An Antarctic researcher trapped in a remote research station, where temperatures plunge to -20C, has apologised after allegedly snapping and threatening to kill a fellow scientist. Team of nine researchers were due to spend the Antarctic winter at the South African-run base, which sits about 170km (about 105 miles) from the edge of the ice shelf, winds reach 150mph.
But researchers at the Sanae IV base in Vesleskarvet, Queen Maude Land, sent an urgent email to South Africa pleading for rescue, claiming a member of the nine-person team had attacked someone and issuing threats. A South African government source claims the alleged assault was triggered by “a dispute over a task the team leader wanted the team to do – a weather dependant task that required a schedule change”.
On Tuesday, the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) said the alleged assault among the overwintering team was reported on February 27th, and the accused has “shown remorse”.
The DFFE said it was also investigating alleged sexual harassment – but stressed that previous reports of an alleged sexual assault were “not correct”. The male alleged perpetrator has not been named.
It added: “The alleged perpetrator has willingly participated in further psychological evaluation, has shown remorse and is willingly cooperative to follow any interventions that are recommended.
“He has written a formal apology to the victim and is willing to verbally apologise to all members at the base.
“The Department has also implemented a longer term sustained intervention process through trained professional counselling services in order to restore the relationships and build a healthy working environment.”
The department said Minister Dr Dion George, and the department’s director-general Nomfundo Tshabalala, have “personally taken charge of the management process”.
The DFFE added: “The Department immediately activated the response plan to engage the individuals involved through trained professionals in order to mediate and restore relationships at the base.
“This process has been ongoing on an almost daily basis in order to ensure that those on the base know that the department is supportive and willing to do whatever is needed to restore the interpersonal relationships, but also firm in dealing with issues of discipline.”
The team is spending the long months of winter 2,500 miles from South Africa’s nearest point on the base and harsh weather conditions mean scientists can be cut off there for much of the year.
In a leaked email, a researcher said one team member had created “an environment of fear” on the base, making the researcher “deeply concerned” about their own safety and that of others.
It read: “Regrettably, his behaviour has escalated to a point that is deeply disturbing.
“Specifically, he physically assaulted [X], which is a grave violation of personal safety and workplace norm. Furthermore, he threatened to kill [X], creating an environment of fear and intimidation.
“I remain deeply concerned about my own safety, constantly wondering if I might become the next victim.”
The DFFE said it follows a “very detailed and thorough process” when it recruits staff “who are prepared to live in such confined and testing living conditions”.
It explained how each team member goes through independent and professional psychometric analysis to ensure they are able to cope with the isolation and are able to “work and live with others in the confined space of the bases”.
The DFFE went on: “Only candidates who do not have any negative outcomes from all the background evaluations will be considered for appointment.”
“The appointed overwintering team members are afforded the opportunity to undergo team building and training together in order to build relationships prior to the departure of the SA Agulhas II, which is the main mode of transport to the scientific bases.”
The DFFE added: “Even though all of the assessments and evaluations show no areas of concern, it is not uncommon that once individuals arrive at the extremely remote areas where the scientific bases are located, an initial adjustment to the environment is required.”
The base typically houses staff who stay through the Antarctic winter for approximately 13 months.
One of the team members posted on social media about their “adventures” at the remote base in recent days, and previously described the “thrill” at spending months the base with the small team.
South African research expeditions have been taking place since 1959. The team to the Sanae IV base typically comprises a doctor, two mechanics, three engineers, a meteorological technician and a couple of physicists.
These expeditions, with harsh weather conditions mandating a lot of time spent in a confined indoor space, normally run without incident.
But incidents in Antarctica are not unprecedented. In 2018 there were reports of a stabbing at the Russian-operated Bellingshausen research station.
While in 2023, American authorities launched an investigation after it emerged that more than half of the women working at the US’ McMurdo research base in Antarctica had experienced sexual violence.
McMurdo is stationed on the south tip of Ross Island and hosts up to 1,200 residents over the summer – a large majority of Antarctica’s population.
At least a third of those residents are women. In the winter, the number dwindles to about 200 people.
The National Science Foundation published a report in 2022 which revealed 59 per cent of women said they’d experienced harassment or assault while stationed in Antarctica, and 72 per cent of women said such behaviour was a problem on the bases.
Psychologists point to the effect that isolation can have on human behaviour.
Craig Jackson, professor of workplace health psychology at Birmingham City University, and a chartered member of the British Psychological Society, said: “One thing we know from these rare occurrences, when something bad happens in enforced isolation or capsule working, is that it’s often the small things, tiny things that can blow up into conflict.
“So issues about hierarchy, about workload allocation, even small things about leisure time or rations or food portions can rapidly flare up to become something much larger than they typically are.”
Gabrielle Walker, a scientist and author who has been on expeditions to Antarctica, said working in such close proximity to a small group of colleagues had risks.
She said: “You know exactly how they put their coffee cup down and what direction the handle points in; you know that they scratch their nose three times before they sit down; you know everything about them.
“And in the bad circumstances, it can start to irritate you… because there’s nothing else – there’s no other stimulus and you’re with people 24/7.”
While Alan Chambers, an explorer who completed a 700-mile skiing expedition in the region last year, said that from a “psychological perspective” the South Pole is a “very very lonely place”.
He went on: “There’s very little interaction with humans or animals so if you’re in a camp or a research centre you’re with those people for six months, if not a year.”
