Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station

The Amundsen -Scott South Pole Station is a U.S. research station in Antarctica. It was named after the two pioneers of the South Pole Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott and is located in 2835 meters altitude on the ice, a few hundred meters from the geographic South Pole. It was founded in 1956 for the International Geophysical Year and expanded over the course of time.

• 5.1 General
• 5.2 experiments

History

The first camp on the South Pole Amundsen was Polheim. The first station was founded only 45 years later and was from 1957 to 1975 ( Old Pole). Built in 1975, newer main building was under a geodesic dome with a diameter of 50 meters and a height of 16 meters. In the Antarctic summer of 2005 /06 a new station was completed after 15 years of planning, development and construction for 150 million U.S. dollars. Particular requirements for the new building were caused by the extreme temperatures, heavy snow drifts and extreme dryness. After the completion of the new station, the old dome was completely degraded in the Antarctic summer of 2009 /2010.

A 26,000 km ² area around the station since 2007 as Specially Managed Area Antarctic No. 5 ( Antarctic Specially Managed Area No.. 5 ) are reported under the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. The administration should ensure the coordination of all human activities that the scientific, ecological and historical values ​​of the area are maintained in the long term.

Research content

In the station research in the field of glaciology, geophysics, meteorology, astronomy, and astrophysics are operated. Among other things, there is the neutrino observatory IceCube, which builds on its predecessor, AMANDA experiment. In both experiments, German universities and institutes are involved. In addition, here the Background Imaging of Cosmic Extragalactic Polarization ( BICEP ) and Keck Array is operated to observe the CMB.

Life on the ward

The annual average temperature is minus 49 degrees Celsius, with variations between minus 13 and minus 82 degrees Celsius. Some 130 researchers are working during the Antarctic summer in the station while last about 50 wintered in the station. This makes the station the second largest Antarctic station of McMurdo Station. The station is supplied with aircraft type Lockheed C -130 Hercules, which can only take off and land from October to February, however, and Pole by tractor transports over the South Traverse. With six winters, the two German scientists Steffen Richter and Robert Black, the current record holder for most winters at the Amundsen -Scott station. At the station there is a greenhouse, in which the researchers grow up to 27 kg plant food weekly.

Pictures

New station and geographical South Pole

Details of the new station in January 2007

Ceremonial South Pole, in the background the old station in 1999

The station with an auroral

Details to the old station

The old South Pole Station in February 2007

Building remains under the dome in January 2007

Camp under the dome in January 2007