Life in Extreme Conditions

Pushing the limits in the name of science: Two women who have lived and worked in some of the most extreme conditions on earth talk to Kim Chakanetsa about the challenges of cold and dry conditions, the bonds they form on base, and what draws them back to these remote places.

Carolyn Graves is a Canadian meteorologist currently working for the British Antarctic Survey. In 2016 she travelled to the Halley Research Station in Antarctica. She was planning to spend a whole year there, carrying out meteorological observations and monitoring all the technical equipment. But after just six months the entire team were forced to abandon base, over fears of a growing crack in the ice shelf.

Violette Impellizzeri is an Italian astronomer who currently works at the ALMA observatory in Chile's Atacama Desert. She travels to base camp, which is 3,000m above sea level, about once every six weeks. The conditions are extreme - dry and remote - but the clear skies are ideal for the telescope, which provides unique research opportunities for scientists around the world.

L-Image and credit: Violette Impellizeri at the ALMA observatory, Atacama Desert, Chile. Credit: Cristian Pontoni.
R-Image: Carolyn Graves launching a balloon at the Halley Research Station in Antarctica. Credit: Kevin Hallam.