BUENOS AIRES, December 12. /TASS/. Famous Russian adventurer Fyodor Konyukhov is braving a cyclone in Antarctica alone on his 74th birthday, said his son Oskar, who heads the expedition’s headquarters.

"Fyodor Konyukhov is celebrating his 74th birthday in Antarctica, on Smolensk (Livingston) Island in the the South Shetlands Archipelago. The weather is harsh. These days, December 12 and 13, the islands will be in the grip of a powerful cyclone, with wind gusts of 35-45 knots," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

The traveler has adapted his tent ahead of the approaching storm. "Naturally, it would be better to wait out this foul weather in a wooden house, but due to logistics problems, it was possible to deliver only a tent camp to the islands," he noted.

The first-ever solo Antarctic expedition kicked off on November 21. "Local animals have already got used to a man on the island. It looks like they take him as something natural and pay no attention to him, making it possible for Fyodor to watch the coastal life in an absolutely natural environment," Oskar Konyukhov wrote.

According to his son, the traveler is collecting data for a scientific study and is keeping daily meteorological records that may be useful for a permanent Russian station on the island. "There has not been a single day that could be dedicated to painting, although he has 20 canvases and oil paints. It’s too cold and windy. So far, Fyodor has only been making pencil drawings and sketches," he added.

About expedition

While on the island, Konyukhov will conduct a series of scientific studies and experiments to determine the level of air pollution and the amount of microplastics in the coastal waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. It took two years to get the project approved by international bodies, but ultimately, all countries studying Antarctica signed the permit. The expedition is being sponsored by the Russian Academy of Science's Shirshov Oceanology Institute and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

If the solo station experiment goes off without a hitch, Konyukhov plans to return to Antarctica in the winter and spend nine months there, including during the polar night, when no logistics deliveries are possible. The headquarters hopes this experience will later be useful for establishing a new year-round Russian Antarctic station.

According to the expedition headquarters, the project aims to remind the global community of the history of Russian sailors' discovery of Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands. The Russian Antarctic expedition, led by Faddey Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev on the sloops Vostok and Mirny, mapped a significant part of the South Shetland Islands in 1819-1820. The islands were originally given Russian names: Smolensk, Polotsk, Berezina, and Borodino. However, they later received English names that now appear on international maps.