Cyprien Verseux is a glaciologist and astrobiologist, who is currently working on the world's most remote scientific base: Concordia Station in Antarctica.
When not busy collecting samples or doing research about climate in eras past, Verseux keeps a blog in order to share his experience of living in that extreme environment. The challenges of doing the kind of things that we take for granted make for a fascinating read, Verseux and a small group of scientists are all alone at the base in the depths of an Antarctic winter. Even bacteria cannot survive there!
“Nine months a year, during the winter, it cannot be left or reached,” Cyprien said. “It is so cold that vehicles can’t come and go. We are currently 13 people: technicians, scientists, a cook, and a medical doctor.”
Both the lack of oxygen and barren, desert landscape make the scientists feel as they're living on another planet. “It is the coldest area on Earth, with temperatures reaching below -80°C in winter,” Cyprien explained. “We saw the Sun again in August after three months without it ever passing the horizon. The air is extremely dry and poor in oxygen.”
Cyprien and his fellow scientists' work is vital, as it reveals how the climate has changed in the past and gives an insight into possible changes in the future.
Just for fun, Verseux decided to go outside and have a go at ‘cooking,’ taking pictures of different kinds of foods in the deep freeze. It was only a game; the gravity-defying images, however, vividly illustrate the total intensity of the cold in Antarctica, this is no picnic!
Check out the incredible images for yourself below, and let us know what you think in the comments!
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