Filchner Station was a German research station in the Antarctic. Administered by the

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (German: ''Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung'') is located in Bremerhaven, Germany, and a member of the Helmholtz Association ...

, it was established in February 1982 on the

Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf The Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf or Ronne–Filchner Ice Shelf is an List of Antarctic ice shelves, Antarctic ice shelf bordering the Weddell Sea. Description The seaward side of the Filchner–Ronne ice shelf is divided into Eastern (Filchne ...

. The first station in Antarctica to be mounted on jacks, the structure was raised each year to allow for the increase in height of the shelf by snowfall. It was also relocated around southwards each year to account for drift of the ice shelf. In October 1998, Filchner Station was stranded on iceberg A-38 when it broke away from the ice shelf. Research operations were cancelled and an emergency salvage operation was carried out that removed the majority of the station by February 1999.

Establishment and operation

The Filchner Station was established by the West German

(AWI) in February 1982. The station consisted of steel containers housing living quarters and laboratories. The station was the first in the Antarctic to be mounted on jacks, allowing it to be raised in line with the increase in height of its surroundings due to snowfall. The structure was typically jacked up by around each year. The structure could accommodate up to 26 personnel but was typically occupied only in the southern summer and by 12 people. The station was sited approximately from the edge of the

which slowly drifts away from the continent. To counteract this movement the station was moved around southwards each of the 17 summers that it was staffed. The station was resupplied by the AWI vessel ''Polarstern'' and also by Dornier aircraft which flew between the station, the German

Neumayer Station II Neumayer Station or Neumayer Station II was a permanent German Antarctic research base on Atka Bay. It opened in 1992, replacing the old Georg von Neumayer Station. The station became increasingly deformed by snow and ice movements after 2007 a ...

, the British

Rothera Research Station The Rothera Research Station is a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) base on the Antarctic Peninsula, located at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island. Rothera also serves as the capital of the British Antarctic Territory, a British Overseas Territor ...

and the Chilean Teniente R. Marsh Airport. The Filchner Station conducted studies on the mass of the ice shelf, geological and geophysical investigations in the Weddell Sea and meteorological work. Automatic instrumentation was installed to continue geophysical and meteorological investigations throughout the year, not just the summer period when the station was staffed.

Loss

In October 1998 iceberg A-38 calved from the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf, the largest iceberg to do so for decades, carrying with it the Filchner Station. The station was to have been the main base for an expedition in 1999; this was cancelled and replaced with an emergency salvage operation. The recovery of the base was a requirement of the environmental portions of the

Antarctic Treaty The Antarctic (, ; commonly ) is the polar region of Earth that surrounds the South Pole, lying within the Antarctic Circle. It is diametrically opposite of the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of A ...

. On 22 October A-38 split into two, Filchner remained on the western portion which became known as A-38B. The 10-man salvage team travelled on board ''Polarstern'' in early 1999 but became stranded in thick ice some from the station. The ship was eventually freed and reached the high edge of the iceberg in early February. Over the following 10 days some of the station were recovered as well as a further of vehicles. All that was left behind was the platform that the station was founded on. The loss of the station left the German research programme with only the

in Antarctica.

References

Outposts of Antarctica Germany and the Antarctic 1982 establishments in Antarctica 1999 disestablishments in Antarctica Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf {{Antarctic research stations