Morning, hi, howdy, greetings and hello!

Group photo of the 45th overwintering team (Photo: Pablo Conrat Fuentes)

Every year, there is a changing of the overwintering team of the Neumayer Station III involving an official handover ceremony, this time in mid-December. We, the 45th overwintering team, would like to introduce ourselves and take you along with us through the next year. Now that we have the preparation phase in Bremerhaven behind us and have been on site in the Antarctic since mid-November, the handover of responsibility for the station marks the official start of our overwintering. Although the station is still very lively in the summer and our isolation phase won’t start until the end of February, we’re already expected to complete and fulfil our routine tasks, summertime duties, and safety-related roles. Not only have we extensively prepared for those roles; our predecessors have also showed us the ropes. And until they depart, they’re still here to offer advice and support, helping ensure our overwintering is a successful one.

And now, without further ado, a few words on who we actually are:

ALEX – IT/radio: Hi! I’m Alex, age 27, a mechanical engineer and amateur radio enthusiast from northern Germany. As the IT engineer and radio operator, I work with Regine and Tommy to keep the station up and running.

CHRISTIAN – meteorology: My name is Christian and I’m the overwintering team’s meteorologist – which means I’m mainly responsible for the bad weather and some huge, funky-looking balloons. ; )

JOHANNA – geophysics: Hi, I’m Johanna, age 27, and I’m happy to be part of the geophysics team. I’m a big fan of ice and snow, and enjoy penguins, digging in the ground, and taking photos. In a future post, I’ll tell you a bit more about what really goes into geophysics.

JOZEF – geophysics: Hey, my name is Jozef and I’m responsible for geophysics. I look forward to making some igloos in my spare time. I hate caraway and my favourite colour is blue.

JULIA – medicine/station leader: Hi, I’m Julia, the team’s physician. I’m specialised in emergency medicine, visceral surgery and anaesthetics, and spent the past 13 years working at the hospital in Ravensburg. Now it’s time for something new. I’m looking forward to all the new experiences and challenges that will come with this new job, and to the winter with its extreme weather conditions, the polar lights, and the indescribable starry skies.

LUKAS – atmospheric chemistry: Hi, I’m Lukas and will be taking care of the trace elements observatory. I’m looking forward to the shared overwintering filled with some great moments and hope to take some cool photos.

REGINE – electronics/engineering: I’m Regine (30) from Fürth and the electrical engineer on the 45th overwintering team. Together with Thomas, our station engineer, and Alex, our radio operator, I’ll help keep the Neumayer Station operating smoothly through the winter.

THOMAS – machinery/engineering: My name’s Tom, I’m 31 and come from Switzerland. As a certified construction equipment mechanic and mechanical engineer, over the next several months it will be my privilege – together with Regine, the electrical engineer, and Alex, the IT specialist and radio operator – to take care of all the station’s technical systems and vehicle fleet. I look forward to telling you a bit more about myself and my duties in one of the upcoming blog entries.

THORBEN – meals/cook: I hail from northern Germany, I’m 36 years old, and I have a passion for travel. I feel just as home in the mountains as on the ocean. During my adventures around the globe, I’ve had the chance to look in plenty of pots, and to discover culinary diversity.

We look forward to the year to come, are very excited to find out what’s in store for us, and of course we hope to get through the winter with the station and ourselves in fine shape. Feel free to check the AtkaXpress blog from time to time, where we’ll be sharing our impressions, experiences, and the topics most important to us every month.

Talk soon!

Team 45