| Summary: | The AWACA (Atmospheric WAter Cycle over Antarctica) project aims to deploy 4 OPUs (Observation Platform Units) along a 1100km transect from coastal Terre Adélie to the interior of the high-elevated antarctic plateau. They will perform condensed water measurements throughout the atmospheric column. Surface meteorological conditions near the OPUs will be monitored with a 7m tower mast, the first prototype of which was deployed during the last summer campaign 2022-23. This setup includes a sonic anemometer, which gives access to turbulent momentum and heat fluxes near the snow surface. The collected measurements will enable the investigation of those fluxes which remain scarcely studied especially in the winter season and in the interior of the continent due to harsh meteorological conditions. The context of the AWACA Project and the meteorological tower’s design will be illustrated, and the first results from the summer campaign depicted and analyzed.
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