Part 6 Where’s the Tent????South Pole—Then and Now

Where are we???

But first…a redux on Monica Kristensen

•Led 4-person round-trip failed expedition in 1986-87 over Amundsen’s route

•Brought GPR to Pole (on official Norwegian science project) in 1991-92 and supposedly located tent

•Came back a year later on NGA trip via PH to recover tent…aircraft crashed, one dead in 130’ crevasse, McM SAR team led by Steve Dunbar sent out via Pole to rescue survivors

Movement of the Ice

Sattrack/GPS results from 2 USGS/Larry Hothem papers:

1970 Navy survey for dome location, as well as current site plans, uses 36°48’ W for movement direction.

Direction (W) Vel m/yr Vel ft/yr Elev change m/yr Elev change in/yr1975-82 41°11'26"±7°.09 9.88±0.138 32.41 -0.33±0.10 -12.991987-90 40°11'23"±0°.38 10.09±0.002 33.101991-93 39°50'34"±0°.01 9.99±0.001 32.78 -0.219±0.005 -8.621991-99 40°46’56” 9.98±0.01 32.74 -0.19±0.02 -7.48

First official determination—1961-62 USGS daylight celestial observations—ice is moving 20m/year…

More recently…

reverse northing eastingnorthing easting year bearing change change dist (ft) dist (m)

50734.67 49554.44 2003 39.76312 -25.25 21.01 32.848 10.01250759.92 49533.43 2002 39.76961 -25.1 20.89 32.656 9.95350785.02 49512.54 2001

South Pole

So what to use?

(data from AMANDA)vs Jan 2007 survey data (average for 6 years): 39.2979° 33.070 ft/yr 10.079 m/yr(unconfirmed) vs 1991-99 GPS data:

40.7822° 32.743 ft/yr 9.98±0.01 m/yr

Which will be used here for the historical calculation (is the ice movement speeding up???)

Huntford’s calculatedlocation of the tent(after Arthur Hinks):

89° 58.75’ S71.6° E

or 1.0208 nm/6203 ft/1891 m from the1912 Pole…

±200 yds

By comparison,Hinks’s map

2008 Pole: 50605.88 N 49659.16 E2007 Pole: 50631.47 N 49638.21 E2005 Pole: 50685.08 N 49597.22 E2004 Pole: 50709.88 N 49575.83 E1912 Pole: 52990.82 N 47608.17 ETent: 54948.40 N 53493.93 E

or 4343.40 feet north, 3834.77 feet east of the 2008 pole marker

…or 5794 feet/1766 m from the 2008pole on bearing 41.44°…or…

…here.And based on annual snow accumulation of 9.1” or 23.1 cm that would put it rather deep: about 71 feet or 21m neglecting firn compaction…not too significant since density is .35 g/cc at the surface and .45 g/cc at 20m depth. Monica said 15 meters as of February 1992, so let’s say 61 feet/19 meters as of 2008.

Or in our terms…

Lat 89.0464°SLon 41.4412°Eas of 1 January 2008…

Grid north was27.2° east ofthe 0° meridian(our north)

From Will (Jake)Jacobs (’59)…

U. S. to Set Up 3-lnch Marker Near South Pole

WASHINGTON. Nov 6 (AP)—The United States will set up a permanent 3-inch bronze marker this winter at its station next door to the South Pole.

The disc will show that the station is at latitude 89 degrees 59 minutes 43.6 seconds south, longitude 24 degrees 8 minutes west, or 1,650 feet north of the South Pole.

The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, which will erect the marker, announced the location today. It was determined from 52 sets of astronomical observations made during the Antarctic's long night by Maj. Palle Mogensen. He was the American scientific leader during the International Geophysical Year.

Maj. Mogensen made his observations through a slot in the roof of the station hut. At times the temperature was 100 degrees below zero outside the hut and zero inside the hut.

[from the December, 1959 Polar Times]

February1965

Now…about digging it up…

400 mhz GPR (used by the traverse to detect crevasses) (this is Lake Patterson, not the tent)

Now…about digging it up…

2005 Antarctic Treaty resolution says no…..even though its location is unknown.

Right…