| Summary: | In this era of global warming, the climate of the Antarctic continent is extensively studied with climate models, as even a small loss of its polar cap may have a big impact on global sea level rise. However, the meteorological observations needed to evaluate and calibrate models remain scarce, especially in the atmospheric column, in the winter season and away from any inhabited station.For this purpose, the AWACA (Atmospheric WAter Cycle over Antarctica) project aims to deploy 3 autonomous OPUs (automated Observation Platform Units) sheltering radars and lidars working at various wavelengths along a transect from coastal Terre Adélie to Concordia station, 1100km from the coast to 3200m on the Plateau. These instruments will perform condensed water measurements throughout the lower tropospheric column to characterize clouds and precipitation. Water vapor and snowflakes isotopes measurements will also be made by a spectrometer. The OPUs will operate during 3 years, being visited only once a year. They will be isolated from any station and therefore self-powered.A description of the OPUs’ design, and the challenges associated with their stand-alone deployment in a harsh and remote environment and the various measurements they will perform will be presented.
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