Barneo

Camp Barneo (Russian: Лагерь Бaрнео) is a private Russian temporary ice base established annually since 2002 on an ice floe relatively close to the North Pole.

History

The first Barneo ice base was established in 2002. The ice base is sponsored by the Russian Geographical Society and normally lasts for the month of April. Depending on the base's location, excursions to the North Pole can be conducted on skis, dog sled, or helicopter. In 2007 Barneo was located at about 89°31.5′N 30°27′W / 89.5250°N 30.450°W / 89.5250; -30.450. However, northerly winds caused the camp to drift toward the southeast at a speed of 0.8 kilometres per hour (0.5 mph). Beginning in 2008, it has become a tourist destination. The Barneo ice base should not be confused with the sequential Soviet/Russian "North Pole" drifting ice stations established by the Russian Academy of Sciences Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) headquartered in St. Petersburg.

Barneo ice base consists of an ice runway and an ice camp. Because of the constant moving ice on the Arctic Ocean, it has to be rebuilt from scratch each year. Barneo is not merely a tent camp; a flown-in bulldozer was used to flatten the snow so cargo planes like the Antonov An-74 can land. Another runway is being built.

North Pole

Coordinates: 90°N 0°W / 90°N -0°E / 90; -0

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is (subject to the caveats explained below) defined as the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It should not be confused with the North Magnetic Pole.

The North Pole is the northernmost point on the Earth, lying diametrically opposite the South Pole. It defines geodetic latitude 90° North, as well as the direction of true north. At the North Pole all directions point south; all lines of longitude converge there, so its longitude can be defined as any degree value. Along tight latitude circles, counterclockwise is east and clockwise is west.

While the South Pole lies on a continental land mass, the North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean amid waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice. This makes it impractical to construct a permanent station at the North Pole (unlike the South Pole). However, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, constructed a number of manned drifting stations on a generally annual basis since 1937, some of which have passed over or very close to the Pole. Since 2002, the Russians have also annually established a base, Barneo, close to the Pole. This operates for a few weeks during early spring. Studies in the 2000s predicted that the North Pole may become seasonally ice-free because of Arctic ice shrinkage, with timescales varying from 2016 to the late 21st century or later.