In order to identify the effects of situational constraints on social behavior in a small isolated group, a systematic daily observation was conducted during a winter‐over mission in a French research station in the Antarctic. This observation corresponded to participants' seating arrangements during meals and was supplemented by analysis of the physician's diary. We hypothesized that social stability would be an indicator of adaptation in this context. Both analyses highlighted the importance of the social relationships, even if they were not described in the diary as positive. The results underline the need for a relational balance, linked to stable but not exclusive social relations. Some indicators emphasized the end of the isolation period as one critical moment (actually 1 month before the end), with an expression of homesickness and greater negativity in the diary's descriptions of social relationships.

The various uses of space as well as the environmental preferences of wintering people were investigated during 1 year in a French Antarctic station using daily participant observation (for uses of places) and a repeated measure of the perception and evaluation of the settings. The uses of places varied according to occupational and age subgroups: The young scientists expressed a higher need for privacy and a strong investment in their working areas, whereas the technicians preferred the social leisure area (main hall). These places were used as different behavior settings and thus corresponded to flexible environments. Flexibility was a characteristic of all the preferred places. A change in the preferences among the settings and the uses of places was also observed: After midwinter, the preferences evolved from private places to working areas. At the end of the mission, a behavioral change reflecting a stronger need for privacy was also observed.

French Antarctic territories harbor bases that are devoted to scientific and technical work. Living and working conditions during 1-year sojourns in such an environment are quite acceptable, but the confinement and the drop in ultraviolet B radiation exposure during winter months raise the problem of preservation of normal vitamin D status. Seasonal variations in 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels have been well documented, but the effect of sunshine deprivation on 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D] levels is quite controversial. The aim of this study was to address this question under the exceptional conditions of lack of sunshine exposure. Fifteen male Caucasian subjects participating in a 1-year mission in Antarctica were investigated. They were subjected to seven blood samplings, one before and six during their sojourn. Serum levels of 25(OH)D, 1,25(OH)2D, osteocalcin, and ICTP were measured. We found that levels of 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D significantly decreased in these subjects during the mission, minimum levels being observed 10 months after their departure from France. ICTP concentrations did not change throughout this study, but osteocalcin levels were found to be higher at the end of the sojourn than before departure, which could argue for the existence of bone remodeling changes. Further studies are now needed to fully investigate bone metabolism changes and to address the question of vitamin D supplementation during this kind of sojourn.