Campaign report (from page 152 to page 187)

• the maintenance for the deep drilling core activity (EPICA);
• the continuation of the installation of the Concordia Station;
• the execution of Concordia scientific programmes (i.e. glaciology, seismology, astrophysics, etc.).

• Nutrition and variation of body composition in extreme environments
  Eating for man is not only a physiological necessity but it also has different meanings that concern the socio-cultural and the environmental spheres.
  The availability of food and the organism's ability to use it represent the key elements for the maintenance of good health. The maintenance of a constant internal situation, in terms of body temperature and regular metabolic processes and therefore of the homeostasis state of the organism, represents an essential condition for human beings.
  When external, environmental or metabolic factors are particularly intense the situation of internal homeostasis is recovered after a so-called period of adaptation, whose duration changes according to the subject, to the state of health and therefore also to the initial nutrition.
  The project will study the bio-physiological adaptation of man to extreme environments, the evaluation of the nutritional state and possible variations of body composition in relationship to the diet and environmental factors such as isolation, cold, altitude.
  Also, he possible variations of attitudes towards the food will be assessed especially in relation to isolation and solar irradiation.
  The objective of the study is to assure, during the period of permanence in Antarctica, an adequate contribution of nutrients through a correct diet, so as to satisfy the requirements of the human organism in extreme conditions, considering also the variations of the attitudes towards the food of the subjects who are exposed to low temperatures, are in a state of isolation and in everlasting daylight.
  The purpose of the study is therefore to prevent malnutrition, as it is the cause of health alterations and reduction of the psychophysical performance.
  Rosalba Mattei - Food and Nutritional Sciences - University of Siena
  
  
• CONCORDIASTRO programme
  If you look at the sky at Dome C, you will immediately understand why astronomers are getting so excited. This sky looks like a high mountain sky in usual latitudes, but with more, much more: colder, dryer, more transparent, less windy, less turbulent, and so on and so forth. It is likely to be a much better astronomical site than the Chilean mountains or the Hawaiian volcano on which the largest telescopes of the world are now operating. This is especially true when astronomers use infrared wavelengths, where the sky and instrument temperatures are the limiting factors, together with the water vapour absorption. Only one place on Earth, Dome A, the highest point of the Antarctica plateau, could probably be an even better site, as a last step before space, but it remains inaccessible to human access.
  Two scientific groups are working at putting serious numbers on these optimistic impressions: our Concordiastro team (University of Nice, France) and John Storey group operating Aastino (University of NSW, Sydney). They are doing complementary measurements in order to obtain the most complete site qualification. We, Concordiastro, are probing the entire atmosphere from ground to 30 km of altitude by means of radio-soundings with meteorological balloons (on a daily launch basis), and we are also testing the final astronomical product, the stellar image at the focus of two telescopes. A bright star (Canopus) is observed, even during the sunny daytime, with two telescopes set on top of the 5 m high wooden Concordiastro platform. The jitters of the stellar images are interpreted in terms of atmospheric parameters of interest for astronomy, especially thermal turbulence.
  This is now the 4^th summer season of this programme that will be pursued also in winter during the first Concordia winter possibility. Only after this winter check, will the international astronomical community be able to decide how big or huge astronomical projects will be undertaken here in the future. Some pre-projects already exist, like the possibility of detecting from Concordia the first exo-Earth, an Earth-like planet orbiting around another star rather than the Sun. Such projects could aim at making Concordia the first astronomical observatory in the world.
  Karim Agabi, Eric Aristidi, Eric Fossat
  
  
  
  
• ECLIPSE
  The moon obscured the sun over Dome C base. Scientists watched the first total solar eclipse recorded in a century in Antarctica where hundreds of scientists and staff braved freezing temperatures to take some photos. The last eclipse shadow to touch Antarctica was 1985 and the next one won't appear over the ice until 2021.
  For more information visit the web page 2003 Solar Eclipse from Dome C Antarctica

  Some photos from University of Nice released by Karim Agabi.
  
  

• Dynamic aspects of the terrestrial magnetosphere
  In the context of the 'Dynamic aspects of the terrestrial magnetosphere' research, the operating unit of the Physics Department of the University of L'Aquila (Italy) and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (Italy), in collaboration with the Bell Laboratories (New Jersey), the Institute of the Physics of the Earth (Moscow) and with the Centre for Space Research (MIT), are installing a new magnetic instrument to measure micropulsations for a test near Dome C base. In actual fact the ULF waves (0.2-1000 s) constitute an important process of the dynamic magnetosphere and a useful element to study the solar wind-terrestrial magnetosphere interaction.
  In this framework, the measurements in Antarctica are important since they allow us to observe the pulsations in the regions which are magnetically connected to the external regions of the magnetosphere and the geomagnetic tail. In particular, it is foreseen to investigate the connection between the characteristics of the pulsations and, using the data of the WIND and ACE probes, the parameters of the solar wind so as to discriminate between the different generation mechanisms.
  This study is also important for Space Climatology, as it can allow us to determine the longitudinal and latitudinal extension of the geomagnetic effects produced by the arrival into terrestrial orbit of the solar wind structures as "coronal mass ejections", shock waves and other types of discontinuity for different orientations of the interplanetary magnetic field.
  Marcello De Lauretis
  
  
• Precipitation and visibility measurements at Dome C
  On the East Antarctic Plateau, annual mean precipitation is very low because of the cold temperatures (mean annual temperature is -54°C). Annual mean precipitation at the Franco-Italian research station Dome C is less than 10 cm of fresh snow per year. This means that the climate at this place is dryer than central Sahara. Because precipitation is so low, it is currently not well known how and when it actually occurs: the seasonality of precipitation is unknown (that is, one does not know in which season most of the snow falls), and the question of whether precipitation tends to occur in few, relatively large events or in many very small events, is also open to debate. For several reasons, it is important to better characterise the Antarctic precipitation regime. First, the correct interpretation of ice core climate archives (a deep ice core going back up to 800,000 years is currently being drilled at Dome C in the framework of the EPICA programme) depends on correct knowledge of the way the ice has formed, that is, under which circumstances the snow has fallen. Second, future sea level changes are influenced by changes in the Antarctic precipitation regime. These sea level changes can be predicted with climate models, but the capability of these models to correctly simulate the processes leading to precipitation in Antarctica has to be tested against precipitation measurements.
  In order to characterise the precipitation regime on the central East Antarctic Plateau, we use a Present Weather Detector which performs optical measurements of atmospheric visibility and air water droplet and ice crystal content. This detector, much used in lower latitudes, is currently being tested in the harsh climatic conditions at Dome C. It is hoped that this detector will be able to automatically detect precipitation events, thereby allowing to study the relationship between large-scale meteorological situations and local precipitation formation. In the future, such detectors might be installed together with automatic weather stations in other remote Antarctic sites.
  Gerhard Krinner
  
  
• The AASTINO: UNSW's robotic observatory at Dome C
  Dome C, Antarctica, is potentially the best observing site on earth for a wide variety of astronomical programs. It is drier, colder, has lower wind speed and is some 400 meters higher than South Pole - a site already considered to be outstanding.
  However, before millions or even hundreds of millions of euros are committed to the construction of a major astronomical observatory there, accurate year-round measurements of the site conditions have to be made. The sooner these measurements are made, the sooner the design of new telescopes can begin. With Dome C station currently open for only three months each summer, a novel approach is required to allow winter-time data to be acquired on the site conditions.
  The AASTINO is a green and gold fibreglass shelter roughly the size of a shipping container. It is a small, autonomous observatory that can operate without needing external power, heating, or human presence. Power for the AASTINO comes from two Stirling engines running on Jet-A1 fuel, plus two 150-watt solar panels. The engine coolant provides all the heat needed to keep the AASTINO at a comfortable inside temperature throughout the year. Two-way communication between the AASTINO and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, is via Iridium satellite.
  The AASTINO was assembled at Dome C in January 2003, and operated until July when, for some as yet unknown reason, the Iridium transmissions ceased. During this time a wealth of data were accumulated by the two scientific instruments, SUMMIT and SODAR. SUMMIT measures the transparency of the atmosphere to sub-millimetre waves, an important part of the electromagnetic spectrum that is almost impossible to study from most sites because the atmosphere blocks the signals. SODAR is an acoustic radar that measures the turbulence of the atmosphere. These data are important because, the less the turbulence, the more precise and undistorted are the images that astronomers can obtain.
  The AASTINO also houses a web-camera, which takes images of the new Concordia Station twice per day. These images represent the first pictures ever taken at Dome C in the winter-time, and give valuable information on wind, cloud and snowfall.
  All of the AASTINO data are placed on the web in real time and are freely available at: http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~mcba/aastino/
  In November 2003 Dr Anna Moore and Professor John Storey are spending two weeks at Dome C working to restart the AASTINO and get the data flowing once again. Later, in January 2004, three additional UNSW researchers are installing a new instrument in the AASTINO to measure high-altitude atmospheric turbulence - a difficult piece of data to acquire but one that is crucial for the next generation of very large optical telescopes.
  In addition, the UNSW teams will be refurbishing two battery-powered instruments; Icecam and COBBER. These two cloud-monitoring instruments are mounted on the small orange shed above the crypt. They are powered by a lithium thionyl chloride battery pack which is located in the crypt along with the control computer and ARGOS satellite transmitter.
  John Storey, University of New South Wales
  
  
  
  
• Physics of the atmosphere
  The global atmospheric circulation models (GCM's) present some boundaries in the spatial and temporal representation of temperature, pressure and humidity fields because of the lack in several areas of sufficient starting data. Polar regions, together with the oceans, are characterized by very few measurement stations, the majority are concentrated along the coast of the Antarctica continent, despite their importance to the earth-atmosphere system.
  The micrometeorological tower installed at Dome C represents one of the very few available points to obtain surface flux information for the initial-value models, in the very crucial region of the Antarctic plateau. The tower, equipped with sensors on three levels, allows us to evaluate the latent and sensitive fluxes as well as the heat flux in the snow, using the gradient method. Information about the total available energy is obtained by measuring the net radiation at the top of the tower. The very particular orography of the Antarctic plateau, which presents a horizontal 'fetch' of thousands of kilometres, assures the complete possibility of using this method. It allows us to obtain the values of the temperatures and radiation fluxes at the surface.
  

  

  
  The radiation budget of the Earth-atmosphere system plays a fundamental role in determining thermal conditions and dynamic circulation of both atmosphere and oceans, largely contributing to define the main characteristics of the Earth's climate. In this system, the Earth surface is particularly important, since more than 60% of the short-wave radiation absorbed by the planet is transformed at the ground. As a consequence a small change in irradiance at the Earth's surface may cause a significant change in climate, so that an accurate determination of a global climatology of the radiation budget at the ground is fundamental to understand the Earth's climate system, climate variability and climate change.
  Global estimates of the surface radiation budget cannot be reliably inferred from satellite observations without calibration and validation through highly accurate ground-based measurements at various sites in contrasting climatic regions. Long-term observations of the same accuracy are also required to verify climate model computations and to study trends in surface radiation at scales smaller than those normally associated with climatic regions. With the aims of providing material for validation of both satellite radiometry and climate models, at the end of the '80s, the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) began implementation of a new radiometric network, the Baseline Surface Radiation Measurements (BSRN).
  Specific goals of BSRN are:
  1. to provide the Earth's surface irradiance for validating satellite-based estimates of the surface radiation budget and radiation transfer through the atmosphere,
  2. to provide the irradiances to validate and improve radiation codes of climate models,
  3. to monitor long-term changes in irradiances at the earth's surface.
  To achieve these goals in developing BSRN, a big effort has been made to assure the highest achievable standards of accuracy in the radiation measurements and uniform observational procedure and calibration methods throughout the entire network.
  
  
  
• Exploration of the subglacial lakes on the Antactic east cap (ELSA)
  The main objective of the ELSA project, in the period December 2003-January 2004, was to verify the possibility to apply the seismic reflection method to the identification of subglacial structures in the Antarctic cap; the set sample area is the neighbouring Dome C zone.
  In fact the Dome C area represents a model of the stratigraphy of interest for the subglacial lakes survey.
  The use of the seismic method allows us, if only theoretically, to overcome the inherent limits in the radar survey that don't allow us to get information on structural elements that are present below the water surface.
  In this phase of the project we intend to verify the correct operation of the system of recording, the data acquisition parameters setup in accordance with the theoretical models and the quality of the obtainable data with the use of different types of sources and geometries of acquisition.
  The whole system of acquisition has been planned and partly built inside the group on the basis of the environmental and logistical characteristics that don't allow us to plan the necessary connections between the acquisition devices and the energy activation points. The problem has been approached through the use of independent remote integrated unit, that require a relatively limited number of people and logistic support.
  Seismic data analysis and processing obtained in this way are performed in real time allowing us the possible modification of the data acquisition parameters.
  

  




• Validation of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
  Dome Concordia is an ideal site for calibration and validation of infrared satellite instruments. The large continental ice sheet is one of the most homogeneous land surfaces on earth in terms of surface temperature and emissivity. Surface-based measurements of upwelling infrared radiation from the surface between 8-12 micrometers are very nearly equal to those measured by satellite instruments because of minimal atmospheric absorption. Therefore, accurate measurements made at the surface of spectral infrared radiance can provide valuable validation data for satellite instruments.
  Throughout the summer of 2003/2004, our group performed field work at Dome Concordia to validate NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), which flies aboard the Aqua satellite. We measured up welling and down welling spectral infrared radiances with the Polar Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (PAERI) from 24 meters above the snow surface. A narrow-band infrared radiometer, dragged behind a snowmobile, mapped changes in surface radiation at spatial scales similar to the field of view of AIRS and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS). Radiosondes were launched coincidently with overpasses by the Aqua satellite to obtain atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles.
  

  

  
  
  EPICA activities
  The activity of the EPICA Project (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica) at Dome C has been performed for this year only to the maintenance of the site station and measurements, in order to prepare next science research for 2004/2005 Expedition. Concordia Station: status of the construction work for the winter base
  The assembly activities of the Italian-French winter Concodia Base continued at full speed, even if the temperature was very cold at the end of the Austral summer. Tweentyfive specialists worked there, either Italian and French. The maximum effort was on the completion of the assembly of internal walls and ceiling, and internal equipment assembly, such as the co-generation plant for electrical and thermal energy. In the next campaign in 2004-05 the station should be operational permanently.