The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica

Status: Live

Link to National Science Foundation; Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

South Pole Station for Science
The South Pole station is one of three year-around stations operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The other two United States Antarctic Program stations are McMurdo Station on the Ross Island and Palmer Station on Anvers Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station sits at the Earth's axis on a shifting continental ice sheet several miles thick.

Additional Links and Resources
National Science Foundation - Office of Polar Programs
NSF - Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
NSF - South Pole Station Special Report
NSF in the Antarctic
Significant U.S. Science Discoveries from Antarctica
NSF Awards Database
U.S. Antarctic Program Science Summaries
The Antarctic Sun, Science Section
International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008

For other views of Antarctica, see the McMurdo Station Webcam or the Palmer Station Webcam

The South Pole is a unique research site that supports projects ranging from cosmic observations to seismic and atmospheric studies. The extremely dry, cold air is perfectly suited for observing Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation-the faint light signature left by the Big Bang that brought the universe into being nearly 14 billion years ago. The pattern of these ancient photons reveals the contents and structure of the infant cosmos.

Another large astrophysical project at the pole is IceCube—a one-cubic-kilometer international high-energy neutrino detector being built in the clear ice, 1.25-2.5 kilometers below the South Pole station. IceCube tracks ghostly subatomic particles called neutrinos that were created by exotic deep-space events such as exploding stars.

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, dedicated in January 2008 during the first year of International Polar Year (IPY) , began austral summer operations on October 17, 2011. A pair of Basler BT-67 aircraft landed at the U.S. Antarctic Program's southernmost research base ending approximately eight months of winter isolation. The station will be in summer operating mode until early February 2012.

At an elevation of 2,835 meters (9,300 feet), South Pole has an average monthly temperature in the austral summer of -28°C (-18°F); in the austral winter, the average monthly temperature is -60°C (–76°F).

South Pole Station Webcam
The South Pole Station webcam is mounted on the Atmospheric Research Observatory (ARO) and focuses on different areas of the station in order to allow USAP participants, scientists from around the world, and the general public to view activity and geophysical rarities at the South Pole. The ARO building can be seen in the top left of the aerial photo below. The camera will remain as a permanent fixture to support international scientific efforts.

For information about current research conducted at the South Pole, see the NSF South Pole Research Projects page.

View Station Map

Link to Antarctic Photo Library; South Pole Station Aerial Photo

View Aerial Photo

Link to US Antarctic Program Flight Routes

View USAP Routes

For a comprehensive look at the new station, visit the National Science Foundation's South Pole Station Special Report page.

Web Image Availability
Live webcam image availability of the new Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is based on two conditions: communications availability and the Antarctic seasons.

Communications Availability
Live images of the South Pole are carried to the U.S. via communications satellites. Satellite coverage of South Pole Station is available for roughly 11 hours and 15 minutes each day, during which time live images are sent to this web site. The daily satellite communications window occurs approximately four minutes earlier each day.

To view time frames for the daily satellite communications window, see the South Pole Satellite Visibility web page. To see the date and time the image was taken, click on the View Larger Image link below the image.

Antarctic Seasons
At the South Pole, the sun rises and sets based on seasons rather than days as it does in mid-latitudes; hence the famous polar six months of daylight and six months of darkness. When available light becomes too low for the camera to produce a usable live image on the web page, a static image is inserted in its place. Live images are available from approximately mid-September through mid-April.