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 sits in the middle of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.

The station is a great spot for learning about Earth’s magnetosphere. Scientists there also study light, Earth’s physical properties, health, and weather patterns. Vostok is very high, at 3,488 metres (11,444 feet) above sea level, and 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 what life is like 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 has very cold temperatures all year, like much of Antarctica. It gets very little snow, only about 22 millimetres a year, which makes 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 many sunny 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) on July 21, 1983. The warmest temperature ever recorded was −14.0 °C (6.8 °F) on January 5, 1974. Living there is very hard because of the extreme cold, dry air, strong winds, and long periods of darkness.

Ice core drilling

In the 1970s, the Soviet Union drilled deep ice holes to study ancient ice. These holes showed scientists information about past climates. Later, more holes were drilled, reaching depths of over 3,600 metres. This drilling was stopped to protect a hidden lake below the ice. The ice from these holes tells us about Earth's climate from over 400,000 years ago.

The lake was finally reached in 2012 when drilling stopped at a depth of 3,770 metres. The ice between 250 and 750 metres deep gives clues about Earth's climate during a very cold time long ago.