German Antarctic activities

Abstract

The methods of Antarctic expeditions are different from country to country in terms of scale of the expedition, organization, funding, geographical situation of the area of activity and so on. Although methods used by one country are not always adaptable to other countries, information on foreign countries' Antarctic programs would provide ideas to contribute to upgrading the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE). The author participated in the German Antarctic Expedition in the 1996-97 field season. The author's participation was focussed on the transportation system, air operation and inland traverses. This report summarizes the activity of the German Expedition and highlights some aspects which should be incorporated into JARE.