Although the South Pole is essentially a desert (wait, what?), a hefty accumulation of snow occurs on and around the buildings there each winter. How is that? Well, it’s the wind. Antarctica is a windy place—even with so little precipitation, it features some extraordinary blizzards thanks to strong winds. And although the coastal areas have it worse with their katabatics, the Pole gets its fair share of snow drifts and build-up. The amount of snow piled up on the stairs and fixtures outside the IceCube Lab in these images can attest to that. Let the shoveling begin! The collection of small structures that serves as the airport appears to be fairly cleared out, ready for the upcoming arrival of the first planes of the season.
