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Antarctica

Antarctica, the southernmost continent, spans an impressive 14 million square kilometers, with 98% of its surface blanketed in snow and ice. Average temperatures plunge to -30°C, and in some areas, they can drop to an astonishing -90°C. The Indian Antarctic Program, a multi-disciplinary initiative led by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, has been actively conducting research on this icy continent since 1981. India's Antarctic journey began with its first expedition in 1981, followed by the establishment of the country’s first research station, Dakshina Gangotri. In 1988, Maitri, the second station, was set up in the ice-free Schirmacher Oasis, with facilities to support 25 members year-round and up to 40 in the summer.

In 2010, India inaugurated Bharati, a state-of-the-art research station in East Antarctica equipped with cutting-edge technology to advance research in this remote part of the world.
 

I had the privilege of joining four scientific expeditions to Antarctica—the 30th, 31st, 32nd, and 42nd Indian scientific expeditions—to document both the construction of the Bharati research station and the scientific research conducted in one of the most extreme environments on Earth.

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