SOUTH
POLE METEOROLOGY
The South Pole MET team's primary function is to
provide meteorological support to the various scientific
research projects based at the Amundsen-Scott station.
This consists of collecting and distributing data such as
temperature, wind, and pressure for the surface and upper
levels of the atmosphere. Physical assistance to projects
is also provided whenever needed.
A secondary function is the daily observation of weather
conditions for climatological purposes. There is much to
learn about polar weather and how it affects global
climatology.
During the austral summer season, meteorological support is
provided for flight operations. This consists of hourly
aviation observations and twice daily radiosonde
observations of the troposphere and stratosphere. The
radiosonde flight transmits data on temperature,
relative humidity, pressure and wind speed and direction from
the surface to heights up to 100,000 feet. This data, along
with 6-hourly synoptic observations are passed by high
frequency data transmission to McMurdo Station, who then
transmits it to the World Meteorological Organization's
(WMO) network for dissemination to the rest of the world.
With station closing in late February, the number of radiosonde
flights is reduced to one per day, and surface observations are
reduced to four per day at 6-hourly intervals. This data
continues to be transmitted to the WMO.
The MET team's regular collection of data year-round is
invaluable to the study of climatic change affecting the
earth.
------ MET TEAM 1995 - 1996
-- Senior Meteorologist (Winter-over) - Dan P. Ireland
-- Meteorologist (Winter-over) - Elisabeth Grillo
90 DEGREES SOUTH AN INTRODUCTION
The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is located on a polar
plateau. The station has an annual mean surface temperature
of -57 degrees Fahrenheit, elevation of 9301 feet, and
approximately eight inches of snow accumulation per year.
The vast ice cap of the East Antarctic Plateau, combined
with the lesser ice cap of West Antarctica, contains
roughly 90% of the earth's fresh water. Its snow surface
reflects approximately 80 to 85% of the sunlight falling
upon it, giving it the coldest temperatures on earth.
The seasonal climatic change can be separated into three types
of periods. Summer, which is very short, consists of the
months of December and January. The transitional periods
of fall and spring are February-March and October-November,
respectively. The 6- month winter begins at sunset on
approximately March 21, and ends in sunrise on approximately
September 23. In essence, one year at
the South Pole is one day long, with the highest temperatures
shortly after noon, and the lowest temperatures during the cold
hours before dawn.
The summer season is characterized by light winds, moderate
temperatures and frequent precipitation in the form of ice
crystals or snow grains. Actual snow flakes have very rarely
been observed at the South Pole, due to the extreme cold
temperatures.
The fall transition period is characterized by an increase in
the frequency and intensity of storm systems. Unlike the
northern polar regions. which experience a slow steady
drop in temperature, with minimum temperatures shortly
after mid-winters day and a gradual warming to spring, the
South Pole experiences a so-called coreless winter.
During February and March, the average temperature
drops rapidly to a mean of -54 degrees Fahrenheit at sunset. It
does not cool much more during the 6-month winter. In different
years, the coldest month may be anytime between April and
September. With the return of the sun, the temperature
climbs as rapidly as it fell in the fall.
With the onset of winter, cold air from the Polar Plateau
effectively blocks out all but the major storm systems
circling the continent. Periods of very cold, clear, and
calm weather prevail with frequent light precipitation of
ice crystals and snow grains. One of the most common forms
of weather here are ground blizzards of varying intensities.
The more severe are known as 'white-outs'. These
are strictly wind storms, but due to the fine size and extreme
dryness of the snow, visibility can be reduced to zero in
blowing snow, which can reach heights of up to 500 to 1000
feet.
As the spring transition period progresses after sunrise, the
frequency and intensity of storms diminish in conjunction with
the rapidly rising temperatures. This is the season of
spectacular optical phenomena as ice crystals in the
atmosphere reflect and refract the sunlight into halos,
sundogs, and arcs. --see the top photo
The Antarctic continent has a major influence on the climates
of the southern hemisphere. As the oceans are the earth's heat
reservoir, the South Polar ice cap is a heat sink for the earth.
To better understand the earth's climates in the past, present,
and future, it is imperative that a better understanding of
Antarctic meteorology be pursued at stations such as this.
Included with this page are statistics to aid you in
perceiving the uniqueness of the Antarctic Plateau. Data is
derived from records dating from 1957 through the present.
AMUNDSEN-SCOTT SOUTH POLE STATION
GENERAL INFORMATION
Elevation: 9301 Feet (above sea level)
------ 2835 meters
Dome Height: 50 feet (at center)
------ 15.8 meters
Dome Diameter: 165 feet
------ 50.0 meters
Dome Area: 21,124 square feet
------ 1962.5 square meters
TEMPERATURE
| - 13.6C | - 82.8C | -49.4C |
| + 7.5F | -117.0F | -56.9F |
| (Dec 78) | (Jun 82) | |
WINDS
Peak Wind | Average | Prevailing Wind |
Speed/Direction | Wind Speed | Direction |
| 55 mph/ 060 | 12 mph | 020 degrees |
| 48 knots/ 060 | 10.4 knots | 020 degrees |
| (Aug 89) | | |
PRESSURE
Maximum | Minimum | Average |
| 716.4 millibars | 641.7 millibars | 681.4 millibars |
| (Aug 74) | (Jul 85) | |
PHYSIO - ALTITUDE
Highest | Lowest | Average |
| 12,107 feet | 9284 feet | 10,576 feet |
| 3690 meters | 2830 meters | 3223 meters |
SNOW AND ICE
Annual Average
Snow Accumulation: 8 in 20 cm
------ (3 in melted) (8 cm melted)
Annual Average
Ice Movement: 33 feet per year
------ 10 meters per year
THE FOLLOWING TEMPERATURES ARE IN DEGREES FAHRENHEIT:
Mean Monthly MAXIMUM Temperatures (1957 to present):
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| -15 | -36 | -60 | -64 | -64 | -66 | -69 | -68 | -68 | -55 | -34 | -15 |
Mean Monthly MINIMUM Temperatures (1957 to present):
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| -21 | -45 | -71 | -77 | -79 | -80 | -82 | -82 | -82 | -65 | -40 | -20 |
Extreme MAXIMUM Temperatures (1957 to present):
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| +5.5 | -5.4 | -16.1 | -19.0 | -23.0 | -29.0 | -29.0 | -27.0 | -27.0 | -21.0 | -8.5 | +7.5 |
Extreme MINIMUM Temperatures (1957 to present):
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
| -42 | -74 | -96 | -103 | -109 | -117 | -113 | -112 | -110 | -96 | -67 | -38 |
Written by Dan Ireland
Converted to HTML by William Arens
Note...this page was originally created in 1996 and does not reflect the current South Pole meteorological records. The original link was http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~template/methist.html which is no longer available; the page was recovered from the "Internet Archive (WayBack Machine)" from a 2008 archive.
