South Pole Station

EarthScope operates a GPS base station at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica, in support of National Science Foundation sponsored research. The base station can be used in post-processed static and kinematic surveys, and can provide centimeter-level precision over a wide area surrounding the station when used in conjunction with geodetic quality roving GPS receivers. The base station does not broadcast differential corrections and is not compatible with hand-held GPS navigation receivers.

Equipment Available

A geodetic quality, dual-frequency base station is available at South Pole Station for use in GPS surveys by scientists and others operating in the local area. When used with geodetic quality roving systems, centimeter-level accuracy can be realized over 100 kilometers away from the station by collecting and post-processing data.

Base station data (low-rate) for AMU2 are available via the NSF GAGE archive. During the austral summer season high-rate data files are downloaded and archived, however in general the higher sample rate data are recorded on the receiver only and are not archived. Due to the limited storage space for high-rate data on the receiver, any group requiring high-rate GPS data from this station should make a formal request as soon as possible.

The following GPS equipment is available for use at South Pole:

Trimble NetR8 Base Station
A geodetic GPS base station is available for use in post-processed surveys.

Roving Systems
We can provide geodetic quality GPS roving receivers, such as the Trimble R7, for use in surveying and positioning tasks in the South Pole area. Roving equipment is not permanently assigned to the station and must be requested in advance of the field season. All ancillary equipment such as power systems, enclosures, survey controllers, and cabling is also available.

Support

Technical assistance to GPS system users is provided by EarthScope. Users who intend to use the system for a significant amount of field surveying are strongly encouraged to arrange for training prior to their field season. We maintain a presence at McMurdo Station throughout the summer field season, and email/telephone support is available. Field Engineer support may be available for projects with a significant GPS surveying component. Upon completion of individual projects, GPS data and meta-data archival is also available to Principal Investigators for permanent safeguarding.