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International Polar Year 2007–2008 - WMO

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Fig. 2.8-6. POLENET<br />

autonomous, colocatedcontinuouslyrecording<br />

seismic and<br />

GPS stations at Wilson<br />

Nunatak in Antarctica<br />

(a, upper panel).<br />

Seismic stations<br />

may be installed on<br />

snow, whereas GPS<br />

require bedrock,<br />

a major control<br />

on distribution of<br />

stations in polar<br />

regions. Remote<br />

sites are commonly<br />

hundreds of<br />

kilometers from<br />

logistic hubs,<br />

requiring longrange<br />

aircraft<br />

for deployment.<br />

Configurations of<br />

seismic (b, lower left<br />

panel) and GPS (c,<br />

lower right panel),<br />

show power system<br />

components (solar<br />

panels, wind turbines<br />

and extensive<br />

battery banks [in<br />

boxes]), Iridium<br />

antenna for remote<br />

communications with<br />

sensors. The GPS<br />

site has an ancillary<br />

meteorological<br />

package installed.<br />

(Photos: Antarctic POLENET<br />

field team)<br />

280<br />

IPY 20 07–20 08<br />

the polar ice sheets. The new observational data from<br />

the POLENET deployments is providing such synoptic<br />

data for the first time.<br />

Deployments of polar geophysical<br />

observatories in the IPY period<br />

The label ‘geophysical observatories’ can be<br />

applied to large multi-instrument or single-sensor<br />

sites, consisting of a variety of instrumentation<br />

suites designed to probe the terrestrial and space<br />

environments. Here we focus on the IPY POLENET<br />

programme, which coordinated observations at<br />

permanent stations with remote site deployments<br />

of sensors at small stations designed to operate<br />

autonomously and record continuously (Fig. 2.8-6).<br />

GPS and seismic stations constitute the dominant<br />

sensor types in new deployments carried out as part<br />

of POLENET during the IPY period. Nevertheless,<br />

the POLENET umbrella also includes data acquired<br />

at magnetic observatories for earth applications<br />

(Cafarella et al., 2008), gravity and absolute gravity<br />

stations, tide-gauge sites and other types of geodetic<br />

a<br />

b c<br />

observations.<br />

Prior to IPY, continuously-recording GPS and seismic<br />

instruments were located at permanent research stations<br />

(Antarctica) or inhabited sites (Greenland) (Figs.<br />

2.8-7a and 2.8-7c), relying on the local power grid for<br />

operation. Many did not have real-time communications<br />

and data were retrieved on a yearly basis. Several<br />

SCAR initiatives promoted deployment of remote geophysical<br />

observatories in Antarctica. In the time period<br />

immediately preceding IPY, many nations deployed<br />

GPS and/or seismic stations and arrays at seasonallyoccupied<br />

stations and at remote sites away from permanent<br />

stations, experimenting with alternative energy<br />

sources (Fig. 2.8-6). Many of these stations operated<br />

continuously through the summer months and some<br />

succeeded with full-year recording. These pioneering<br />

efforts led the way for the IPY network deployments.<br />

IPY provided the opportunity to bring the Antarctic<br />

planning forward and forge international collaborative<br />

plans for network deployments. Similar IPY efforts<br />

were stimulated in the Arctic region, particularly in<br />

Greenland.

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