Development of the BGR's Polar Research Activities

Year	Activities
1973	The BGR starts polar research based on the program ”Geoscientific Investigations in the North Atlantic” promoted by the Ministry of Economics (BMWi) (1973 – 1977).
1974 - 1977	Execution of large-scale geophysical research by BGR’s Marine Geophysics section in the western Barents Sea, at the continental margins of East Greenland and Spitsbergen, as well as in the Labrador Sea. Research aimed at the exploration of the hydrocarbon potential of the continental margins. Industrial exploration is initiated based on their results, e.g. in the Barents Sea.
1976	The BGR starts geoscientific research in the Antarctic — initially by the participation of a few researchers in US expeditions.
1978	For the first time after World War II, BGR’s Marine Geophysics section conducts a German geophysical expedition in Antarctic waters.
1979	February 5, 1979: Accession of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Antarctic Treaty System.
1979/1980	Execution of two major geoscientific expeditions: a) a marine geophysical survey of the Ross Sea and b) the land expedition GANOVEX I in North Victoria Land, which marks the start of terrestrial polar research by the BGR.
Jan. 1980	Lillie-Marleen-Hut Source: BGR During GANOVEX I, a bivouac hut was erected close to the Lillie Glacier in January 1980, the Lillie-Marleen-Hut. This hut was recognised by the XXVIII. Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) 2005 in Stockholm as the first German "Antarctic Historic Site and Monument".
1980	The BGR creates the ”Antarctic” section in response to the obligations associated with the accession to the Antarctic Treaty System.
1981	March 3, 1981: The Federal Republic of Germany joins the consultative countries – the expeditions conducted by the BGR since 1978 supported its attainment of consultative status.
1988/1989	Gondwana Station after its extension 1988/89 Source: BGR Expansion of the Gondwana-Stration as summer station.
1989	Reorganization of the BGR in April 1989: The former ”Antarctic” section is renamed ”Polar Research” and is now part of the ”Geological and Geophysical Research” division. In addition to Antarctic research, it also has the task of conducting terrestrial Arctic research.
1990	After German reunion, scientists and key activities of the geoscientific Antarctic research of the former Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic Republic reinforce the polar research of the BGR.
1992	Start of the terrestrial research activities in the Arctic based on the ”CASE” program.
1995/1996	Up to this date, the regional focus of the terrestrial geology and geophysics in the Antarctic had been placed on the Transantarctic Mountains, specifically the Ross Sea area (North Victoria Land) and its assumed extension in the Weddell Sea area (Shackleton Range); the research activities of the BGR are now extended to include East Antarctica (initially Dronning Maud Land).
1997	Further reorganization of the BGR: The ”Polar Research” section is renamed ”Polar Geology” and is now part of the subdepartement ”Marine and Polar Research, Deep-Sea Exploration”.
1998	The BGR was in charge of organising and hosting the International Conference on Arctic Margins ”ICAM III” (October 12 – 15, 1998, in Celle), up to now the only ICAM conference in a country not neighbouring the Arctic Ocean.
2001	First combined marine-terrestrial Arctic expedition in the Nares Strait.
2002/2003	Extension of the research activities to central East Antarctica (Lambert Glacier, Gamburtsev Mountains).
2009	After renewed reorganization of the BGR, the ”Polar Geology” becomes a section within the subdepartment ”B1.2 Natural Resource Geology, Polar Geology”.
2012	The ”Polar Geology” activities are integrated as a unit of the subdepartment B1.3 "Energy resources, Polar Geology”.
2015/2016	Gondwana Station after modernisation Source: BGR Modernisation of Gondwana-Station (MOGS 3).