Google animated Doodle celebrates the Vernadsky Research Base, a Ukrainian Antarctic Station

Google animated Doodle celebrates the Vernadsky Research Base (Антарктична станція Академік Вернадський), a Ukrainian Antarctic Station (Українська антарктична станція), on February 6, 2021.

The Vernadsky Research Base is a Ukrainian Antarctic Station situated at Marina Point on Galindez Island of Argentine Islands, not a long way from Kiev Peninsula. The region is under territorial claim between three nations (more Territorial claims in Antarctica).

The single Ukrainian Antarctic station is named after Russian and Ukrainian mineralogist Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945) who was the first president of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Before being handed over to Ukraine in 1996, the exploration base for almost half of the century existed as a British research base.

At Rasmussen Island, there is a cottage that was under official use in Mar 1984–6 Feb 1996. Presently it is considered as shut, yet used sometimes by Ukrainian personnel from Vernadsky Station for crisis refuge shelter and recreational.

Coordination and operational administration of the base are led by the National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine which is part of the Ministry of Education and Sciences of Ukraine.

The nearest adjoining Antarctic stations are Palmer Station of the United States and Yelcho Base of Chile, reopened in 2015.

Read More: Interesting Facts about Vernadsky Research Base, a Ukrainian Academician Vernadsky Antarctic Station

As one of the longest working bases in Antarctica, Vernadsky Station has been the subject of scientific research studies on long term temperature trends that demonstrate global warming.

An investigation published in the April 2013 issue of the International Journal of Climatology inspected the daily noticed temperature at the Faraday/Vernadsky station from 1947 to 2011.

It concluded that “Faraday/Vernadsky is experiencing a significant warming trend of about 0.6°C/decade (1.1°F) over the last few decades. Concurrently, the magnitude of extremely cold temperatures has reduced.”

Vernadsky Station works a few services for visiting tourists. A post office acknowledges postcards at an expense of US$2 each. This is one of a few post offices where guests may send mail from Antarctica.

Stamps for letters cost $6. Mail will require a while to be delivered. Notwithstanding selling postage and accepting active mail, the post office sells commemorative postcards and envelopes for $2 to $3 each.

The first Ukrainian expedition to the research base is included in the Death and the Penguin (1996) novel by Ukrainian writer Andrey Kurkov, which was one of the first internationally successful books of independent Ukraine, as well as its sequel Penguin Lost (2002).

In January 2007 the landmark was reviewed by conservation architect for BAS and since October 2009 the Wordie House is supervised by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust under a “Memorandum of Understanding” with BAS.

Today, Vernadsky Research Base is worked by a pivoting staff of a dozen winterers. For around ten months all at once, each winterer perseveres through outrageous isolation (there isn’t a town within 1,000 nautical miles!) and sub-zero temperatures, all in the name of scientific advancement.

Google Doodle for Celebrating the Vernadsky Research Base

On Feb 6th, 2021, Google praises the Vernadsky Research Base with an animated Doodle. On this day in 1996, this historic station was moved from British to Ukrainian control.

Google honors the colleagues with a doodle today who are giving their efforts to give a superior comprehension of this continually evolving planet.