Census in Antarctica

Theme Day “Our Planet Earth”

In December 2007, Dr. Hans-Ulrich Peter from Jena, an award-winning ornithologist and one of the most sought-after Antarctic experts, set off on his 20th expedition to Antarctica. To mark the International Polar Year, he assembled an international group of researchers and students from Jena, Luxembourg, Argentina, and Russia. Their destination: the Russian research station Bellingshausen on King George Island. Their task: to study populations of penguins, seals, Antarctic hair grass, and skuas – observing, counting, mapping. For the scientist, these figures are crucial when it comes to the hot topic of “global warming.” And Dr. Peter’s figures show that penguin numbers are declining.

Antarctica is the stormiest and coldest region on Earth. These conditions were a real challenge for our film crew too: constant wind and difficult lighting conditions. On the softened permafrost ground of the Antarctic summer, they had to cover 15 to 20 kilometers on foot every day, carrying their full equipment. What made up for these hardships was the hospitality at the Russian research station Bellingshausen – the kind you’ll rarely find anywhere else.