now celebrating its 15th anniversary.
History of Neumayer Station III
Germany's first research station was the Georg von Neumayer Station which could be operated all year round. This station was opened in 1981 and consisted of steel tubes in the ground. Due to its warmth and snow constantly falling on the station, it sank deeper and deeper into the ice and therefore had to be replaced by Neumayer Station II in 1992.
Neumayer Station II was also built from steel tubes. Over time, it therefore had the same problem as the Georg von Neumayer Station: It sank deeper and deeper into the ice. A new concept was needed to solve this problem.
Neumayer Station III has now been in operation since 2009. It is characterized by its significantly different design compared to its predecessor stations. Instead of being dug into the ground in steel tubes, it stands on hydraulic supports. With the help of these stilts hydraulic supports, the station can be raised to compensate for the newly fallen snow. This means it can be used for much longer than the Georg von Neumayer Station or the Neumayer Station II. Today it is the starting point for German Antarctic research - and has been for 15 years!
Research at the station
Up to 50 people can be accommodated in the station's 100 containers. There are various opportunities to work and conduct research on site at the station. However, the main focus in Antarctica is on research in the field, with a number of inland expeditions departing from the station. Numerous researchers from scientific disciplines use the station to study the Antarctic. For example, the thickness of the sea ice is regularly measured. However, so-called isolation research is also carried out here: How does isolation affect people? In winter, there are only 9 people at the station. The wintering team consists of three engineers, four scientists, a cook and a doctor. They are called "ÜWIs", short for the German word "Überwinterer" (English: overwinterer).
Video message from the station
Interviews with (former) ÜWIs
We asked 2 people who have worked or are currently working at Neumayer Station III 3 questions each. They talk about their individual experiences at and with Neumayer Station III.
The base commander Anja Weber currently works at Neumayer Station III: "I do not feel isolated here at all, because there are still 42 people living and working in the relatively large station, which has everything you need, so it is quite busy. But I think that feeling will change during the actual overwintering period, when there will only be twelve of us." Read more.
The meteorologist Holger Schmithüsen was part of the second overwintering team at Neumayer Station III and thus among the first people who spend the winter there: "Compared to other stations in the Antarctic, which were built on solid ground, for example, the compactness of Neumayer III is what makes it so charming for me. All of the infrastructure is combined in one building, so it is always easily accessible, even during difficult weather conditions; something that can not be taken for granted in the Antarctic." Read more.
The Library in the Ice
In 1994, Cologne-based artist Lutz Fritsch set off for Antarctica to Neumayer Station II for the first time. His mission: to create a space of calm and inspiration. His idea: a small library for the inhabitants of the station. In 2004, he traveled to Antarctica again, this time to set up the finished library. In a green container, he set up his art project, the Library in the Ice, which was opened in 2005. When the AWI moved from Neumayer Station II to Neumayer Station III in 2009, the library was moved as well. On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the station, we asked the artist a few questions. He talks about the creation, design and relocation of his artwork.
"I wasn't personally involved in the necessary relocation of the library to the new Neumayer III station. But I was told that moving the library container, which stands on a sled construction, was a particular challenge for the wintering crew and logisticians on site." Read the full interview
