THE SPRP PROJECT: AN OVERVIEW

摘要

The National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs (OPP), the lead agency for the U.S. Antarctic Program, has begun construction of a replacement station for the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at the geographic South Pole, Antarctica. This editorial section provides an overview and a discussion of the concept development and design and construction processes for the South Pole Redevelopment Project (SPRP). The National Science Foundation (NSF) operates three bases in the Antarctic. The largest of the three, McMurdo Station, is situated on the Ross Sea roughly 2,200 mi (3,540 km) south of New Zealand. The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station—the most remote outpost on earth—is located 850 mi (1,370 km) south of McMurdo on a 9,355 ft (2,835 m) elevation of ice and snow, and Palmer Station, the smallest of the three, is located on Anvers Island, in the Antarctic Peninsula. The existing South Pole Station, completed in 1975, is reaching the end of its useful life as a consequence of growth, changes in polar research, and the harsh environment.