Oleksandr Mikho: Scientific researches in Antarctica are very important for the country

Author: Natalia YartsevaPhoto: InterMedia consulting

The International polar community declared 2007-2008 as the polar years. Ukraine is an active participant of the Antarctic program. The State interest of our country on the ice continent is connected first of all with problems of ecology and rational usage of natural resources. The National Antarctic scientific center of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine represented educational program the "Terra Antarctica - the continent of new knowledge" for the Knowledge Day with the help of which all who wish can know more about Antarctica.

- Oleksandr, you were in several polar expeditions. What has impressed you in Antarctica the most?

- The first impression about Antarctica I gained 20 years ago when I arrived in Antarctica for the first time with Soviet Antarctic expedition. Sunsets impressed me the most. And when in the evening you return from cafeteria polar bears do not attack. (Laughing).

- But have you seen beers nearby?

- I haven't just seen them, I lived close to them. They try not to come close to people. And the same one should respect them and do not come too close. Or there could be problems.

Recently I have written a book, observing the polar life.

In my life everything is as Amudsen told once: "Firstly you are interested in the ice, and then it penetrates into you".

- What does it mean?

- Antarctica comes into man's life and it could be compared only with the drug addiction. Every polar explorer will tell you: having been stayed to for wintering, you will never return their or you will want come their through all your life.

- What is so amazing and attracting?

- First of all, nature, smells, sky, ice and, of course, friends. So many people, and whether you like man or not you should get on with him, you learn to escape sharp situations.

- How long does the wintering usually last?

- The Ukrainian wintering as a rule lasts for one year. The soviet expeditions lasted for 14 and even 15 months.

- What does the Ukrainian polar station "Academician Vernadskyi" look like?

- It looks well. (Laughing). The station has several houses, one of them is habitable, where one can eat and wash oneself. Polar explorers like our station very mush, we keep the order - everything sparkles, shines and there is no speck of dust on the floor.

- What is an air temperature?

- It is warm inside - about 30 degrees Celsius, when there is strong wind it is little bit lower. But nevertheless it is comfortable - we are in slippers. The minimum temperature that was registered at the "Academician Vernadskyi" polar station is minus 47 degrees Celsius and at the "Vostok" station it is minus 89.4 degrees Celsius.

- What is the salary of polar explorers?

- Our wives get salaries; there is no need for money in Antarctica. So we only receive reports how much it was transferred us. It is about USD 1 thousand.

 - Do women stay for wintering?

- We had the third expedition where women worked. But it was unacceptable experiment, now women do not stay for wintering. Families lived at other stations which are permanent, for example, the Chilean and Argentinean stations. The matter is that on Chilean and Argentinean maps there are even specially allocated sector from the pole and occupying the territory of the peninsula. They consider it to be their territory. If a child is born at a station, then who will take a Motherland away from him? Nobody.

- But one should react to this situation eventually...

- The world Antarctic community is against it. Nevertheless, Chilean and Argentinean ships patrol the territory and announce: "We are such-and such ship, if you have problems, please address us.

- Is your work important for the country?

- It is very important. Every institute wants to send its employee to expedition in order to make a research there. It is very important for seismology, geophysics and meteorology.

There is no end of work in biology. Two Poles worked in our seventh expedition. And they in two months of expedition found several species of parasitize worms which had not been described earlier. Results of Ukrainian scientific expeditions are extremely important for further development of Ukraine and they obtained high assessment of international scientific society.