Vostok Station facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vostok Station станция Восток
Antarctic base
Vostok Station as of 2024
Vostok Station Location in Antarctica
Country	Russia
Location	Princess Elizabeth Land Antarctica
Administered by	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Established	16 December 1957 (1957-12-16)
Named for	Vostok
Elevation	3,488 m (11,444 ft)
Population  (2017)
• Summer	30
• Winter	15
Time zone	UTC+6
UN/LOCODE	AQ VOS
Type	All-year round
Period	Annual
Status	Operational
Activities	List Ice core drill Magnetometry Climatology

Vostok Skiway
IATA: none ICAO: AT28
Summary
Airport type	Private
Location	Princess Elizabeth Land
Elevation AMSL	11,447 ft / 3,489 m
Coordinates	78°27′58″S 106°50′54″E / 78.466139°S 106.84825°E / -78.466139; 106.84825
Map
Vostok Skiway Location in Antarctica
Runway
Runway Length Surface ft m 03/21 11,933 3,637 Ice

Location of Vostok in Antarctica

Vostok Station (Russian: станция Восток, romanized: stantsiya Vostok meaning "station east") is a Russian research base in the middle of Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica. The Soviet Union built it in 1957. This station is famous for being one of the coldest places on Earth. Scientists here recorded the lowest natural temperature ever measured: a freezing −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F; 184.0 K)! Vostok Station is named after the ship Vostok, which was part of the first Russian expedition to Antarctica.

Exploring Vostok Station: Earth's Coldest Place

What is Vostok Station?

Vostok Station sits about 1,301 kilometres (808 mi) away from the Geographic South Pole. It is right in the center of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. This makes it a very remote and special place for science.

The station is also near the southern "pole of inaccessibility." This is the point on the continent farthest from any ocean. It is also close to the south geomagnetic pole, where Earth's magnetic field lines point straight down. These locations make Vostok a perfect spot to study Earth's magnetosphere. Scientists also study the weather, Earth's physical features, and how the extreme cold affects people.

Life at the Station

Vostok Station is 3,488 metres (11,444 ft) above sea level. It is one of the most isolated research stations in Antarctica. Supplies for the station come from Mirny Station on the Antarctic coast.

During the warmer summer months, about 30 scientists and engineers live and work at Vostok. In the harsh winter, this number drops to around 15 people. The only other permanent research station further south is the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, run by the United States.

A Look Back: History of Vostok Station

Vostok Station opened on December 16, 1957. This was during a special time called the International Geophysical Year, when many countries worked together on science projects. The station has been running almost continuously for over 65 years. It was briefly closed a few times, but always reopened.

Ice cores at Vostok, with a portion of the station behind

Discovering Lake Vostok

In 1974, British scientists used radar to look through the ice in Antarctica. They found some unusual readings under the ice near Vostok. Years later, in 1991, a European satellite confirmed these findings. By 1993, scientists realized there was a huge, hidden freshwater lake beneath the ice!

This amazing discovery was named Lake Vostok. It lies about 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) below the ice sheet. The lake covers an area of 14,000 square kilometres (5,400 sq mi). It is one of the largest lakes in the world, completely hidden under thousands of meters of ice.

New Buildings for a Modern Station

The original Vostok Station buildings were getting old. So, in 2019, the Russian government started building a brand-new, modern station. The new parts were built in Saint Petersburg and then shipped to Antarctica.

On January 28, 2024, the new winter complex for the station was officially opened. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko took part in the ceremony by video. This new complex helps the scientists live and work more comfortably in the extreme cold.

Important Historical Sites

There are two special historical sites at Vostok Station:

• Vostok Station Tractor: This is a heavy tractor, an AT-T, that was used in the first journey to the south geomagnetic pole. There is also a plaque to remember the station's opening in 1957. This tractor and plaque are now a recognized Historic Site or Monument (HSM 11).
• Professor Kudryashov's Drilling Complex Building: This building was built in 1983–1984. Under the guidance of Professor Boris Kudryashov, scientists drilled deep into the ice to get very old ice samples. This building is also a recognized Historic Site or Monument (HSM 88).

Extreme Weather: The Climate of Vostok

Vostok Station has an ice cap climate. This means it has freezing temperatures all year round. It is also one of the driest places on Earth, with only about 22 millimetres (0.87 in) of snow each year.

Despite the extreme cold, Vostok is also one of the sunniest places on Earth! It gets no sunshine from May to August. But in December, it averages over 700 hours of sunshine. This is more than almost anywhere else on the planet.

Panoramic photo of Vostok Station showing the layout of the camp. The striped building on the left is the power station while the striped building on the right is where researchers sleep and take meals. The building in the background with the red- and white-striped ball on top is the meteorology building. Caves were dug into the ice sheet for storage, keeping cores at an ideal −55 °C (−67 °F) year-round. (Credit: Todd Sowers LDEO, Columbia University, Palisades, New York)

The Coldest Temperatures

Vostok is known as one of the coldest places on Earth. The average temperature in the cold season (April to September) is about −66 °C (−87 °F). In the warmer season (October to March), the average is still a chilly −44 °C (−47 °F).

The lowest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth was at Vostok. It was −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) on July 21, 1983. The warmest temperature ever recorded at Vostok was −14.0 °C (6.8 °F) on January 5, 1974.

Challenges of Living in Vostok

Living at Vostok is very difficult due to several factors:

• The air is extremely dry, with almost no moisture.
• Winds average 5 metres per second (11 mph; 18 km/h), sometimes reaching 27 metres per second (60 mph; 97 km/h).
• The high elevation of 3,488 metres (11,444 feet) means there is less oxygen in the air.
• The air has a higher level of ionization.
• A polar night lasts about 120 days. During this time, the sun does not rise at all.

It can take weeks or even months for people to get used to these conditions. Many people experience headaches, eye twitches, nosebleeds, and trouble sleeping. They might also lose weight.

Unlocking Earth's Past: Ice Core Research

420,000 years of ice core data from Vostok, Antarctica, research station. Current period is at left. From bottom to top: insolation at 65°N due to Milankovitch cycles (connected to ¹⁸O); ¹⁸O isotope of oxygen; levels of methane (CH₄); relative temperature; levels of carbon dioxide (CO_2})

_{What Ice Cores Tell Us}

_{Since the 1970s, scientists at Vostok have been drilling deep into the ice. They pull out long cylinders of ice called ice cores. These cores are like frozen timelines of Earth's past climate.}

_{By studying the ice cores, scientists can learn about ancient temperatures, the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, and even volcanic eruptions from hundreds of thousands of years ago. The ice cores from Vostok have shown us climate information going back over 400,000 years! This covers four past glacial periods (ice ages).}

_{In 2012, scientists finally drilled all the way through the ice. They reached the surface of Lake Vostok, the hidden lake beneath the station. This was a huge scientific achievement!}

_{See Also}

_{In Spanish: Base Vostok para niños}