McMurdo-South Pole highway
Encyclopedia
The South Pole Traverse, also called the McMurdo – South Pole Highway, is an approximately 900-mile (1450 km) compacted snow road in Antarctica that links the United States
' McMurdo Station
on the coast to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. It was constructed by leveling snow and filling in crevasse
s, but is not paved
; flags mark its route.
and Case Corp.
tractors pulling specialized sleds to deliver fuel and cargo to the South Pole
in about 40 days. The return trip to McMurdo Station, with less fuel and cargo, is substantially shorter. Construction started during the 2002-03 southern summer field season. It was finished in the southern summer of 2005-2006.
The McMurdo Ice Shelf
and the Antarctic Plateau
are relatively stable. Most crevasses occur in the short steep shear zone between them, where the road climbs to more than 2000 meters above sea level. This section of the road needs maintenance each season. The section caused much more construction work than planned, since two ice sheets move against each other there.
to provide a lower cost, potentially more reliable method of supplying the South Pole Station. Bad weather at McMurdo some summers has reduced the total number of supply flights the NSF could make to bring in construction supplies and scientific equipment. In addition, the traverse saves an estimated 40 flights and lowers the carbon footprint over the use of aircraft. After a one-year hiatus, a traverse team re-occupied the trail during the 2007–08 season after extensive work and completed the first operational traverse in 2008–09.
The road also facilitated the movement of heavy equipment needed to implement its proposed South Pole Connectivity Program, a planned optical fiber
link between the South Pole and the French–Italian Concordia Station
located at Dome C
at the edge of the Antarctic Plateau; Concordia has 24-hour access to geosynchronous satellite
s. Such satellites cannot be used at the poles since they are below the horizon; the South Pole now uses a few older, low-bandwidth satellites that dip sufficiently south of the equator to be usable for several hours daily. These satellites are near the end of their life. A new road to McMurdo might provide a regularly maintained alternate route for such a link; however, opinions vary as to the shear zone section's suitability for a long-term cable. It's also possible the NSF may choose to deploy several special purpose satellites in polar orbit
s.
A February 7, 2006 NSF press release stated that 110 tons (99,790 kg) of cargo had been successfully delivered overland to the South Pole Station in a "proof of concept" of the highway.
|-
!scope=col|Region
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|Mile
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|East Antarctica
|Antarctic Plateau
|0
|Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station
|Southern terminus
|-
|West Antarctica
|Ross Ice Shelf
|900
|McMurdo Station
|Northern terminus
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station is a U.S. Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National...
on the coast to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. It was constructed by leveling snow and filling in crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
s, but is not paved
Pavement (material)
Road surface or pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past cobblestones and granite setts were extensively used, but these surfaces have mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete. Such...
; flags mark its route.
Route description
After four years of development, the trail is now operational, with CaterpillarCaterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
and Case Corp.
Case Corporation
Case Corporation was a manufacturer of construction and agricultural equipment. In 1999 it merged with New Holland to form CNH Global, a Fiat Group division...
tractors pulling specialized sleds to deliver fuel and cargo to the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
in about 40 days. The return trip to McMurdo Station, with less fuel and cargo, is substantially shorter. Construction started during the 2002-03 southern summer field season. It was finished in the southern summer of 2005-2006.
The McMurdo Ice Shelf
McMurdo Ice Shelf
McMurdo Ice Shelf is the portion of the Ross Ice Shelf bounded by McMurdo Sound and Ross Island on the north and Minna Bluff on the south. Studies show this feature has characteristics quite distinct from the Ross Ice Shelf and merits individual naming. A.J...
and the Antarctic Plateau
Antarctic Plateau
The Antarctic Plateau is a large area of Central Antarctica, which extends over a diameter of about , and which includes the region of the South Pole and the Amundsen-Scott Station...
are relatively stable. Most crevasses occur in the short steep shear zone between them, where the road climbs to more than 2000 meters above sea level. This section of the road needs maintenance each season. The section caused much more construction work than planned, since two ice sheets move against each other there.
History
The project was funded by the United States National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
to provide a lower cost, potentially more reliable method of supplying the South Pole Station. Bad weather at McMurdo some summers has reduced the total number of supply flights the NSF could make to bring in construction supplies and scientific equipment. In addition, the traverse saves an estimated 40 flights and lowers the carbon footprint over the use of aircraft. After a one-year hiatus, a traverse team re-occupied the trail during the 2007–08 season after extensive work and completed the first operational traverse in 2008–09.
The road also facilitated the movement of heavy equipment needed to implement its proposed South Pole Connectivity Program, a planned optical fiber
Optical fiber
An optical fiber is a flexible, transparent fiber made of a pure glass not much wider than a human hair. It functions as a waveguide, or "light pipe", to transmit light between the two ends of the fiber. The field of applied science and engineering concerned with the design and application of...
link between the South Pole and the French–Italian Concordia Station
Concordia Station
Concordia Research Station, which opened in 2005, is a research facility that was built 3,233 m above sea level at a location called Dome C on the Antarctic Plateau, Antarctica...
located at Dome C
Dome C
Dome C, also known as Dome Circe or Dome Charlie, located at Antarctica at an altitude of 3,233 m or 10,607 ft above sea level, is one of several summits or "domes" of the Antarctic Ice Sheet...
at the edge of the Antarctic Plateau; Concordia has 24-hour access to geosynchronous satellite
Geosynchronous satellite
A geosynchronous Satellite is a satellite whose orbit on the Earth repeats regularly over points on the Earth over time. If such a satellite's orbit lies over the equator, the orbit is circular and its angular velocity is the same as the earth's, then it is called a geostationary satellite...
s. Such satellites cannot be used at the poles since they are below the horizon; the South Pole now uses a few older, low-bandwidth satellites that dip sufficiently south of the equator to be usable for several hours daily. These satellites are near the end of their life. A new road to McMurdo might provide a regularly maintained alternate route for such a link; however, opinions vary as to the shear zone section's suitability for a long-term cable. It's also possible the NSF may choose to deploy several special purpose satellites in polar orbit
Polar orbit
A polar orbit is an orbit in which a satellite passes above or nearly above both poles of the body being orbited on each revolution. It therefore has an inclination of 90 degrees to the equator...
s.
A February 7, 2006 NSF press release stated that 110 tons (99,790 kg) of cargo had been successfully delivered overland to the South Pole Station in a "proof of concept" of the highway.
Major intersections
{| class="wikitable"|-
!scope=col|Region
!scope=col|Location
!scope=col|Mile
!scope=col|Destinations
!scope=col|Notes
|-
|East Antarctica
East Antarctica
East Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, constitutes the majority of the Antarctic continent, lying on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains...
|Antarctic Plateau
Antarctic Plateau
The Antarctic Plateau is a large area of Central Antarctica, which extends over a diameter of about , and which includes the region of the South Pole and the Amundsen-Scott Station...
|0
|Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station
|Southern terminus
|-
|West Antarctica
West Antarctica
West Antarctica, or Lesser Antarctica, one of the two major regions of Antarctica, is the part of the continent that lies within the Western Hemisphere including the Antarctic Peninsula.-Location and description:...
|Ross Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...
|900
|McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station
McMurdo Station is a U.S. Antarctic research center located on the southern tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National...
|Northern terminus
Further reading
- USA's Science-Driven "Ice Highway" Hitting Rough Sledding in Antarctica Online Insider, December 13, 2004
- No, not a ski resort - it's the south pole Guardian (UK), January 24, 2003
- NSF FY 2007 Budget Request to Congress -- see pages 197 to 203 for a discussion of the proposed highway
- NSF 2005 Facility Plan -- see page 53 for a brief overview of fiber vs. satellite links
- Diagram of route with timeline of progress made to date
- Tractor caravan supplies South Pole scientists; robotic replacements considered Washington Post, February 8, 2011
- Robotic Traverse