Christo Pimpirev: The 34th Antarctic expedition is one of the most successful

The latest Antarctic expedition by Bulgarian scientists on the icy continent is one of the most successful, said Prof. Christo Pimpirev, head of the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, in an interview with BNR. The specialist in historical geology and paleogeography, and director of the National Center for Polar Studies, was recently awarded the prestigious Konstantin Katsarov Prize in Geneva.

“For the past four years, ever since our research vessel ‘’St. St. Cyril and Methodius’’ has been exploring the World Ocean, Bulgaria has been recognized as a highly-respected polar and maritime nation. With this ship, we explore the World Ocean and, in particular, its most challenging region — the Southern Ocean, which around Antarctica is full of icebergs and ice floes”, Professor Pimpirev commented. “We have proven that Bulgarians are very successful everywhere, even in the World Ocean, even though Bulgaria has only one semi-enclosed sea, the Black Sea”, said Professor Pimpirev. 

Professor Pimpirev highlighted the modern scientific laboratory that is now operational at the Bulgarian base on Livingston Island, attracting researchers from around the world. “This year we had visitors from exotic countries who had never seen snow”, Christo Pimpirev said in am interview with Yuliyana Kornazheva from the BNR’s  “Horizon” channel, adding: “Together with colleagues from the United Arab Emirates, we built a joint laboratory to study seismic activity and meteorology.

‘’We also welcomed scientists from El Salvador and Ecuador, countries located along the equator. Additionally, we are carrying out a major project with German researchers to study ocean currents, water salinity, and rising sea levels — a critical issue for humanity’s future, as coastal areas, which are the most densely populated and fertile, are at risk of flooding”, Professor Pimpirev went on to say.

The Bulgarian research vessel ''St. St Cyril and Methodius'' is already on its way back home, with a scheduled stop at the Brazilian port of Santos on March 8, where the crew will meet with members of the Bulgarian community in Brazil.

Edited by Gergana Mancheva

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov