Rumbo a la Antártida para seguir haciendo ciencia

It is the oldest international mission in which the Spanish Army participates.

And also the most atypical: a campaign with a scientific purpose. For those who wonder why a military mission is necessary in a region where there is no conflict, the answer is because the better the logistics, the better the work of the scientists who, from different Spanish universities, carry out their research on the frozen continent.

And while they carry out their research, the Armed Forces take care of their security, transport, medical care, food and even their accommodation on Base Gabriel de Castilla.

Thus, since 1988 and for four months a year, this military base has been set up so that Spain can do science in Antarctica. The expedition takes place between December and March, when weather conditions allow a better use of the work. However, this year marked by the COVID-19, they will not leave for Deception Island until after Christmas, waiting to see how the pandemic situation evolves.

In the words of Commander Cardesa, who is leading this 2021 campaign, "Coronavirus must not enter Antarctica under any circumstances". And with that premise, both scientists and military personnel will postpone the trip as long as necessary.

"The main difference between the base Gabriel de Castilla and any other international mission is that in Antarctica you know that the nearest life zone is 1,000 km away, in Argentina or Chile. This means that we have to make a very meticulous logistical forecast, and although the ship Hespérides appears there every three or four weeks to supply products such as fruit or vegetables, we have to keep everything calculated," says Brigade José Pardos Fernández, in charge of the Engine Area and one of the "repeaters".

Every year, two members of the previous campaign replicate the mission, serving as a link to the new ones and providing continuity to the maintenance work. In this 34th campaign, 13 members will travel, 12 men and one woman. As there are so few members, each of them is capable of carrying out different tasks. This must be the case. The Gabriel de Castilla base has a capacity for 28 people, and any more military personnel would mean one less scientist.

To acquire these skills, almost a year's training is required. The process is always the same: once the head of mission has been appointed, he travels to Deception Island for a few days to see how the work is progressing there and to find out what profiles will be required. On his return, he begins to select the staff for the next campaign, and those selected (out of 200 applications) undergo several phases of preparation.

There is no relief as such in Antarctica. The base closes in March and reopens again every December. They are not alone there. There are also American, Canadian and Korean military bases. All of them are dedicated to supporting scientific research in their respective countries.

Every year new scientists and military go to Deception Island, but the premise is very clear: the human footprint they leave in Antarctica has to be non-existent. The environmental impact caused must be zero.

No waste can be left behind, nor can any alteration be made to the environment, where there is very sensitive flora and fauna. And, of course, the waste generated that cannot be incinerated is disposed of by the contingent.

In order to ensure compliance with the above mentioned, since 2000 an Environmental Officer has been appointed, who is responsible for the implementation of a strict environmental management system. Everyday things, such as separating rubbish or turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, take on a much greater dimension there. "You have to leave everything as you found it," says Brigadier Pardos, "and you have to be aware of things like the fact that penguins have priority over us". And that's a lot to say, because last year alone 67,227 penguins were sponsored on Deception Island.

That's why every single detail is taken care of. "If a drop of motor oil falls on the snow, it is collected," insists Pardos. And all the elements used (including those with which the Gabriel de Castilla base is built) are removable. If one day the mission is completed, everything would be dismantled and it would be as if a person had never set foot there.

In order to ensure that the expedition's members are in perfect working order, several preparatory phases have been carried out during this 2020: a logistics phase in Zaragoza, a mountain phase in Jaca and a navigation phase in Galicia. As well as replicating situations they will later encounter on Deception Island, this series of manoeuvres also serves to "team up".

"We have to give security to a team of scientists who move from one end of the island to the other, and 80% of the trips will be made by sailing, thus the most important phase is the navigation phase. Once there, even the cook sails... we are very few, and there will be days when we have four or five different expeditions at once," Cardesa explained. In fact, the 13 members of the contingent have had to take out the boat skipper's title.

While accompanying the contingent during this phase of navigation, off the coast of O Grove, we discovered the key to the success of their training programme: they support each other, repeaters offer the experience gained during the previous year and the exercises are repeated over and over again until everything is perfect.

They have been preparing this phase in O Grove (Pontevedra) for six years because the Sapper Battalion 7 based there has boats and equipment very similar to those in Antarctica, and this allows them to "train" with the same resources available there. In addition, the sea conditions in Galicia are optimal.

Learning how to handle zodiac-type boats, man overboard rescues or recovering nautical material are some of the skills they all learn. "On Deception Island, expeditions are always carried out with a minimum of two boats to ensure that, whatever happens, they have the tools to overcome any situation," adds the head of the mission.

In addition, they learn to put on the cumbersome insulating suits that they will wear on the frozen continent, some orange jumpsuits called "Vinking", which are prepared to withstand sub-zero temperatures and protect whoever is wearing them in case of falling into the icy water.

We have seen that the armed forces can play an important role in civil society, particularly in peacetime, as we saw this spring with Operation Balmis. As part of this operation, 187,000 soldiers fought against the COVID-19 in all the Spanish provinces for over three months, and to date they continue to carry out decontaminations in the places where they are requested to do so.

Under the Antarctic mission, Armed Forces also play a role focused on civil society and seek to make themselves known. "We are great strangers. We are part of an institution that has many capabilities and can be used to good advantage," reflects Commander Cardesa.

"Spanish Antarctic Base "Gabriel de Castilla" is the envy of all the international bases in that area because of our communications system. We offer a permanent communication with a very powerful bandwidth that helps scientists while they carry out their work there. Society is unaware of many of the missions undertaken by the Army. Some people only show respect for us because of the uniform... until they get to know us, and then they also pay respect for the work we do," he says.

Beyond reputation, in the eyes of society, there is another key issue that the mission chief explains to us: "We are cheaper, we don't need to hire telecommunications experts, we already have them in the Army; and we don't have to buy materials, we can use those we have in our work. We have the skills and the experience. We are already trained and active, we just have to move wherever we are needed".

Research in Antarctica is unique. It is carried out on an island whose surface is covered by glaciers which, in some cases, have been covered in turn by volcanic eruptions, giving rise to the unusual "black glaciers". But Deception Island is not only exceptional from a scientific point of view because of its seismic and volcanic activity, but also because of the processes of colonization of flora, lichens and mosses that have followed the variable deposits of ash.

"In times of crisis it is more important to invest in projects, technology and science than in manufacturing, as you are ultimately investing in the future. What is done in Antarctica is research, that is, future investment," continued Commander Cardesa. "And we make life and work easier for scientists, so that they can focus all their efforts on research for 100 days".

Maintaining Spain's physical presence in Antarctic territory, in compliance with the agreements signed in the Antarctic Treaty, is the other leg of this mission. Base "Gabriel de Castilla", together with the oceanographic research vessel Hespérides and the Juan Carlos I Spanish Antarctic Station on Livingston Island are the three research platforms with which Spain operates in this part of the world.

Commander José Ignacio Cardesa (Head of Mission); Commander José Antonio Álvarez (Head of Logistics); Medical Lieutenant Nerea Alonso; Commander Manuel Macho (Environment); Sergeant 1 Joan Campreciós (Movement and Navigation); Lieutenant José Ignacio Soler; Brigadier Carlos Ferrer (Communications); Brigadiers José Pardos and Jorge Tablero (Engine Area); Brigadier Alberto Galán; First Sergeant David Lobato (Facilities) and the cooks Ambrosio Carreras and Corporal 1 Jesús Cotoré are the 13 members of this 34th Antarctic campaign.

Most of them have experience in international missions; some, like Lieutenant Nerea Alonso, are going to join two in a row this year... from Mali to Antarctica. And all of them have studied and taken the necessary courses to be chosen and to be able to give their best during the mission. A thorough preparation that will allow them to face extreme conditions during four months.

When they are not on the expedition outdoors, with temperatures that can reach 20 degrees below zero, they will have 250 square metres at their disposal, which is the sum of the living area and the seven shared dormitories at base "Gabriel de Castilla". They will live together with the scientists there, and will continue with their work.

At 13,000 km from home, leisure time will consist of connecting with the family by videoconference or WhatsApp, playing sports at the gym or spending time at the library, where films and music are available in addition to books. Screens will be their only window to the rest of the world. A feeling that, after a global confinement, we are all able to understand.

In the words of Brigadier Alberto Galán, the other "repeater" of this campaign, "despite everything, time passes very quickly... Last year I was so immersed in my work that I even forgot my birthday," he recalls laughing. The work may not be very different from what you do in other international missions, but the atmosphere is completely different and it makes for a unique experience".

An experience as unique as the scientific research that will be carried out, once again, in one of the confines of the world.