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Patrick Arnaud was born in Paris on 27 May 1939. He completed his secondary school education at the Lycée Buffon and undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Sciences of the Sorbonne, before his doctoral studies in Biological oceanography in 1960, a field developed in France, at Marseille, by Professor Jean-Marie Pérès.
After attending a conference held at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris his future professional orientation was determined. At that meeting, Pérès read to his students a letter from the French polar expeditions organisation that offered an opportunity for a marine biologist to take part in the 1961-1963 wintering at Adélie Land in Antarctica.
His candidacy was accepted, and Patrick began his two month voyage to Antarctica in 1961 from Le Havre, onboard the Danish vessel Magga Dan.
The French base Dumont d'Urville at Adélie Land is very different today from what it was over fifty years ago. Under the generous supervision of the head of mission, René Merle, the 18 individuals wintering at that base were gathered together in one common room. The accommodation was uncomfortable, with rooms for two, and limited radio links that restricted family telegrams to only 25 words per week.
The mission was placed in jeopardy when one of the mechanics suffered from a bowel obstruction. An urgent surgical intervention was needed by the base's medical doctor, assisted by an Australian...