A team of Turkish researchers joined the country's sixth polar expedition. Departing from Istanbul last week for the frozen continent, the team Friday arrived in the South American country of Chile on their way to Antarctica.

The 20-member team of Turkey’s sixth National Antarctic Science Expedition reached Puerto Williams city via Madrid after 22 hours of flights, three transfers and a 33-hour wait. They added some 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds) of personal and research equipment to the 2 tons of equipment delivered to the continent earlier.

After a seven-day quarantine period in Puerto Williams due to COVID-19 measures, the expedition team will leave for King George Island by plane. They will later get on a ship to reach the Turkish research camp area located at Horseshoe Island in Antarctica after a week of sailing.

The research team, which also includes two researchers from Portugal and Bulgaria, will carry out studies for 1 1/2 months on the frozen continent for 14 projects in different fields from earth sciences to life sciences.

As the team will be almost completely disconnected from the outside world once they reach Antarctica. The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey's (TÜBITAK) Polar Research Institute will closely monitor the team around the clock and provide support in various areas such as satellite images, weather conditions and emergency aid.

In April 2016, the first-ever Turkish team of researchers that included 14 medics, botanists, geologists and oceanographers from seven universities traveled to Antarctica to study the impact of climate change. Three years later, the expedition established Turkey's first polar base. The expeditions also host guest researchers from other countries.

Before Turkey established its temporary research base on Horseshoe Island in Antarctica in 2019, its scientific team was supported by Ukraine’s Vernadsky station. Since 2016, Turkey has accelerated its scientific investigations on the South Pole. It is believed that expeditions and further research will help the country’s scientific achievements.

Currently holding observer status, Turkey acceded to the Antarctic Treaty in 1996. The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C. by 12 countries in December 1959. In 2015, Turkey applied to become an observer to the Arctic Council, which was established in 1996 to promote cooperation, coordination and interaction among the eight Arctic states, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.