South Pole Summer Camp Helps Combat Winter Blues
Construction on the Amundson-Scott elevated station began in 1998 and was completed in 2008. SOUTH POLE JOURNALRefael Klein blogs about his year working and living at the South Pole. Read his earlier posts here. During the height of construction, the summer population at the South Pole ballooned to over 250 people. To accommodate the overflow in personnel, plastic, […]
Stranded Until Spring: Last Flight Leaves South Pole Before Winter Hits
It’s the season of long shadows. The ice cap is a maze of dark and light. The smallest protrusions of snow create as much shade as a beach umbrella at high noon. As I walk to work, I’m accompanied by a 20-foot projection of myself. It marches silently through a windswept landscape, numb to the […]
South Pole Diary: In Giant Parkas, Rank Is Less Apparent
Supporting world-class, meaningful scientific research in a unique landscape makes working at the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) one of the most enjoyable positions I’ve held in the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps. SOUTH POLE JOURNALRefael Klein blogs about his year working and living at the South Pole. You can read his earlier posts here. The data collected by […]
Taking a Hike on a ‘Balmy’ Day in Antarctica
McMurdo Station sits on the farthest reach of the Hut Point Peninsula on the southern side of Ross Island. It is located 850 miles from the South Pole, sits more or less at sea level, and has abundant wildlife — at least during the summer months. SOUTH POLE JOURNAL Refael Klein blogs about his year […]
South Pole Diary: When Winter Comes, There’s No Escape
SOUTH POLE JOURNAL Refael Klein blogs about his year working and living at the South Pole. Read his earlier posts here. In three weeks, Amundson-Scott station will close to flight operations. There will be no more planes in or out and, for those who have chosen to winter over, the South Pole will be their […]
Runners Attempt 26-mile South Pole Marathon in Sub-Zero Temperatures
It’s Christmas day 2010. Fifty runners gather at the geographic South Pole to participate in the Race Around the World, a 2.2 mile (3.5 kilometer) “fun run”. The event is largely a casual affair. Many participants are in holiday-themed costumes and a few are riding in sleds pulled by snowmobiles. No one cares about how […]
Antarctic Dinosaur Hunt; 60 Days in Bed For Science; Noise May Disturb Sea Floor Ecosystem
Did Some of Today’s Species Get Their Start in Antarctica? We know Antarctica is the land of snow and ice and is the coldest place on Earth. But believe it or not, this polar continent, was once quite warm, due to the different, earlier atmosphere. Antarctica was covered with lush vegetation and teeming with a […]
What Happens to Decades of Human Junk at the South Pole
The United States has had a permanent presence at the South Pole since 1959. SOUTH POLE JOURNALRefael Klein blogs about his year working and living at the South Pole. Read his earlier posts here. Like anyone who has lived in the same spot for the better half of a century, the Antarctic Program at Amundson-Scott […]
On Balmy, Below-Zero Day at South Pole, There’s Work to Do
After a month at the South Pole, you begin to adapt to the frigid conditions. Your body becomes more efficient at generating heat and your metabolism shifts into overdrive — every calorie you consume is burned. As your tolerance of the polar environment changes, so do your perceptions of warm and cold. My first week […]
Working at the South Pole…Not Your Average Day at the Office
I live in the western wing on the first floor of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station. SOUTH POLE JOURNALRefael Klein blogs about his year working and living at the South Pole. Read his earlier posts here. My room is small — perhaps 3 meters by 3 meters (9 feet by 9 feet) — with […]