HORSESHOE ISLAND, Antarctica/ISTANBUL

Turkish scientists conducted research in Antarctica to explore solutions for the future of the world.

The 9th National Antarctic Science Expedition was organized under the auspices of the Turkish Presidency and coordinated by the MAM Polar Research Institute of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK).

As part of the expedition, the scientific team pursued answers to critical questions about the future of the world through 19 different research projects conducted this year.

On Horseshoe Island, where Türkiye's scientific research camp is located, a team of 20 researchers, including foreign guest scientists, carried out studies on the production of new bathymetric maps, near-space observation and geodetic stations, atmosphere and space observations, environmental studies, pollution, meteorological measurements, and aquatic ecosystems.

Aim to strengthen Türkiye’s presence in Antarctica

Speaking to Anadolu, Burcu Ozsoy, the coordinator of the 9th National Antarctic Science Expedition, said that as part of the National Polar Research Project, they carried out Türkiye’s 9th Antarctic expedition this year with the goal of establishing Türkiye as a scientific and political power in the polar regions, which are becoming increasingly important for the world.

Through this expedition involving 19 research projects on global climate change, Earth's past, present, and future, and human-induced pollution, they contributed to Türkiye’s scientific accumulation from a global perspective, Ozsoy said.

"We are taking another step toward our country's goal of becoming a consultative member state under the Antarctic Treaty. By prioritizing the protection of our national interests not just regionally but on a global scale, we aim to strengthen Türkiye’s future in Antarctica. Every year, we ask ourselves how we can push our country further, and we put that into action in the field."

Hasan Hakan Yavasoglu, the expedition leader, told Anadolu that ensuring the logistics of the projects was of great importance.

Atilla Yilmaz, the assistant expedition leader, said that in a project investigating the human-induced impact on the aquatic ecosystems of the Horseshoe Island, he studied whether the level of human pollutants in Antarctica’s lakes is at a level to threaten the ecosystem.

Goksu Uslular, one of the expedition participants, noted that she researched geochemical and geodynamic differences between Horseshoe Island volcanics and volcanics with similar age on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Another participant, Buse Tugba Zaman, studied the impact of pollution on the creatures on the island by investigating penguins and seal feces, as well as ocean water samples to find out the impact of environmental pollution through food chains.

Aydin Kaleli took part in detecting the coastal microbiome by molecular methods, while Selma Sezen, a researcher, investigated new antimicrobial peptide-producing bacteria on the island.

Neslihan Taskale Karatug investigated whether new microbial pigment-producing bacteria species live on the island.

Meanwhile, Türkiye’s national mapping agency and the Turkish Naval Forces Office of Navigation, Hydrography, and Oceanography participated in the expedition by taking measurements on land and sea.

Turkish Navy 1st Lt. Abdullah Kellevezir, a ground operations officer and engineer at the mapping agency, examined the annual geodynamic mobility in Dismal and Horseshoe islands, while Master Sgt. Omer Faruk Topkaya worked on a hydrographic survey on the island.

Emre Taskiran, a research assistant, made very low frequency near space observations to determine how the spatial distribution of the electromagnetic signals emitted from lighting in near space occurs on the island.

Mustafa Fahri Karabulut made Global Navigation Satellite Systems, unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, and Albedo measurements on the Antarctic continent to research the level of changes in glaciers and atmosphere due to climate change.

Also, three high school students who ranked first in TUBITAK's Teknofest event’s Earth Sciences category tested an unmanned polar air vehicle, named IKHA, to measure climatological data and analyze it autonomously.

Volunteers from Türkiye's disaster management authority also participated in the expedition on the polar island to monitor seismic activity and find ways to establish a meteorological observation station that operates more accurately.

Istanbul University’s Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Department prepared a protocol on the polar education, safety, and health working group for scientists due to the risk of avian influenza.

Hazal Hacer Doganer, a medical staff member, studied how to make health services better in polar regions.

Meanwhile, four guest scientists from Australia, Malaysia, Colombia, and South Korea participated in the expedition to survey seabirds and marine mammals around the Turkish base on Horseshoe Island, investigate lanthanide soil elements inside the aquatic ecosystems of the island, find out how microorganisms in soil or biocrust adapt to the extreme environments, and to track marine mammals with passive acoustic monitoring, among predators.