| |
This page has links to some of the pictures I took at the South Pole, as well links to some informational pages about South Pole and Antarctica. I left the States on 4 January 2001, and arrived at South Pole on 10 January. I worked there until November 2001. The project I was working on, part of my graduate studies at University of Washington, involved studying the processes that control the Antarctic climate, including the Infrared radiation emitted by the atmosphere and snow, the distribution of water vapor and the types and quantities of liquid water drops and ice crystals in the atmosphere. The project was called SPARCLE (South Pole Atmospheric Radiation and Cloud LIDAR Experiment). We made measurements using an infrared detector that scanned the sky and snow from the roof of our building. We also flew instruments attached to a tethered balloon or kite. One of the instruments photographed ice crystals and water droplets, and the other measured the relative humidity, temperature and pressure. Additionally we opperated a LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) system, an insturment similar to RADAR, except that it sends out a laser beam to detect clouds instead of radio waves. This LIDAR looked straight up and could show us at what heights there were clouds, and how thick they were.
|
|
| |
The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is is built around the Geographic South Pole, with buildings surrounding the actual pole. Its elevation is 9300 feet (2835m) above sea-level. Between November and mid-February the station is home to around 200 people, but during the winter (15 Feb to late October) only about 50 people are there, and there are no planes in or out. During the summer, December and January, the average temperature is around -18°F (-28°C), and from March through September the average temperature is between -66°F (-54°C) and -76°F (-60°C). Every year there are some days when it drops below -100°F (-73°C); the warmest temperature recorded in the 43 years of record was +8°F (-13°C). It's an awesome place, and I enjoyed a wonderful year there. Enjoy the site.
|
|
