NSF PA/M 99-03 - January 13, 1999
South Pole Workers Get Rare View of Two Dozen Atmospheric Haloes
Workers at the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station
gathered around the chrome-topped "barber pole," a symbolic marker at the South
Pole, on Jan. 11 to witness and photograph a very unusual display of atmospheric
haloes, caused by the reflection and refraction of sunlight by ice crystals
in the atmosphere.
For roughly 30 minutes, beginning at 2 p.m. local time, construction
workers helping to rebuild the station joined researchers and other station
personnel to observe and photograph at least 24 haloes, or arcs that appeared.
Marko Pekkola, an expert on ice crystals stationed at the Pole, said
that if all of the sighting claims are verified by photographic evidence,
the phenomenon could set a new world record for the number of haloes visible
from a particular spot.
Two of the three existing record halo displays were also sighted and
photographed at Amundsen-Scott station, in 1986 and 1990.
In addition to NSF support personnel, scientists and contractors, the
phenomenon was documented by a visiting CBS News camera crew. Also taking
photographs was Sue Bowman, a high school teacher from Lebanon, Pa., who
is at the South Pole as part NSF's Teachers Experiencing the Arctic/Antarctic
(TEA) program. Through TEA, elementary and secondary school teachers participate
in field research with NSF-funded scientists, and then share what they
have learned with students and other teachers.
Notice to photo editors: Photographs of the phenomenon may be found
on the NSF Web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/media/ma993.htm.
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