A number of governments maintain permanent research stations in the Arctic. Also known as Arctic bases, polar stations or ice stations, these bases are widely distributed across the northern

polar region The polar regions, also called the frigid geographical zone, zones or polar zones, of Earth are the regions of the planet that surround its geographical poles (the North Pole, North and South Poles), lying within the polar circles. These high l ...

of Earth. Historically few research stations have been permanent. Most of them were temporary, being abandoned after the completion of the project or owing to lack of funding to continue the research. Some of these were military or intelligence stations (listening posts) created as a result of the proximity of the U.S. and Soviet Union to each other's landmass across the polar region. Ice stations are constructed on land or on ice that rests on land, while others are drifting ice stations built on the

sea ice Sea ice arises as seawater freezes. Because ice is less dense than water, it floats on the ocean's surface (as does fresh water ice, which has an even lower density). Sea ice covers about 7% of the Earth's surface and about 12% of the world's oce ...

of the high latitudes of the Arctic Ocean.

Research stations

Drifting ice stations

* Fletcher's Ice Island, US (1952 - 1978)

In fiction

Ice Station Zebra (novel) ''Ice Station Zebra'' is a 1963 thriller novel written by Scottish author Alistair MacLean. It marked a return to MacLean's classic Arctic setting. After completing this novel, whose plot line parallels real-life events during the Cold War, Ma ...

, by Alistair MacLean ** Ice Station Zebra (1968 film) **Ice Station Zebra a song by Jack White on

Boarding House Reach ''Boarding House Reach'' is the third studio album by American rock musician Jack White, released on March 23, 2018, through Third Man Records, Columbia Records, and XL Recordings. The album was written in Nashville and recorded throughout 2017 a ...

* Ice Station, by

Matthew Reilly Matthew John Reilly (born 2 July 1974) is an internationally bestselling Australian action thriller writer.
". Retrieved 10 ...

* Ice Station -- Impossible!, an episode of The Venture Bros. * Ice Station Santa, an episode of

Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space ''Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space'', originally released as ''Sam & Max: Season Two'', is an episodic graphic adventure video game by Telltale Games based on the ''Sam & Max'' comic book series created by Steve Purcell. It is a sequel to Tellta ...

Gallery

File:Gaw lab 20160601.jpg, View of the Dr. Neil Trivett Global Atmosphere Watch Observatory, Alert,

Nunavut Nunavut ( , ; iu, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ , ; ) is the largest and northernmost Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories, territory of Canada. It was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the ''Nunavut Act'' ...

, Canada File:Polska Stacja Polarna Hornsund AdamNawrot.jpg, View of the

Polish Polar Station, Hornsund Polish Polar Station, Hornsund ( pl, Polska Stacja Polarna, Hornsund) is at ''Isbjørnhamna'' in Hornsund, on Spitsbergen in the Norway, Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, operated since 1957. Station The station was erected in July 1957 by the Polis ...

. File:Wiese-Insel 1 2014-09-02.jpg, View of the Arctic research station on

Wiese Island Wiese Island, or Vize Island ( rus, Остров Визе ''Ostrov Vize''), also known as ''Zemlya Vize'' ( rus, Земля Визе) is an isolated Russian island located in the Arctic Ocean, named after Soviet oceanographer of German-descent Vlad ...

. File:Igloolik-researchcentre.jpg, View of the

Igloolik Research Centre Igloolik ( Inuktitut syllabics: , ''Iglulik'', ) is an Inuit hamlet in Foxe Basin, Qikiqtaaluk Region in Nunavut, northern Canada. Because its location on Igloolik Island is close to Melville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be on t ...

Igloolik Igloolik ( Inuktitut syllabics: , ''Iglulik'', ) is an Inuit hamlet in Foxe Basin, Qikiqtaaluk Region in Nunavut, northern Canada. Because its location on Igloolik Island is close to Melville Peninsula, it is often mistakenly thought to be on th ...

, Canada.

References

External links