Darkness cloaks Antarctica for the next six months
March 20th marked the official beginning of springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing with it the promise of chirping birds, blooming flowers and springtime allergies.
But it's a different story in Antarctica where austral autumn begins. Researchers at NOAA's South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory, part of the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, will be submerged in complete darkness for the next six months. It's so cold, with temperature reaching as low as 100 below zero Fahrenheit, that airplanes will not return to the area until October.
On Sunday, NOAA posted a photo of the sun setting for the long season of darkness. It won't rise again till September. But an intrepid group of researchers will remain on the icy continent researching the impact of atmospheric carbon dioxide and measuring ozone in an effort to understand climate change.
The flat polar plateau does have its benefits, however. Researchers get a front-row view of a spectacular night sky including the southern constellations, satellites and the Aurora Australis.