Talk:Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

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[edit] Sunrise/sunset

I'm calling bullshit on sunrise and sunset once a year. I live in Alaska, and in Barrow there are only 60-70 days of no sunrise during the winter, around the winter solstice, and 60-70 days of no sunset during the summer, around the summer solstice. So, the time of year when there are "normal" sun cycles are around the equinoxes.

-David N. -Will check back for further discussion. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 198.91.8.12 (talk) 18:01, 25 April 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Cool article

Cool article, thanks contributors! Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 11:23, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)


You're welcome. It is a good article to chill at when in edit wars elsewhere :) Pakaran. 13:51, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)


I changed the main photo for several reasons:

  1. The focus of the previous photograph is the ceremonial pole rather than the station.
  2. The previous photo is already linked from the South Pole page.
  3. I find it to be a bit dreary.

The aerial photograph I replaced it with provides a good overall picture of the South Pole station geography and I think it should definately should be included somewhere in this page. It may not be suitable as a the main photo because the thumbnail is difficult to decipher. Perhaps it could eventually be moved farther into the article and replaced with a picture of the completed new station. JHG 04:32, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Can someone correct the 74 deg celcius error? I'm guessing it was a bit colder than that during 1956/1957. Otherwise a great read, thanks. --Csnewton 16:18, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] ???

"Beginning in the mid 1980s, most seasonal (summer) South Pole personnel have been housed at a cluster of heated retrograde Korean war tents."

Somehow I doubt it is even possible to live in a tent at the south pole, and what is a retrograde tent? I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just that it seems incredible to the reader. This section of the article needs MUCH expanding and explanation IMHO. --Deglr6328 04:43, 22 August 2005 (UTC)

I'm glad you brought up the fact that some portions of this article are unclear/unbelievable. As far as heated tents being feasible living quarters at the Pole, let me assure you I stayed in such tents and they can actually be quite hot :) . Actually, the original explorers stayed in smaller non-heated tents. I've even heard that a few poor winteroverer's have stayed in summer camp. The retrograde term is maybe somewhat obscure-- it just indicates the tents were pulled from some previous useage. I'll get rid of it. As far as believability, do you have any specific suggestions on edits? JHG 08:03, 23 August 2005 (UTC)
Is there any special insulation or heating technique? Do the tent walls flap about in the wind? Is there an airlock type area to enter and exit the tent? These are the questions that I'm asking while trying to visualize living in a tent at the South pole  :) How awesome that you did. Is it mind expanding or just boring after a while? --noösfractal 08:11, 23 August 2005 (UTC)
Haven't lived in a tent on the South Pole (yet), but have some experience living in a tent in cold conditions (-30/-40 deg. C.), and it's fully possible, as long as some precautions are taken. Basically, you want to pack snow up against the tent walls, and to help insulate from the wind (as tents have a tendency to be a bit drafty). In addition, this also helps to insulate against the cold (same principle as with Igloos). bjelleklang 03:22, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
Thanks for the specific suggestions. I hope the edits I just made (as an IP) addressed these thoughts. You got it pretty much on: mind expanding then boring. It also seems to make one feel/act a little weird after a while as people who have stayed there a lot longer than I have would probably attest to. JHG 13:22, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Weather: Highs and lows in the article accurate?

I just visited the link for the weather at the station at the bottom of the article, and it says that the high temperature is going to be 17° F on both this coming Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the articles says that the record high is −13.6° C (7.52° F) and low is −82.8° C (−117° F).

Sunday: Overcast. High: -3° F / -19° C Wind SE 29 mph / 46 km/h
Sunday Night: Overcast. Low: -5° F / -21° C Wind ESE 29 mph / 46 km/h
Monday: Overcast. High: -6° F / -21° C Wind SE 24 mph / 39 km/h
Monday Night: Clear. Low: -5° F / -21° C Wind SE 15 mph / 25 km/h
Tuesday: Partly Cloudy. High: 17° F / -8° C Wind East 24 mph / 39 km/h
Tuesday Night: Partly Cloudy. Low: -4° F / -20° C Wind SSE 22 mph / 36 km/h
Wednesday: Overcast. High: 17° F / -8° C Wind South 33 mph / 54 km/h
Wednesday Night:Overcast. Low: -25° F / -32° C Wind SW 29 mph / 46 km/h
Thursday: Overcast. High: -7° F / -22° C Wind SW 11 mph / 18 km/h

Is the weather site wrong, the article wrong, or are these really higher that previously recorded temperatures (perhaps global warming...)?

Thanks, BCorr|Брайен 02:03, 14 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Station drift

"It currently lies within 100 meters (330 feet) from the Geographic South Pole, and drifts towards the pole at the rate of about 10 meters per year."

Does the station drift towards the pole, or does the pole drift towards the station? If it's the former, does it drift on its own, together with the ice pack, or does the continent drift as a whole?--Itinerant1 22:14, 10 April 2006 (UTC)


Geographic poles do not drift, magnetic ones do. The artificial geographic pole marker (striped barber pole) drifts due to the station being located on an ice cap, which is a huge glacier slowly working its way towards the ocean. Continental drift occurs at a speed much too slow to make a noticeable difference over 50-100 years. Even seismically active locations such as Baja California or Vancouver Island drift at less than 1cm/year. Thewalrus 22:28, 10 April 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Snow accumulation

In the intro, it says "Snow accumulation is about...3 in/yr." Yet under the Elevated Station, it says "In a location that receives 8 inches of snow per year...". Well, which is it? --MPD01605 00:19, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

Modern Marvels episode (see references) says 8 inches. Cburnett 00:32, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
Different again, South Pole says 0.1 inches of precipitation per year (source Weatherbase). Possibly there is an issue here between actual precipitation versus wind-blown accumulation. Ideally this should be clarified in the respective articles.
Well, I just tweaked the wording.

[edit] food supply/agriculture

I feel that the food supply/agriculture must be mentioned. I know that the station has a small hydroponics unit for a start. I've already located the record of the memorandum about the hydroponics unit, and would appreciate someone with better qualifications than I writing about it. --Iamdalto 02:51, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Isolated

The article mentions "isolated". Does that mean isolated from outside world or from each other? --Voidvector 15:43, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Think about it a bit more then. You'll get there :) Gwen Gale 21:48, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Self sufficent?

The article states this: "The station is completely self-sufficient, and powered by three generators running on JP-8 jet fuel."

If they require restocked jet fuel, doesn't that make them not self-sufficient? If they were wind or solar powered you could claim that I'd think, but not if you have to have jet fuel shipped in from somewhere else. --BHC (talk) —Preceding comment was added at 03:38, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

They are self-sufficient only in the winter, when it is impossible to travel to the base. They are resupplied with a lot of stuff every summer. --217.209.46.136 (talk) 20:56, 25 April 2008 (UTC)