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European Polar Infrastructure Catalogue published

The EPB is please to annouce the publication of the European Polar Infrastructure Catalogue, a joint project of the EPB and EU-PolarNet. A digitial version of the catalogue can be viewed online here.

The European Polar Infrastructure Catalogue includes a total of 64 European polar facilities, 32 in the Antarctic and 32 in the Arctic:

  • 16 facilities on the Antarctic Peninsula and sub-Antarctic Islands
    • 6 year-round stations
    • 5 seasonal stations
    • 3 seasonal camps
    • 2 seasonal laboratories
  • 16 facilities in Continental Antarctica
    • 5 year-round stations
    • 6 seasonal stations
    • 2 seasonal camps
    • 3 seasonal shelters
  • 32 facilities in the Arctic
    • 25 year-round stations
    • 7 seasonal stations

These facilities are operated by: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom.

The catalogue also includes 16 research vessels from 12 countries that regularly operate in both the Arctic and in the Antarctic, and briefly describes the aircraft fleets deployed by the Alfred Wegener Institute and the British Antarctic Survey in the polar regions.

Data in the catalogue was provided by the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), the International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic (INTERACT), the Forum of Arctic Research Operators (FARO), EUROFLEETS2, and individual infrastructure managers and operators.

The European Polar Board (EPB) and EU-PolarNet thank all infrastructure managers and operators who kindly provided data, feedback, edits and photographs for the catalogue.

The European Polar Infrastructure Catalogue was compiled by Joseph Nolan (EPB) and coordinated by Yves Frenot (Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV)) and Gonçalo Vieira (Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT), University of Lisbon) as co-leads of task 3.1 of EU-PolarNet. Other contributors to the development of the database and maps were Luis Encalada (IGOT), Carla Mora (IGOT), Pedro Freitas (IGOT) and Renuka Badhe (EPB). Graphic design, layout and data input work for the European Polar Infrastructure Catalogue was completed by Blue Lobster (www. bluelobster.co.uk).