Archives – Spring 2001

Photo: U.S. Navy photo

Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

As part of the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58, a network of scientific stations was set up throughout Antarctica. The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, established in November 1956 within 1,000 yards of the geographic South Pole, was the site of research on glacial conditions, the effects of ionospheric activity, and auroral phenomena. The station also served as the extreme southern high latitute anchor for the IGY’s international pole-to-pole network of meteorological observation stations. The photograph shows Laurence M. Gould, director of the U.S. IGY Antarctic program, speaking at the station’s dedication ceremony.