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~ ~ ~ ~ ANTARCTIC ICE ~ ~ ~ ~
Welcome to Australis Point
Welcome to the official World Wide Web home page of Australis Point Research Station, operated by the Antarctic Sciences Consortium (ASC). Australis Point is located at 78°14'S, 163°41'E on the Ross Ice Shelf, approximately 340 km from McMurdo Station.
Our station supports year-round research in glaciology, atmospheric science, and seismology. During the winter season (March–October), a skeleton crew of six researchers maintains continuous observation in one of the most remote inhabited locations on Earth.
What's New:
Last updated: January 14, 1998
Best viewed with Netscape Navigator 3.0 at 800×600 resolution
You are visitor number: 001,247
Questions? Contact the webmaster: webmaster@australispoint.ac.nz
About Australis Point
History
Australis Point Research Station was established in 1991 by the Antarctic Sciences Consortium, a joint initiative between the University of Canterbury (NZ), the British Antarctic Survey, and the Norwegian Polar Institute.
The facility was designed for year-round occupation by a crew of six to eight researchers. During the winter season, the station is fully isolated; the nearest staffed facility is McMurdo Station, 340 km distant, and weather conditions preclude surface travel or air support for approximately seven months of the year.
Station Facilities
| Facility | Description |
|---|
| Main Building | Two-storey insulated structure. Ground floor: laboratory, comms room, kitchen/common area, storage. Upper floor: six private berths, washroom, medical bay. |
| Generator Building | Separate structure, 15m from main building. Twin Caterpillar 3306B diesel generators. Fuel storage: 18,000L capacity. |
| Instrument Array | Weather station (Campbell Scientific), broadband seismometer (Streckeisen STS-2), ice penetrating radar, GPS reference station. |
| Relay Station | Auxiliary communications relay, 12 km NNE on elevated ice rise. Antenna mast and solar/battery power. |
Communications
- Primary: INMARSAT-C satellite terminal providing voice, fax, and low-bandwidth data.
- Backup: HF radio transceiver (Kenwood TS-850S) with data modem. The HF terminal can receive remote queries using a predefined command protocol.
Note: The HF backup terminal is accessible via the Remote Instrument Access page.
Research Programs
Australis Point supports three primary research programs. Instruments transmit data to on-site Campbell CR10X dataloggers, queryable via the HF terminal.
1. Glaciology & Ice Dynamics
PI: Dr. R. Ellison (Univ. of Canterbury) — Ice shelf stability, basal melt rates, ice flow dynamics.
Terminal command: ICECORE
2. Atmospheric Sciences
PI: Dr. H. Okafor (British Antarctic Survey) — Meteorology, ozone, aerosol monitoring.
Terminal commands: WEATHER, ATMOS
3. Seismology
PI: Dr. K. Marchetti (Norwegian Polar Institute) — Ice-quake activity and tectonic seismicity.
Terminal command: SEISMIC
Type HELP in the terminal for all available commands.
The 1997–98 Winter Crew
Six researchers are spending the 1997 winter season at Australis Point.
Photographs taken February 1997
Dr. Robin EllisonGlaciologist • Station Leader • University of Canterbury, NZ
Third Antarctic season. Principal investigator for the ice dynamics program. "The ice remembers things that people forget. Every core we pull is a conversation with the past." Enjoys cross-country skiing and classical music. Brought 40 cassettes for the winter.
Dr. Kira MarchettiSeismologist • Norwegian Polar Institute
Second winter. Runs the seismic monitoring program. Known for making decisions quickly and well under pressure. "If the ice is talking, I want to be the one listening."
Dr. Henry OkaforAtmospheric Scientist • British Antarctic Survey
Fourth winter — the most experienced member of the team. Unofficial morale officer. His cooking is legendary at three different Antarctic stations. "You can survive anything if you eat well."
Jan KowalskiElectronics Engineer • Communications Specialist
First winter. Responsible for all station electronics and the datalogger network. Built the remote access interface for the HF terminal. "Everything down here runs on solder and optimism."
Dr. Lisa ChenGlaciologist • Field Specialist
Second season. Works with Dr. Ellison on ice core extraction and GPR surveys. Quiet, methodical, unflappable. "The ice doesn't care about your schedule."
Tom BriggsMechanical Engineer • Station Maintenance
First winter. Keeps the generators running, the plumbing functional, and the building standing. Former Royal Navy mechanic. "If it's broken, I can fix it. If it's not broken, give it a week."
"TEAM 12 -- THE FROZEN CHOSEN"
Australis Point, Feb 1997
Current Conditions at Australis Point
Live instrument data via HF automated telemetry. Readings update every 15 minutes when active.
AUSTRALIS POINT AUTOMATED WEATHER STATION
LAST UPDATE: 1997-06-14 08:15:00 UTC
AIR TEMPERATURE: -58.2 °C
WIND SPEED: 74 km/h
WIND DIRECTION: SSE (162°)
PRESSURE: 981.4 hPa
VISIBILITY: <50m
CONDITION: SEVERE BLIZZARD
SAT UPLINK: OFFLINE (SINCE 1997-05-26)
HF TELEMETRY: INTERMITTENT
Note: The satellite uplink has been offline since May 26, 1997. Data shown reflects the last successfully received transmission.
Station Log
Updates from the Australis Point crew. Newest entries first.
June 14, 1997
HF telemetry readings from relay station antenna showing degradation. Team consensus: four personnel to relay station for manual inspection and reset. Ellison to remain at main station to monitor instruments and maintain comms watch. Team departing 0800, expected return by 2200.
— K. Marchetti
June 13, 1997
Storm system incoming from SSE. Winds expected to increase significantly. All outdoor equipment secured.
— J. Kowalski
June 10, 1997
Midwinter approaching. Morale is good. Okafor made lamb curry from the frozen stores — best meal of the season by unanimous vote. Chen and Ellison pulled cores from site B-4, good quality ice down to 80m. The sun set for the last time three weeks ago. We won't see it again until August.
— R. Ellison
May 28, 1997
Satellite antenna took damage in last night's storm. Mounting bracket cracked, no replacement part on-site. All external communication now via HF backup. McMurdo notified.
— R. Ellison
May 15, 1997
Seismometer picked up a swarm of small ice-quakes to the south. Marchetti is keeping a close eye on it. Temperature hit -52°C today.
— H. Okafor
April 22, 1997
Last flight of the season departed today. We watched the DHC-6 until it disappeared. That's it — six of us until November. Kowalski said "well, that's that then" and went back inside. He's right. That's that.
— R. Ellison
March 8, 1997
Kowalski has the remote access terminal working — anyone with web access can now ping our dataloggers directly. He's very pleased with himself.
— R. Ellison
February 12, 1997
Full winter crew has arrived. Introductions made, rooms assigned, orientation complete.
— K. Marchetti
✍ Guestbook
Leave a message for the Australis Point crew!
⚠ The guestbook submission form is temporarily unavailable due to the satellite uplink outage. ⚠
S. Kessler — July 2, 1997
I hope someone reads this. I hope you're still checking. Please be ok.
Margaret Ellison — June 20, 1997
Robin, we haven't heard from you in a while. I'm sure it's just the equipment. Call when you can. We love you. Mum
D. Morrison, McMurdo Stn — June 1, 1997
Tried raising you on HF this morning, no joy. Give us a buzz when you get a chance.
Prof. J. Andersen, UoC — May 30, 1997
Robin — your last ice core data batch was excellent. Stay warm down there.
Katie M., Year 10, Christchurch Girls' High — April 14, 1997
Hi! I'm doing a school project on Antarctic research stations! What's it like in winter? Do you see penguins? :-)
F. Nakamura, Dome Fuji Stn — March 28, 1997
Greetings from Dome Fuji! -61C here today. I see your weather station and raise you ten degrees. ;)
Sarah Kowalski — March 15, 1997
Jan, your niece took her first steps yesterday!! I got it on video. We miss you. Love, Sarah
R. Ellison — March 10, 1997
Just testing the guestbook from this end. Kowalski says it works. Kowalski is pleased with himself. Hello to anyone reading this.