At the beginning of 1939
Germany launched an expedition under the command of captain
Alfred Ritscher to explore an uncharted area of the
Antarctic. They surveyed an area between latitudes 69°10’ S and 76°30’ S and longitudes 11°30 W and 20°00’ E, totaling 600 000 km2 and called it Neuschwabenland, or
New Swabia. The area was surveyed by two
Dornier hydroplanes,
Boreas and
Passat. One was piloted by Richard Heinrich Schirmacher, who, on 3 February 1939, spotted both the oasis and the lake at its centre. Schirmacher named both after himself.
Novolazarevskaya Station On March 10, 1959, the
Soviet Union set up the research station
Lazarev on the shelf ice in the region of the Schirmacher Oasis. The station was reinstalled in 1961 into the Oasis and was named
Novolazarevskaya. In summer, up to 70 crew members reside at the station. In winter, on average 30 scientists and technicians work at the
Novolazarevskaya Station. Research in natural sciences includes
geodesy,
glaciology,
limnology,
geomagnetism,
geology,
biology,
meteorology,
seismology, and other areas of expertise. On 20 December 2007 the
Russian Bath was built near the station. It is the only glued timber building in Antarctica.
Georg Forster Station On April 21, 1976, approximately two kilometres from the Russian station Novolazarevskaya and about 120 m
ASL, the first German research station, the
Georg Forster Station, was launched in Antarctica. In 1987, the station, which was run by the
GDR, was named after the German
naturalist Georg Forster. During its 17 years of existence, more than 100 scientists had worked at the station. In particular, their ozone measurements gained international recognition. The station withdrew service in February 1993, and by 1996 the entire station had been dismantled and disposed of. After the dissolution of the
Eastern Bloc, parts of the Schirmacher Oasis counted among the heaviest polluted regions in Antarctica. Polar explorers from the
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in
Bremerhaven and from the
Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in
Saint Petersburg disposed of 1016 tons of
scrap metal and
refuse from the former GDR polar station and the Russian Novolazarevskaya Station. The site of the former station is marked by a bronze
plaque. It has been designated a
Historic Site or Monument (HSM 87), following a proposal by Germany to the
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.
Maitri Station In 1981,
India launched the
Indian Antarctic Programme. In 1983, the
Dakshin Gangotri Station was set up on the shelf ice, about 90 km from the Schirmacher Oasis, but was decommissioned in 1989 due to excessive snow accumulation. In 1988, the
Maitri Station was installed in the Schirmacher Oasis, approximately 3.5 km from Novolazarevskaya. Maitri is equipped with a
meteorological station, as well as a
geomagnetic and
seismological observatory, and accommodates up to 26 scientists and technicians. ==See also==