The Station

CHAPTER 8

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station was a long time in the coming.  Since the 1950s, there have been three stations- The Old Station, the Dome, and now the Elevated Station.  The first two met their demise under dozens of feet of snow.  It rarely if ever snows here, but the relentlessly blowing wind causes snow drifts to build up on any obstruction, especially on man-made buildings, soon overtaking the structure unless drastic snow-plowing operations are continually undertaken.

The Old Station was completely covered by snow leaving no visible trace on the surface and they actually went down and blew it up for safety reasons just a few years ago.  Likewise, the Dome, as iconic as it was, had its own safety issues due to the steadily smothering snow, so they decided to deconstruct it while it was still somewhat above ground level. 

That leaves us with the Elevated Station.  The building was constructed in 2008 on top of large columns that are anchored to the ice, elevating it about 20 ft above the surface of the ground.  The idea here is that the snow will blow right under the building and not build up on its side, thus saving it from the fate of the previous two stations.  Unfortunately, I have my doubts about the design.  As far as I can tell, though the station is clear of build up underneath (maybe due to the design, but I would say in large part because they plow the snow out), the snow has accumulated on the windward side of the building almost 15ft since its construction.  And we are not talking about a mere snow drift- apparently the accumulation of snow stretches out like a plateau for more than two miles up wind of the whole station area.  I imagine it has something to do with the aerodynamics of the structure causing the wind to change speed as it approaches making it drop its snowy load, regardless if the building is actually sitting on the ground or up in the air.  I am certainly not an expert in this field, but just looking at the massive plateau of snow that has formed in front of the station it is pretty clear that they are going to have to think of something else.

Luckily they have.  In the event that the snow does rise to the height of the station, extensions can be added to the columns which support the building, and the whole station is designed so that it can be jacked up another 20ft or so.  While the station continues to be above ground, it is actually a very cozy and homey place to live and work.   The building is two stories, and on each level has a long main hallway with wings branching off about every 100ft- it is shaped like a big ‘E’ but with four arms instead of three.  Three of the wings are divided up into living quarters for a total of about 150 people, and the fourth wing contains a big gymnasium and a workout room. 

The backbone of the E is where all the life of the station takes place.  There is the galley and kitchen, the computer lab, science labs, maintenance rooms, conference rooms, offices for management, the laundry room, a greenhouse, lounges, a library, an arts and crafts room, a store, a post office, and even a sauna.   The galley is the heart of the building.  It’s the biggest room besides the gym, and as such is used for parties, presentations and lectures, big meetings, and movie nights, besides serving four meals a day for 250 people.  Most of the work done here at the Pole takes place outside of the station at the surrounding maintenance facilities, or outlying science buildings- but everyone must eat, so the galley is the hub of daily life and the only place where you are guaranteed to find someone at all hours.

Chatting over a cup of tea in the galley, or reading a book in the lounge you can almost forget that you are in Antarctica, but all you need to do to remind yourself is take a glance out the window and see the ceremonial South Pole surrounded by flags, and beyond that an endless plane of white nothingness.