Bottom of the Snow globe

I have returned to the USA after my seasons in Antarctica

It was a truly amazon experiance and I can’t wait to share more with you all soon.

Amundsen-Scott

South Pole Station

  • Although land at the South Pole is only about a hundred
    meters above sea level, the ice sheet above it is roughly 2,700-meters
    (9,000-feet) thick. This elevation makes the South Pole much colder
    than the North Pole, which sits in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. In
    fact, the warmest temperature ever recorded at the South Pole was a
    freezing -12.3 degrees Celsius (9.9 degrees Fahrenheit).

  • The South Pole is close to the coldest place on Earth. The coldest
    temperature recorded at the South Pole, -82.8 degrees Celsius (-117.0
    degrees Fahrenheit), is still warmer than the coldest temperature ever
    recorded, -89.2 degrees Celsius (-128.6 degrees Fahrenheit). That
    temperature was recorded at the Russian Vostok Research Station, about 1,300 kilometers (808 miles) away.

  • During the summer the station population is typically around 150. Most
    personnel leave by the middle of February, leaving a few dozen (41 in
    2024) "winter-overs", mostly support staff plus a few scientists, who
    keep the station functional through the months of Antarctic night. The winter personnel are isolated between mid-February and late October.
    Wintering-over presents notorious dangers and stresses, as the station
    population is almost totally isolated. The station is completely
    self-sufficient during the winter, and powered by three generators
    running on JP-8 jet fuel. An annual tradition is a
    back-to-back-to-back viewing of The Thing from Another World (1951),
    The Thing (1982), and The Thing (2011) after the last flight has left
    for the winter.

  • Research at the station includes glaciology, geophysics, meteorology,
    upper atmosphere physics, astronomy, astrophysics, and biomedical
    studies. In recent years, most of the winter scientists have worked
    for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory or for low-frequency astronomy
    experiments such as the South Pole Telescope and BICEP2. The low
    temperature and low moisture content of the polar air, combined with
    the altitude of over 9,000 feet (2,700 m), causes the air to be far
    more transparent on some frequencies than is typical elsewhere, and the months of darkness permit sensitive equipment to run constantly.

  • The station has a runway for aircraft (ICAO: NZSP), 12,000 feet (3,658
    m) long. Between October and February, there are several flights per
    day of U.S. Air Force ski-equipped Lockheed LC-130Hercules aircraft
    from the New York Air National Guard, 109 AW, 139AS Stratton Air
    National Guard via McMurdo Station to supply the station. Resupply
    missions are collectively termed Operation Deep Freeze.

    In 2009, the U.S. completed construction of the South Pole Traverse.
    Also called the McMurdo-South Pole Highway, this stretch of unpaved
    road runs more than 1,600 kilometers (995 miles) over the Antarctic
    ice sheet, from McMurdo Station to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole
    Station. It takes about 40 days for supplies to reach the pole from
    McMurdo, but the route is far more reliable and inexpensive than air
    flights. The highway can also supply much heavier equipment (such as
    that needed by the South Pole's astrophysics laboratories) than
    aircraft.

McMurdo Station

  • 30ft

  • With all months having an average temperature below freezing, McMurdo features a polar ice cap climate . However, in the warmest months (December and January) the monthly average high temperature may occasionally rise above freezing. The place is protected from cold waves from the interior of Antarctica by the Transantarctic Mountains, so temperatures below −40° are rare, compared to more exposed places like Neumayer Station, which usually gets those temperatures a few times every year, often as early as May, and sometimes even as early as April, and very rarely above 0 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded at McMurdo was 10.8 °C on December 21, 1987. There is enough snowmelt in summer that a limited amount of vegetation can grow, specifically a few species of moss and lichen.

  • The station is the largest community in Antarctica, capable of supporting up to 1,500 residents during the summer and around 150 in the winter. All personnel and cargo going to or coming from Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station first pass through McMurdo. By road, McMurdo is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from New Zealand's smaller Scott Base.

  • As of 2007, McMurdo Station was Antarctica's largest community and a functional, modern-day science station, including a harbor, three airfields[ (two seasonal), a heliport and more than 100 buildings, including the Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center. The station is also home to the continent's two ATMs, both provided by Wells Fargo Bank. The work done at McMurdo Station primarily focuses on science, but most of the residents are not scientists, but station personnel who provide support for operations, logistics, information technology, construction, and maintenance.

  • McMurdo is serviced seasonally from Christchurch Airport about 3,920 kilometres (2,440 mi) away by air, with C-17 Globemaster and Lockheed LC-130

    Phoenix Airfield (ICAO: NZFX), a compacted snow runway
    Sea Ice Runway (ICAO: NZIR), an annual runway constructed on the sea ice nearest McMurdo Station
    Williams Field (ICAO: NZWD), a permanent snow runway

U.S. research stations at the geographic South Pole

The first station, built to support researchers during the International Geophysical Year, was begun in November 1956 and completed in February 1957. As interest in polar research increased, it became evident that a new design and a larger station was necessary.

In 1975 the central area of the station was rebuilt as a geodesic dome 50 meters wide and 16 meters high that, with 14- by 24-meter steel archways, covering modular buildings, fuel bladders, and equipment. Detached buildings housed instruments for monitoring the upper and lower atmosphere and for numerous and complex projects in astronomy and astrophysics. There is an emergency camp.

The dome facility was designed to house 18 science and support personnel during the winter and 33 during the austral summer. However, over the years, the facility's infrastructure and technology have exceeded its design and operational life. To augment the existing facility, a number of science and berthing structures were added in the 1990s, particularly for astronomy and astrophysics.

In 1997, a redevelopment plan to upgrade the station began. The new station, which was dedicated in 2008, is one connected, elevated facility. To accommodate changes in population from winter to summer, certain areas can be closed.

Remote science facilities are being developed with small one- to two-story elevated buildings and are located away from the main station to minimize interference between necessary operations and science.

As part of the elevated station, the existing arches were re-used for fuel storage, cargo, and waste management. New arches accommodate the garage shops and power plant. The benefits of elevated structures include reduced snow drifting, increased building life, diminished environmental impact, enhanced safety, maximized solar energy use, and more cost-effective construction.

Less than 50 scientists and support personnel winter at the station, and up to 150 people work there during the summer. The station's winter personnel are isolated between mid-February and late October.