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Domain: polar.org

Stories and comments across the archive that link to polar.org.

Comments · 6

  1. Re:Interesting interview by heli0 · · Score: 1 · on NPR Talks Skyhooks
    " There is no such thing as a place in the world that doesn't have lightning. That's just stupid."

    http://www.polar.org/antsun/oldissues99-2000/99_11 21/coldhardfacts.html
    http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/antarctica/background/NS F/field-guide/manual9.html
    As and arm of Aviation Technical Services--which also provides air-traffic control for the U.S. Antarctic Program--Mac Weather's(McMurdo weather office) main task is to issue forecasts for aviation.

    Jeff Prucinsky of Mac Weather reports, "I do not believe that there has ever been a recorded case of lightning in the Antarctic."

    The reason is that lightning requires clouds that are tall enough to have large areas of positive and negative charge. Because Antarctica is so flat and white, there is little convective activity, and no chance for clouds to form high enough, Prucinsky said. With no tall clouds, there is no lightning.


  2. Re:I can top this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative · on Reading Slashdot From Strange Locations
    Here's an article on Antarctic internet access.
    "The South Pole gets much of its telephone and data communications capability from NASA and U.S. Air Force satellites that are reaching the end of their orbit life cycle. At that point they become visible from the Pole, so to speak, in highly inclined geosynchronous orbits. Johnson said the satellites are now at a stage where they're far from reliable."
  3. McMurdo has enough problems right now by Animats · · Score: 2, Informative · on Australian Pilot Stranded In Antarctica
    McMurdo experienced a three-day storm just a few days ago. Forty people were trapped overnight at the airport. Two people had to be rescued with a tracked vehicle. The search and rescue team had to find two more people stuck out by the runway. They're plowing and digging out. "We'll be feeling this for another four or five weeks," fleet operations supervisor Crist said. "Some of it for the rest of the season."

    That's what was going on when this bozo landed.

  4. Re:Missing the Point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Weather Radar Goes Miniature

    Rytheon is a huge government contractor that does all sorts of things. Don't read to much into this.

  5. Naaahhhh.... by broody · · Score: 1 · on Finding American Companies for Overseas Work?
    Screw Europe, go for something different like the Antartic. *smile*

    Seriously you should check out these:

    If you are serious about this start doing some real research at your local library. There are tons of resources out there.
  6. Rad-hard life by Animats · · Score: 2 · on Low-Level Radiation May be Mutagenic

    There are actually bacteria with quadruple-redundant DNA. They can survive 12,000,000 rads, have been found inside water-pool type nuclear reactors, and apparently evolved in the Artic.