Dome C
Dome C is a high point on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. It is one of several ice domes (high, rounded areas of ice) on the continent. It's also known as Dome Charlie or Dome Circe.
Dome C | |
|---|---|
| Nicknames: dome Circe, Dome Charlie and dome Concordia | |
Dome C Location of Dome C Station in Antarctica | |
| Coordinates: 75°05′59″S 123°19′56″E / 75.099780°S 123.332196°E | |
| Elevation | 3,233 m (10,607 ft) |
Geography and Climate
Located at an elevation of about 3,233 meters (10,607 feet) above sea level, Dome C is one of the coldest places on Earth. It has an extreme desert climate with very low humidity and no weather systems. The average temperature is around -54.5 °C (-66.1 °F).
Scientific Research
Dome C is a very important location for scientific research, particularly for ice core drilling and astronomy.
- Ice Cores: Because of its location in a very calm area with very little snow, the layers of ice built up overthousands of years are very well preserved. Scientists have drilled deep ice cores here, going back over 800,000 years. These cores provide a record of Earth's past climate, showing levels of carbon dioxide, temperature, and other factors.
- Astronomy: The high altitude, clear air, and extreme cold make the sky above Dome C incredibly clear and stable. This makes it an excellent location for telescopes and astronomical observation, as the atmosphere does not distort the view. The Aurora Australis (Southern Lights) is also often visible there during polar night at winter. A scientific paper published in the Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific talks about how good Dome C is for astronomy. The paper explains that the seeing, which means how clear and steady the atmosphere is for looking at stars, is excellent at this location.[1]
Research stations
The Concordia Station, a joint French-Italian research base, is the main station located at Dome C.
- ↑ Abdelkrim Agabi; Eric Aristidi; Max Azouit; Eric Fossat; Francois Martin; Tatiana Sadibekova; Jean Vernin; Aziz Ziad (2006). "First whole atmosphere night-time seeing measurements at Dome C, Antarctica". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. 118 (840): 344–348. arXiv:astro-ph/0510418. Bibcode:2006PASP..118..344A. doi:10.1086/498728. S2CID 15833099.