Vostok Station

Vostok Station

Vostok Station is a Russian research station in Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica. It was founded by the Soviet Union in 1957 and lies at the southern Pole of Cold. This place holds the record for the lowest reliably measured natural temperature on Earth, which is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F).

Researchers at Vostok Station study ice cores and use magnetometry to learn about Earth's past climate and magnetic field. The station was named after Vostok, the lead ship of the First Russian Antarctic Expedition led by Fabian von Bellingshausen. Another station, Bellingshausen Station, is named in honor of this captain, while Mirny Station is named after the expedition's second ship, Mirny, captained by Mikhail Lazarev.

Description

Vostok Research Station is about 1,301 kilometres (808 miles) from the Geographic South Pole. It is in the middle of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

The station is a great place for learning about Earth’s magnetosphere. Scientists there study light, Earth’s physical properties, health, and weather patterns. Vostok is very high, at 3,488 metres (11,444 feet) above sea level. It is one of the most remote research stations in Antarctica. Usually, 30 scientists work there in summer, but only 15 stay during winter.

The only station farther south that stays open all year is the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station run by the United States. China’s Kunlun Station is even farther south but only open in summer. Some books by Vladimir Sanin describe life at Vostok.

History

Vostok Station was set up on December 16, 1957, by the Soviet Union during a big science event called the International Geophysical Year. It has worked all year long for over 72 years, though it was closed for short times in the past.

In 1974, scientists found something strange under the ice using special radar tools. Later, they discovered a huge lake of fresh water far below the ice. This lake, named Lake Vostok, is one of the largest in the world and lies about 4,000 meters under the surface.

In 2019, work began on a new station building to replace the old one. Though it was made in Saint Petersburg, delays mean it won’t be finished until at least 2023. In January 2024, Russia’s president joined a ceremony to mark the completion of some of the station’s buildings.

Climate

Vostok Station is very cold all year, like much of Antarctica. It gets very little snow, only about 22 millimetres a year, making it one of the driest places on Earth. Even though it has no sunlight from May to August, it still gets more sunshine overall than places like South Africa, Australia, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Sahara in Northern Africa. In December, it can have almost 23 hours of sunlight each day!

Vostok is one of the coldest places on Earth. The coldest temperature ever measured there was −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F). The warmest temperature ever recorded was −14.0 °C (6.8 °F). Living there is very hard because of the extreme cold.

Ice core drilling

In the 1970s, the Soviet Union drilled deep holes in the ice to learn about old weather. These holes helped scientists understand past climates. Later, they drilled even deeper, past 3,600 metres. They stopped drilling to protect a hidden lake under the ice. The ice from these holes shows us Earth's climate from over 400,000 years ago.

In 2012, they finally reached the lake by stopping at a depth of 3,770 metres. The ice between 250 and 750 metres deep gives us clues about Earth's climate from a very cold time long ago.