Brussels explorer Alain Hubert was awarded the Belgica prize on Monday during a ceremony at the Royal Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels, announced Tuesday the International Polar Foundation (IPF) in a press release. The specialist in polar regions was, among other things, rewarded for his research on Antarctica.
“It is an honor and a privilege to have been able to contribute to the tradition of Belgian polar exploration and to international polar research initiated by Adrien de Gerlache, and to have helped Belgian polar researchers to benefit from a platform which fully demonstrates their considerable scientific prowess”rejoiced the explorer.
After the awards ceremony, Alain Hubert explained in particular how his polar expeditions inspired him to create, in 2002, the International Polar Foundation (IPF), but also for the construction of the Princess Elisabeth Antarctic Station, a base scientific mainly powered by renewable energies. In addition to the explorer, the French glaciologist Jérôme Chappellaz was also awarded the Belgica prize.
► Reread | Brussels explorer Alain Hubert receives the Belgica medal, reward for his polar expeditions
The scientist was rewarded for his work on ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica which made it possible to reconstruct atmospheric concentrations of methane over the last 800,000 years. The Belgica Prize, which bears the name of Adrien de Gerlache’s scientific exploration ship, was created in 1904 and has been officially awarded since 1963. It rewards people every five years who have carried out work relating to Antarctic.
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