site.btaPreparations Start for Bulgaria's 26th Antarctic Expedition

Preparations Start for Bulgaria's 26th Antarctic Expedition

Sofia, April 23 (BTA) - The 25th Bulgarian Antarctic Expedition has concluded with a report on the completed scientific projects and the state of the Bulgarian Antarctic base on Livingston Island, the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute reported Sunday.

An analysis on the expedition was conducted during a seminar at Sofia University. A total of 32 polar explorers have worked at the base between November, 2016 and March, 2017, including two scientists from Turkey, two from Mongolia and one from Portugal. Ten research projects in various fields were reported.

A team of Bulgarian and Turkish surveyors has made a 3D model of the buildings located at the base and the nearby Perunika glacier. People will soon be able to take a virtual online tour on the frozen continent. Tatyana Assenova's acoustic project, as part of which she recorded sounds that can be heard near the base, was also included in the report. The sound recordings will allow the visually impaired to experience Antarctica as well.

The Bulgarian explorers have participated in a psychological research study on small communities in extreme conditions, conducted by Irena Sokolova. One of the conclusions is that people experience a feeling of immortality, and not of death and doom, when they find themselves at the end of the world, surrounded by the ice.

Bulgarian geologists have continued their work on the Byers Peninsula, from where they have collected a significant quantity of fossils, which are yet to be studied and classified. The results from geophysical, seismological and geochemical research were also presented. The upcoming Bulgarian summer polar season starts this November.