Aerial view of Amundson-Scott South Pole Station

The geographical and geophysical conditions that exist at high latitudes make certain investigations possible that cannot be done as effectively, or at all, elsewhere. Some examples are:
 

The extremely cold atmosphere above Antarctica is transparent and dark throughout the infrared (IR) and mm-wave spectrum, mostly because the water vapor is frozen out. Also the mirrors of an IR telescope are very cold and contribute less background. The proximity of the axis of the Earth's rotation means that celestial bodies never set (or in the case of members of the solar system, only rarely set) so that long-term uninterrupted observations are possible. For example, the sun has been observed continuously for well over 100 hours from the South Pole. The long diurnal cycle coupled with the cold atmosphere means that the atmosphere provides a mm-wave window that is stable and relatively noise-free in both angle and time. Because Antarctica is a cold continent surrounded by a warmer ocean and because it is nearly centered at the pole, there is a very stable and predictable pattern of stratospheric circulation. There is a strong cyclonic vortex in the winter and in the summer there is a shorter lived, but dependable, anticyclone. The winter vortex provides the conditions that cause the ozone hole.

Viper telescope

Aurora

The proximity to the magnetic poles allows ground-based study of the outer portions of the magnetosphere and its interactions with the upper atmosphere, especially the ionosphere. Of particular interest are the aurora and other phenomena associated with the transfer of energy from the solar wind to the Earth's atmosphere. It is particularly valuable to make observations from Northern and Southern Hemisphere sites that have the same magnetic coordinates (magnetically conjugate).

The ice sheet can be used to install detectors for energetic particles. In order to search for very high energy neutrinos, the AMANDA and RICE projects have instrumented nearly 1/10 km3 of the ice sheet between 1400 m and 2400 m deep at South Pole. This technique offers many advantages over others for building very large volume detectors.

AMANDA detector string being installed

Science Building and Skylab Facility The science building is located within the South Pole geodesic dome. This building contains the meteorology office and recording equipment for several experiments. The Skylab, a four-floor tower housing aeronomy instrumentation and other equipment, is next to the dome and accessible through an under-snow arch.

Quiet Sector Seismology (measurement of earthquakes anywhere on Earth) and radio detection experiments take place in the Quiet Sector, where radio emissions and vibrations created by people at the Pole are kept to a minimum. The Quiet Sector is grid-southeast of the dome. Because the Pole is at the spin axis of the Earth, it is uniquely situated to measure global seismography and long-period oscillations of the Earth. There are no earthquakes in the area and very few seismic monitoring sites anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.

Clean Air Sector The Clean Air Sector is located grid-northeast of the dome. The Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) is located within the Clean Air Sector and houses climate research and aeronomy projects. Because winds persistently blow toward the South Pole from this direction, the air has been virtually untouched by biota or pollution for thousands of miles - it is some of the cleanest air on Earth.

Dark Sector The Dark Sector is grid-northwest of the dome. This sector is maintained with minimal interference from extraneous sources of light and other electromagnetic radiation. Microwave, infrared, and high-energy neutrino telescopes are located within the Dark Sector, as are the Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO), which serves as headquarters for many Dark Sector projects, and the Astronomical Submillimeter Telescope/Remote Observatory (AST/RO).

List of projects at South Pole

Original page can be found at http://www.spole.gov/spscience/science.htm

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