A team of Canadian researchers are preparing to head to a climate research station in Eureka, Nunavut, where they will live in close quarters for four months, conducting a series of environmental tests in pitch-black darkness.

It鈥檚 a job that is not for the faint of heart. There is little to no sunlight for four months of the year at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL), a climate research lab where the mercury drops to a frigid -50 C before even factoring in the wind chill.

The team will depart from Toronto and fly to a commuter hub such as Yellowknife. From there, they will board a chartered aircraft for a seven- to eight-hour flight, with two stops for refuelling.

At PEARL site, researchers will live in close quarters while they conduct a series of environmental tests.

PEARL site manager Pierre Fogal said, in an interview with CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Tuesday, that his team is well-prepared for the four-month lab stay.

鈥淵ou really want to take care to be properly dressed, and to have all your exposed skin covered up, and not to breathe too fast, because that cold air does not feel so good in your lungs, either.鈥�

Fogal said the team will be measuring 鈥渁tmospheric constituents鈥� and other parameters. 鈥淏asically what makes up the atmosphere and how it moves around,鈥� Fogel said.

But it won鈥檛 be all work and no play.

While the weather station is remote and isolated, Fogal said it鈥檚 equipped with a recreation room, gym, satellite TV and amateur radio station.

If it鈥檚 not too 鈥渃ool,鈥� the team will go for walks outside, Fogal added.

鈥淲e do a lot of reading,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e do a lot of work, actually, that takes up most of our time when we鈥檙e there because we鈥檙e there for a compressed schedule.鈥�

Everyone at the site 鈥渉as a different coping strategy鈥� while living under harsh, isolated conditions with little to no sunlight.

鈥淵ou get used to it, basically,鈥� Fogal said, adding the team stick to a schedule that includes eating meals at a defined time so they have 鈥渟ome semblance of a daily routine.鈥�

The weather station is currently seeing the 鈥渇irst hints鈥� of daylight around noon, marked with a 鈥渂it of blue on the horizon.鈥�

鈥淥nce the sun starts to come up, we gain sunlight fairly quickly, something like 20 to 40 minutes a day,鈥� Fogal said.

But the team doesn鈥檛 remain only at the main site.

Three facilities make up the PEARL site, with the furthest being 15 kilometres from the weather station. With unpredictable and dangerous conditions, 鈥渨e have had folks stranded up there,鈥� Fogal said.

鈥淪o we check the weather very carefully either way before departing and we have had the occasional disruption along the drive.鈥�

鈥淲e do have a lot of regulations and rules and best practices in place to make sure that we stay safe.鈥�