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- <header>
- <h1>South Pole Topography</h1>
- </header>
- <nav>
- <p class="center">
- <a href="/david/" title="Aller à l’accueil"><svg class="icon icon-home">
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- <hr>
- <p>South Pole Station sits on the polar plateau, a mostly-featureless expanse of snow and ice,
- several miles thick, extending as far as the eye can see in all directions. Onto this stark, barren landscape,
- we’ve established a series of stations throughout the decades.</p>
- <p>They’ve varied in size, style, complexity, comfort, and prestige. From Old Pole, to the Dome, to the modern
- Elevated Station, the United States has maintained some type of presence at the South Pole continuously for
- a long time.</p>
- <p>One thing all these stations have in common? Nature is constantly trying to bury them! And it’s succeeding.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/extended-ventilation-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/extended-ventilation-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/extended-ventilation-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/extended-ventilation-01-small.jpg" alt="Extended Ventilation 01">
- </picture>
- <em>That's not a shack on the surface -- that's an extended ventilation shaft, connecting
- to *an entire building* which is now buried under the snow.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>I’ll include the obligatory preface here. I am an IT worker. My skills and knowledge are in computers, not snowdrift
- modeling. I have suddenly found myself in a strange, unfamiliar place, beyond my comprehension. This place is full
- of wonderful new infrastructure and infrastructure-adjacent features.</p>
- <p>I have also, to my surprise, stumbled my way into running a somewhat popular Antarctica blog.</p>
- <p>Everything I say here is based on me just walking around, photographing things, and making some (hopefully!) safe
- inferences about how this place works. There are professionals, both here and elsewhere, who devote their <strong>entire
- careers</strong> to modeling and compensating for snowdrift! Listen to them, not me, if you want to learn more about this
- stuff. I am far outside my element here.</p>
- <p>Now without further ado – here’s some observations on the topography of South Pole Station.</p>
- <p>Since every direction is technically “North” from here, we use a grid overlay, to bring some semblance of order
- to our surroundings. The prevailing winds here come from “Grid North”. They first encounter the “front” of the
- Elevated Station, then pass around / under it into the Operations Sector (“backyard”), where we have most of our
- logistics (storage, outbuildings, etc).</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/station-front-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/station-front-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/station-front-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/station-front-01-small.jpg" alt="Station Front 01">
- </picture>
- <em>The "front" of the Elevated Station. Winds blow from this direction, toward the station.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>Windblown snow is carried toward the station. Some is deposited on the front side, some passes under or around.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/transition-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/transition-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/transition-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/transition-01-small.jpg" alt="Transition 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Around the side of the station, showing the transition in snow elevation from front to back.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>The Elevated Station itself acts as a bit of a snow barrier – it’s designed to avoid any major drifting/accumulation,
- but there’s still a stark difference in elevation between the front and back.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/ground-level-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/ground-level-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/ground-level-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/ground-level-01-small.jpg" alt="Ground Level 01">
- </picture>
- <em>View from what was once "ground level", now situated below several feet of snow.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-01-small.jpg" alt="Elevated Station 01">
- </picture>
- <em>View from under the station, showing the extent of the current snow elevation difference.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-02.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-02-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-02-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-02-small.jpg" alt="Elevated Station 02">
- </picture>
- <em>Another view from under the station.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-03.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-03-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-03-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-station-03-small.jpg" alt="Elevated Station 03">
- </picture>
- <em>One last view from under the station, looking toward the operations sector / backyard.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>The station was once significantly <em>more</em> elevated than it currently is. The snow is creeping up! This is apparent
- when you look at the stairwells down to “ground” level. The bottom of the stairwells are completely buried.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-01-small.jpg" alt="Buried Stairs 01">
- </picture>
- <em>A set of buried stairs, on the backside of the A1 berthing pod of the Elevated Station.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-02.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-02-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-02-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-stairs-02-small.jpg" alt="Buried Stairs 02">
- </picture>
- <em>Buried stairs at Destination Alpha, the main entrance to the Elevated Station.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>Part of the elevation difference between the front and the back is just the result of wind-blown snow
- interacting with the building.</p>
- <p>However, in addition, a great deal of work is done to keep the backyard relatively flat / level.
- This prolongs its life at a given elevation, before we have to do all the hard work of lifting things up.
- We move <strong>tons</strong> of snow! It’s nearly a full-time job.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/snow-hauler-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/snow-hauler-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/snow-hauler-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/snow-hauler-01-small.jpg" alt="Snow Hauler 01">
- </picture>
- <em>A snow hauler, for moving huge quantities of snow in order to keep the backyard flat.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/end-of-the-world-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/end-of-the-world-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/end-of-the-world-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/end-of-the-world-01-small.jpg" alt="End of the World 01">
- </picture>
- <em>The "End of the World", far out beyond all our storage and outbuildings in the backyard,
- where we pile up snow removed from the backyard/operations area.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/groomed-road-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/groomed-road-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/groomed-road-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/groomed-road-01-small.jpg" alt="Groomed Road 01">
- </picture>
- <em>A mostly-flat, groomed road in the operations sector, with some snow piles visible in the distance.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>However, even in the operations sector, it’s still apparent that we’ve had significant snow accumulation
- over the decades.</p>
- <p>Most notable is the Arches. The Arches are a series of metal semi-circle storage/work facilities, built decades ago,
- well before the current modern Elevated Station. These are still in active use today! They house our power plant,
- water plant, primary cold/warm storage, fuel storage, carpenter shop, and vehicle maintenance facility.</p>
- <p>They are also <strong>completely buried</strong> under decades of accumulated snow! We can walk right over them, and if it weren’t
- for the ventilation shafts and miscellaneous other utilities, we’d be none the wiser.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-01-small.jpg" alt="Arches 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Entrance to the arches, showing snow completely covering them.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-02.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-02-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-02-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/arches-02-small.jpg" alt="Arches 02">
- </picture>
- <em>Another view of the entrance to the arches. This shows the graceful ramp we had to build so vehicles can
- still get in and out, considering the entrance is now far below "ground" level.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>The power plant has also been here for decades. It’s been refurbished and overhauled over the years, but the building
- has been here for quite a long time. It’s now completely buried! All that is visible are the exhaust vents.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/power-plant-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/power-plant-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/power-plant-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/power-plant-01-small.jpg" alt="Power Plant 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Exhaust vents from the now-buried power plant.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>Getting down from the Elevated Station to the Arches means descending about 50ft. We’ve built a vertical
- tower with an enclosed staircase for this purpose. Only about half of it is visible here! The rest is underground.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/vertical-tower-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/vertical-tower-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/vertical-tower-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/vertical-tower-01-small.jpg" alt="Vertical Tower 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Vertical tower connecting the Elevated Station to the now-buried Arches.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>Less stark but still telling, there are a number of buried infrastructure elements in the backyard.</p>
- <p>Here’s the access hatch to a buried infrastructure vault. Significant work goes into “digging out” things that have
- become buried, so they are still accessible. At some point, however, the snowcover becomes too much, and the hatch
- needs to be extended up to the current ground level.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-infrastructure-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-infrastructure-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-infrastructure-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-infrastructure-01-small.jpg" alt="Buried Infrastructure 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Entrance to a deeply-buried infrastructure vault.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>There are examples all over station of extended hatches and
- ladders, to reach infrastructure that keeps getting buried deeper below ground level.</p>
- <p>Here’s a work in progress at a location a bit farther out from station. A team has dug out a buried access hatch,
- and soon an extension will be added so that it sits at the new ground level. The infrastructure underground doesn’t
- change, but the access hatch requires constant maintenance.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-access-hatch-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-access-hatch-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-access-hatch-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/buried-access-hatch-01-small.jpg" alt="Buried Access Hatch 01">
- </picture>
- <em>An access hatch to an underground infrastructure vault, soon to be extended up to ground level.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>In the backyard, there are a number of strategies to deal with the accumulation of snow.</p>
- <p>Some buildings are built right at ground level. These will get slowly buried, unless work is done to engineer the
- snow around them. You can engineer away several feet of snow accumulation, and still make a building seem at “ground”
- level, just by introducing a gentle downward slope toward a building from the prevailing ground level.</p>
- <p>Here’s a few buildings that are not elevated. Yes, they collect snowdrifts. And yes, they’ll eventually have to be
- moved! But for now, the herculean effort to grade and engineer the topography of the backyard means they are still
- accessible at “ground” level.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-02.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-02-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-02-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-02-small.jpg" alt="Outbuildings 02">
- </picture>
- <em>A ground-level outbuilding, still accessible due to careful management of the surrounding topography.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuildings-01-small.jpg" alt="Outbuildings 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Another ground-level outbuilding. Note the snowdrifts!</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>Speaking of snowdrifts, they are relentless! They will pile up against anything facing the wind. Here’s one
- ground-level outbuilding with some drifts up against it:</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuilding-snow-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuilding-snow-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuilding-snow-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/outbuilding-snow-01-small.jpg" alt="Outbuilding Snow 01">
- </picture>
- <em>An outbuilding with fresh, un-shoveled snowdrifts against it.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>There is also a lot of ground-level storage. Here’s a typical storage aisle:</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/storage-aisle-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/storage-aisle-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/storage-aisle-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/storage-aisle-01-small.jpg" alt="Storage Aisle 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Storage aisle. Note the relentless drifting snow! Also visible is a temporary pile of snow, plowed out of the
- way so this storage can be accessed.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>Other buildings are designed to be resilient to some amount of snow accumulation. Just like the main Elevated Station,
- here’s a building that is elevated above ground, so it can more gracefully tolerate a shift in
- ground level.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-outbuilding-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-outbuilding-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-outbuilding-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-outbuilding-01-small.jpg" alt="Elevated Outbuilding 01">
- </picture>
- <em>An outbuilding in our RF sector, housing information technology equipment. Elevated above ground,
- so we can tolerate shifts in snow cover without compromising access to the building.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>We also make use of elevated storage! Here’s a series of elevated storage platforms. This is more complex and
- more expensive than just putting stuff on the ground, but it means we’ll be able to access it for years to come
- without having to dig it out.</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-storage-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-storage-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-storage-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/elevated-storage-01-small.jpg" alt="Elevated Storage 01">
- </picture>
- <em>Elevated storage. This is a common tactic for long-term storage, to avoid stuff getting buried.</em>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>On a lighter note, one benefit of our massive snow hauling operation is that we can occasionally indulge in a bit of
- fun. Here’s the South Pole Sledding Hill, lovingly maintained by station staff. There’s plenty of snow to go around!</p>
- <p>
- <a href="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/sledding-hill-01.jpg">
- <picture>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/sledding-hill-01-small.webp" type="image/webp"></source>
- <source srcset="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/sledding-hill-01-small.jpg" type="image/jpg"></source>
- <img src="https://brr.fyi/media/south-pole-topography/sledding-hill-01-small.jpg" alt="Sledding Hill 01">
- </picture>
- </a>
- </p>
- <p>It’s neat to see the layered history of the South Pole. You can
- roughly gauge the age of infrastructure by how deeply buried it is!</p>
- <p>Walking from the Elevated Station down to the
- Arches is a fun journey into the past.</p>
- <p>Climbing down an access hatch, extended multiple times to keep up with
- the relentless snow, is a good day-to-day reminder of the forces of nature at work here.</p>
- <p>I hope others find this as interesting as I do.</p>
- <p>Until next time!</p>
- </article>
-
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