Introducing Mystery Class #2 South Pole, Antarctica (90.000 S, 172.600 E) Hello to Everyone at Points North! I am writing to you from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica. My name is Katrin Hafner, and right now I am the winter manager here. I have been here since October 24, 2001 and will leave the station sometime in November of 2002. I am a geologist by training, and have had the opportunity to work many places in the world. So far, having the opportunity to work at the South Pole for a year has been my most unique experience. Here I am standing outside the entrance to the Dome at the Station. I live in a building inside of this dome. This is me standing at the Ceremonial Pole last Nov. The dome (where I live) is behind me. The new elevated station is to my right. (Note the difference between this photo, and the later photo of the elevated station). The addition was completed this summer. The South Pole Station is one of three research stations run by the United States in Antarctica. Antarctica does not belong to any country. Different nations "claim" different areas of the continent. These nations include Chile, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, Norway, and many others. The purpose of maintaining the South Pole Station is in support of many scientific studies sponsored by the National Science Foundation. These include astronomical studies as well as studies of the Ozone hole. During the summer time there are 220 inhabitants here, with about 600 people coming to visit here between late October and mid-February. The temperatures are generally around -10 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun is up all of the time. On February 15th of this year, the summer people departed on the last plane that we will see until sometime around October 21st, when the station re-opens after the winter season. Until that time, the 51 people living at the station now are isolated from the rest of the world, i.e. no flights can arrive here, and no new supplies can be brought in. Sunset at the South Pole The sun set here on March 21st, and it has become progressively darker since then. This past week, we had our first glimpses of the Aurora Australis, a spectacular light show in the sky. We are all looking forward to the night sky with all of the stars. When the sky clears up enough to see the stars, the temperatures also drop however. Today it is -66.5 F with the windchill factor dropping the temperatures to -96F. We still expect the temperatures to drop to below -100 F here before the season is over. As I said, there are currently 51 people stationed here. We are a very close-knit group, and have been working together well. The station population consists of 9 scientists, 20 construction workers building the new South Pole Station, a doctor, a physician's assistant, heavy equipment operators, cooks, meteorologists and science support personnel. My job is to make sure everything on the station is running smoothly, and that everyone can do their job. New Elevated Station Recreational activities are limited because we can't run down to the local movie theatre, or go to the mall here. We have to create our own fun, and many of the people on the station offer various courses. These include such activities as swing dancing, yoga, various self defense courses, and teaching guitar classes. About 10 people down here have formed a band, and they perform for us when we have various celebrations on the station. What the Pilots Crave! Click here for recipe We have an excellent galley crew this year, and we are all very well fed. A number of volunteers here also run a little greenhouse. This produces enough fresh lettuce, etc. for about one salad for everyone per week. The South Pole Station is also very famous for its Chocolate Chip Cookies, and the pilots who fly the C-130's here always request a delivery of these cookies when they arrive. This year, most of us are still living under the dome structure. There are many buildings inside of the dome, including living areas, the galley and recreational rooms such as the library and pool room. If the work on the new station goes well, next year's crew will be living in the new elevated station that is being built, and should be completed in 2004. Polar Plateau with Sastrugi The South Pole is different from the other U.S. Antarctic stations in that we do not have any wildlife here. The station sits on the Polar Plateau at an elevation of 9300 feet. It is a desert here, and everything is flat for miles in every direction we look. When the wind blows it sculpts the snow into beautiful mound shaped features called sastrugi. They can make walking around very difficult sometimes though, because sometimes they are a few feet high. Well, I hope that you have had fun with this project, and were able to figure out where I live. If you have any further questions for me, please feel free to e-mail me at: hafnerka@spole.gov Cheers, Katrin Hafner Here's the recipe for SOUTH POLE Specials: 1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups floor 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2/3 cup chocolate chips 2/3 cup white chocolate chips 2/3 cup butterscotch chips 1 cup nuts, chopped Heat Oven to 375 degrees Cream the Margarine and Butter with the brown and granulated sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate, white chocolate and butterscotch chips along with the nuts. Drop round spoonfuls of batter 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet. Bake the cookies until they are pale golden brown for 12 to 14 minutes. Makes approximately 48 cookies: Each cookie: 143 calories, 103 mg sodium; 14 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrate; 2 grams protein; 0.51 grams fiber. Copyright 2002 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form