INACH Installs New Climate Station at Mount Vinson

As part of the 42nd Antarctic Expedition (ECA 62), a team from the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) successfully installed a new climate station at the foot of Mount Vinson. At 4,892 meters, Mount Vinson is the highest mountain in Antarctica and poses particular logistical challenges for scientific work.

The station is part of the “Antarctic Climate Change Observatory Sensor Network,” which INACH has been developing for several years across different regions of the White Continent. The mission was supported by the Chilean Army, Navy, and Air Force, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, as well as the company Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE).

INACH expert Bastián Oyarce reported challenging conditions on site. Originally, seven days were planned for the work, but due to rapidly changing weather and logistical conditions, the team had only a two-day window. Thanks to stable weather conditions, the installation was nevertheless completed on schedule.

During this Antarctic season, INACH plans to install a total of three new stations, expanding the sensor network to 18 facilities. The station erected at Mount Vinson is the first of this campaign. The data collected will be analyzed in the coming months and made available to the international scientific community to further improve understanding of climate processes in Antarctica’s high-mountain regions.

Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal