Queen Maud Land and Novolazarevskaya research

This image, which was captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on 1 March 2021, shows Russia’s Novolazarevskaya research station in Antarctica. The station was the starting point the 2021 Chasing the Light expedition, where two explorers, Justin Packshaw and Jamie Facer Childs, are undertaking a 3600-km kitesurf trek that takes them across the desolate heart of Antarctica. They are not pushing their physical and mental limits to the brink, facing howling gales and temperatures of –55°C just for the sake of adventure. They are gathering information to help scientists better understand how the body responds to extremes and taking unique measurements that will help complement ESA’s CryoSat data to better understand how this giant ice sheet is responding to climate change.

Take a closer look at the research station location: Novolazarevskaya and Maitri research stations in Antarctica

Read full story: Kitesurfing the white wilderness for science