Guests from the Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer at Hornsund (Horn Sound) in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, Arctic, Europe

The Lindblad Expedition ship National Geographic Explorer running Zodiac operations in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, Arctic, Europe

British Antarctic Survey (BAS) research plane landing at the Chilean Research base Frei on King George Island, Antarctica, Polar Regions

Tourists climbing up a sand dune in the Sahara Desert, Morocco

Tourists climbing up a sand dune in the Sahara Desert, Morocco

The two towers of the Concordia station, with the French, Italian and European flags flying in the wind, under a blue sky veiled with cirrus clouds aligned in the direction of the wind. The two towers are linked by a tunnel. They are permanently heated to 20°C by the diesel engine that generates the station's electricity. The left tower is the "quiet tower", housing the hospital, bedrooms;34 beds) and offices. The right tower is the "noisy tower": it houses a small workshop, the emergency generator, the waste room, the technical office, the video room, the living room, the kitchens and the refectory. The two towers are about ten meters apart to prevent the risk of fire spreading. Fire is an Antarctic expeditionary's worst nightmare; the French have a very bad experience of it. Concordia Antarctic Research Station, Dome C plateau, East Antarctica.