13th Portuguese Antarctic Flight with the participation of five researchers from the Portuguese Antarctic Campaign 2024-25

The 13th Portuguese Antarctic Flight, which took place on January 16, 2025, transported 99 scientists and technicians of different nationalities between Punta Arenas, Chile, and the Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin airfield, located on King George Island, Antarctica. This flight, chartered by Portugal, included five researchers from projects supported by the Portuguese Polar Program (PROPOLAR) and 94 researchers involved in the polar programs of Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Spain, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, marking another milestone in the 2024-25 Portuguese Antarctic Campaign, which runs until mid-March this year.

PROPOLAR flights are the main means of access for scientists from national institutions to Antarctica, where they are housed in bases and research vessels belonging to partner countries such as Bulgaria, Chile, Spain, and the Republic of Korea. In addition to the researchers who benefit from PROPOLAR flights, other Portuguese teams travel with the logistics of international partners, in a cooperative effort to increase the impact of the science carried out.

A second charter flight is also scheduled for February 8, 2025, in collaboration with the Spanish Polar Program, reinforcing Portugal's contribution to scientific activities on the "white continent" during the Antarctic summer—the time of year with the highest scientific activity.

The Portuguese Antarctic Campaign PROPOLAR 2024-2025 includes six research projects involving 15 scientists, who will carry out work in various areas of Antarctica. These projects, coordinated by scientists from five national public research centers, are being developed in the fields of atmospheric, biological, cryosphere, environmental, and earth sciences, focusing on the study of the impacts of climate change in Antarctica. Learn more about the projects here.

The Portuguese Polar Program – PROPOLAR is funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and coordinated by the Center for Geographic Studies/Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning at the University of Lisbon.