Science: South Pole Weather Balloons

It's still cold and look at that barometer! We are more than 2 miles up with two thirds the oxygen that the rest of you enjoy at sea level. Amazing what the body can adjust to.

Yes, that is sunlight you see on the horizon. We will not be seeing the sun itself for a few more weeks but the brightness increases everyday. Bring it! 

South Pole Balloons:

Not party balloons, but weather balloons. Here in Antarctica weather forecasting is very tricky due to the lack of data present to model what the weather will be doing. A day ahead is difficult to forecast, never mind several days out. The continent can fit the lower 48 US states and Mexico and has less than a dozen locations monitoring weather during the winter months, compared to the thousands of locations and sensors throughout the US that provide real time shared information for weather modeling and forecasting. Weather forecasting becomes even more critical during the summer season when there are flights coming in and out of the continent. Balloons with sensors are periodically launched in order to gather actual temperatures, relative humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, all at varying altitudes. In the below photo you can see the BIF (Balloon Inflation Facility) with its huge doors.

Inside the BIF balloons are filled with helium, prepped and sensors attached.

I have had the opportunity to assist with a few launches over the past several months and have learned a lot in the process. In the below picture you can see the sensor that collects all of the needed data in my left hand, they are relatively compact and robust.

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