Soft Snow Mystery Puzzling Scientists

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30951, 6 January 1966, Page 10

Soft Snow Mystery Puzzling Scientists

The “mystery of the soft snow’’ is puzzling scientists and United States Navy men at the new Plateau station in the centre of Queen Maud Land. Antarctica.

Mr Charles Roberts, of the United States Weather Bureau, has returned from three weeks at the new station, where his duty was to identify the prevailing winds and make sure the station buildings were sited at the most suitable angle.

“We were surprised to find a very soft snow surface there,” said Mr Roberts. “Vehicles, aircraft and people sink in very easily, and strangely enough the snow is just as soft 10ft down.

“Elsewhere in the Antarctic the snow is compacted by the wind and, at 10ft down, by the weight of snow above. We don’t know why this hasn’t happened at the Plateau Station site.

"A week ago a United States Navy Hercules aircraft hit a soft spot and its ski had to be dug out. They used six Jato (jet-assisted take-off) bottles to get off the snow.

“This all made the operations much more difficult to start with. The first aircraft to land there had to make five attempts before it could lift off. It finally went over its own tracks a few times to compact a runway," said Mr Roberts. Temperatures Falling The elevation of the new station is 11.500 ft The average temperature in Mr Roberts’s three weeks there was minus 24.5 degrees Fahrenheit (56 degrees of frost). The highest temperature recorded was minus 6 degrees F., and the lowest minus 41 degrees F.

"They have had their warm-1 est weather.” said Mr Rob-i erts, “and the temperatures | are beginning to fall already.; They expect to get to minus, 60 degrees F by the end of j January. “We dug a snow pit and; measured the temperature i 10ft down. It was minus 75!

! degrees F, which is indicatjjve | of a mean annual temperaIture of lower than minus 70 |degrees F. “Plateau Station appears to (be 18 to 20 degrees colder ■ than the South Pole.” [ Mr Roberts said the temperI ature could be expected to fall to minus 130 degrees ’Fahrenheit this coming winter. (However, the vans which ’formed the station were -equipped for temperatures as (low as that. When he left ■ three days ago there were two ’vans there, and eight more ’were due to arrive. i “It is difficult to breathe and . work at that altitude,” said j Mr Roberts. “We have to pace (ourselves accordingly. Of the! six men who went in first,] (three were ill on the second! I day. Those who are there I now are doing all right, but ! ’they still get short of breath! with a little work. I “Winds are only light, and] they are generally flowing ini from the Atlantic Ocean. The! terrain is completely flat, and! there is hardly any sastrugi,! (which indicates low wind con-’ ditions.” Mr Roberts said the average; atmospheric pressure in De-[ cember was 18.429 inches,

i compared with an average of 129.82 inches at sea level. ’ i Scientific Programme The station was to be completed this month, and would Ibe secured for the winter at ! the end of the month or early jin February. Eight men—four (I scientists and four United (i States Navy men—would ■ ’ spend the winter there. The scientists would carry out a meteorological programme, a geomagnetic programme. very-low-frequency ‘studies and radio noise studies. A Navy doctor would; make a continuing study of > physical changes in the men (and of the effects of the riglorous environment on them. (The other Navy men were a [cook, a mechanic and a radio j operator. I The American traverse I party, now making its way I across Queen Maud Land from (the Pole of Inaccessibility, is [expected to reach the Plateau(Station at the end of this month, in time to be evacuated 1 (before the base begins its win-’ ter isolation. The traverse party is now approaching the turn-around point of its 1200-mile V-shaped [course, and it has reported! no untoward incidents.