Week 37 at the Pole

station sign
NSF/B. Kuo Tiong

There is little to no snowfall at the South Pole—it’s basically a desert. But there is a lot of snow on the ground. High winds carry the snow that does come down all over the place, leaving drifts that can bury equipment or even buildings. In fact, the former South Pole station was a dome whose entrance had to be regularly bulldozed to uncover it. Newer buildings are raised on stilts to accommodate high levels of accumulating snow. The impending sunrise has really been brightening up this snowy desert lately.

sunrise
NSF/B. Kuo Tiong