The National Antarctic Research Center gave a detailed account of the last season of the icebreaker “Noosfera”

In the fourth Antarctic season, the research vessel “Noospfera” covered more than 20 thousand nautical miles (over 37 thousand km).

The vessel’s last season lasted from December 12, 2024 to May 10, 2025, the National Antarctic Research Center reports.

Scientists noted that the season was a record in terms of the distance traveled and the number of international collaborations.

“For the first time in the history of Ukraine, our vessel provided US marine Antarctic research at the request of the country’s National Science Foundation. Traditionally, Noosphere provided a change of expeditions at the Polish Antarctic Station “Artztowski”, and also delivered a number of cargoes there. On the way to our station, Noosphere delivered a number of cargoes for the Spanish Antarctic Station “Gabriel de Castilla” on Deception Island,” the scientists reported.

In particular, within the framework of the EU Horizon Europe program, 6 argobuoys were launched from the “Noosfera” for the first time to study the currents of the Southern Ocean (OCEAN:ICE project).

Ukrainian scientists also conducted simultaneous radio sounding of the atmosphere from the Vernadsky and Noosphere for the first time to learn more about the processes of cloud formation and precipitation in our area and their impact on the ocean, sea ice, and melting glaciers.

The vessel provided a changeover for the annual 29th and 30th Ukrainian Antarctic Expeditions. The “Noosfera” transported a seasonal expedition to and from Vernadskyi, which performed scientific and technical tasks at the station during the Antarctic summer.

Read also: British icebreaker stopped at the Vernadskyi station.