Campaigns

At both "ends" of the Earth, around the Poles, the Greenland and Antarctic inlandsis, remains of the last glaciation, store the memory of our atmosphere and our climate over several hundreds of thousands of years. A memory that glaciology researchers endeavour to make speak.

1955 - To adventure

“Needed: young researchers to join scientific expeditions organized in conjunction with the International Geophysical Year". A student, this ad posted at the University will change my life; I then would go to Antarctica to live an adventure: participate in the exploration of this huge continent still unknown. At 83, the white continent at the other end of the world still makes me dream.

In 1955, at 23, my student life was easy; being reasonably successfull in my studies at Besançon University, I was living in a well close family whose passion was football. My ambition was to follow the track of my brother Pierrot become a professional "goal keeper" in both the Sochaux and France teams. And I kept wondering for a long time not to have hesitated before telling myself  " Why not me ?" in reaction to the ad posted at the University.

At the beginning of this century, Antarctica was the symbol of spirit of adventure. Expeditions by great explorers like Amundsen, Scott, Byrd and the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Charcot had rightly imposed, in everyone's mind, that exploration and adventure were inseparable. By the middle of the century, stories and pictures from these heroic pioneers served as a basis to the organisation of scientific campaigns in Antarctica as part of the International Geophysics Year.

1957 - Charcot

During one year, with two companions, I live in the remoteness of a small base practically cut off from the rest of the world, set up within the antarctic continent at an altitude of 2400 m and a temperature which can drop below -60°C. It is the outpost of the French participation to the International Geophysic Year. There I discover the icecap and skim over its misteries by measuring its radiative balance and by sampling the stratums of summer and winter snow.

1959 - Victoria land traverse

The continent exploration continues. I have the good luck to join an american campaign in Victoria Land. After the Charcot overwintering, it is now the raid-style life. For four months we will slowly progress in this white desert, discovering icecap and mountain ranges along a 2,500 kilometers journey.

1962-1965 - Dumont d'Urville

My glaciology works continue during summer campaigns in the coastal area of Adelie Land, near Dumont d'Urville station. I lead the 15th French winterover in Adelie Land, not always an easy task but enriching my polar experience. Adelie and Emperor penguins are the friendly neighbours of a community isolated for almost a year to take care of an observatory operation in Antarctica.

1974-76-78 - Dome C and lAGP

In 1969, the International Antarctic Glaciological Project - IAGP - is the first scientific program carried out in Antarctica after the International Geophysical Year - IGY (1957-58). Strongly supported by Frenchman Georges Laclavère, one of the fathers of research in Antarctica, it brings together Australians, Russians ans French to conduct raids from their respective stations Casey, Mirny and Dumont d'urville to the soviet base of Vostok. Researches in the field continued for about 10 years since 1971, getting also together the United States, Great-Britain and Japan into a vast international collaboration.

1984 - Vostok 1984 : 150,000 years of archive

After the international agreements signed during a meeting of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research - SCAR - in 1982, Russians are prepared to welcome a French team at Vostok. It is flown there by an american airplane of the US Navy. My friends Volodya Kotlyakov, director of the Institute of Geography in Moscow, and  Dick Cameron, head of the US polar missions, supported  the execution of this undreamt of project in the middle of the cold war.

1991 - Vostok 1991 : 400,000 years of archive

Every year we will be in the field; In these summer campaigns often delt with by J.R. Petit, we will follow the slow and demanding progress of the core drillings carried out by the Russians often stuck and lost in the depths. It is a question of strengthening the results obtained on the last climate cycle and, to do so, go back farther in time.

 

1994 - 1994-2004 EPICA Concordia: 800,000 years of archive

The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica -  EPICA - is still today the most ambitious deep drilling ever begun on the antarctic continent. As early as 1995 it is supported by 12 European countries with the goal of carrying out two successive drillings over a decade. One deep at Dome C, where we had drilled in the 70's and where we will build  Concordia station with the Italians, the other along a raid at the other end of Antarctica, in Queen Maud Land.

1956

To adventure

“Needed: young researchers to join scientific expeditions organized in conjunction with the International Geophysical Year". A student, this ad posted at the University will change my life; I then would go to Antarctica to live an adventure: participate in the exploration of this huge continent still unknown. At 83, the white continent at the other end of the world still makes me dream.

In 1955, at 23, my student life was easy; being reasonably successfull in my studies at Besançon University, I was living in a well close family whose passion was football. My ambition was to follow the track of my brother Pierrot become a professional "goal keeper" in both the Sochaux and France teams. And I kept wondering for a long time not to have hesitated before telling myself  " Why not me ?" in reaction to the ad posted at the University.

At the beginning of this century, Antarctica was the symbol of spirit of adventure. Expeditions by great explorers like Amundsen, Scott, Byrd and the Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Charcot had rightly imposed, in everyone's mind, that exploration and adventure were inseparable. By the middle of the century, stories and pictures from these heroic pioneers served as a basis to the organisation of scientific campaigns in Antarctica as part of the International Geophysics Year.

1957

Charcot

During one year, with two companions, I live in the remoteness of a small base practically cut off from the rest of the world, set up within the antarctic continent at an altitude of 2400 m and a temperature which can drop below -60°C. It is the outpost of the French participation to the International Geophysic Year. There I discover the icecap and skim over its misteries by measuring its radiative balance and by sampling the stratums of summer and winter snow.

1959

Victoria land traverse

The continent exploration continues. I have the good luck to join an american campaign in Victoria Land. After the Charcot overwintering, it is now the raid-style life. For four months we will slowly progress in this white desert, discovering icecap and mountain ranges along a 2,500 kilometers journey.

1962

Dumont d'Urville

My glaciology works continue during summer campaigns in the coastal area of Adelie Land, near Dumont d'Urville station. I lead the 15th French winterover in Adelie Land, not always an easy task but enriching my polar experience. Adelie and Emperor penguins are the friendly neighbours of a community isolated for almost a year to take care of an observatory operation in Antarctica.

1974

Dome C and lAGP

In 1969, the International Antarctic Glaciological Project - IAGP - is the first scientific program carried out in Antarctica after the International Geophysical Year - IGY (1957-58). Strongly supported by Frenchman Georges Laclavère, one of the fathers of research in Antarctica, it brings together Australians, Russians ans French to conduct raids from their respective stations Casey, Mirny and Dumont d'urville to the soviet base of Vostok. Researches in the field continued for about 10 years since 1971, getting also together the United States, Great-Britain and Japan into a vast international collaboration.

1984

Vostok 1984 : 150,000 years of archive

After the international agreements signed during a meeting of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research - SCAR - in 1982, Russians are prepared to welcome a French team at Vostok. It is flown there by an american airplane of the US Navy. My friends Volodya Kotlyakov, director of the Institute of Geography in Moscow, and  Dick Cameron, head of the US polar missions, supported  the execution of this undreamt of project in the middle of the cold war.

1991

Vostok 1991 : 400,000 years of archive

Every year we will be in the field; In these summer campaigns often delt with by J.R. Petit, we will follow the slow and demanding progress of the core drillings carried out by the Russians often stuck and lost in the depths. It is a question of strengthening the results obtained on the last climate cycle and, to do so, go back farther in time.

 

1994

1994-2004 EPICA Concordia: 800,000 years of archive

The European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica -  EPICA - is still today the most ambitious deep drilling ever begun on the antarctic continent. As early as 1995 it is supported by 12 European countries with the goal of carrying out two successive drillings over a decade. One deep at Dome C, where we had drilled in the 70's and where we will build  Concordia station with the Italians, the other along a raid at the other end of Antarctica, in Queen Maud Land.

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