Activities of the wintering party at Dome Fuji Station by the 38th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, 1997-1998

• Main Authors: Susumu Kaneto, Takashi Yamanouchi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: National Institute of Polar Research 1999
• Subjects: geo; Antarctic; Austral; Dome Fuji; Dome Fuji Station; Syowa Station; The Antarctic; Antarc*; ice core; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.15094/00009095; https://doaj.org/article/a7d9c98212194c66b83f210bd39271a6

The wintering party of the 38th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) at Dome Fuji Station, consisting of 9 personnel, carried out observation programs from January 25,1997 to January 24,1998,as the third and last year of the wintering. Project-oriented programs of meteorology and glaciaology, named "Change in Mass Balance and Dynamics of the Ice Sheet" and "Atmospheric Circulation and Material Cycle in the Antarctic" were mainly conducted. In the former project, deep ice core drilling had been planned to be continued; however, due to the stuck of drill during JARE-37,drilling could not be continued, and only analyses of ice cores drilled beforehand were carried out. Also, other glaciological observations, shallow core drilling and traverse observations were carried out. In the latter project, new observations of Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) using lidar and balloons, and aerological observation using GPS sondes and radiation measurements, were extensively made. The observations revealed the growth and decay of PSCs throughout the year and abrupt change of heat and moisture transport associated with wintertime blocking formation. The logistics, including digging snow for the water supply, carrying fuel drums into the station buildings from the depot and setup of vehicles during the severe cold winter were hard work. Supply of fuel from Syowa Station conducted during the austral spring made two traverse observations possible. Finally, the station was closed with the help of JARE-39 members.