Neumayer-Station III

Neumayer-Station III, also known as Neumayer III after geophysicist Georg von Neumayer, is a German South pole research station of the Alfred-Wegener-Institut in the Antarctic. It is located on the approximately 200-metre thick Ekstrom Ice Shelf several kilometres south of Neumayer-Station II.^[1] The station's assembly kit was transported to its current position beginning of November 2007. It is moving with the shelf ice at about 200 meters per year towards the open sea.^[2]

After almost 10 years of work on the project (beginning October 1999); including conception, environmental impact investigation, planning and construction phases, regular operation of the station began on 20 February 2009. The station replaces the Neumayer-Station II and the Georg-von-Neumayer-Station that preceded it. The expected lifespan of the station is 25 to 30 years and the entire project is estimated to cost 39 million Euros.^[3]

Construction phase

An image of a part of the station's steel structure as well as two ship containers in Bremerhaven during an open-house day

Hydraulics attached to a concrete foot

Structure section

The station was constructed 6 m (20 ft) above ground on a temporary two-level platform and now sits on 16 columns; each hydraulic column rests on a solid snow surface. A garage and further technical equipment are located within a snow cavern below snow level at the front of the station. The moving concrete supporting feet are powered by hydraulic machinery. Through an annual lifting procedure of 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 in) it is expected to prevent new snow from causing the platform to sink.

The station will run all year round and includes 210 m² (2,300 sq ft) of laboratory surface, divided into 12 compartments; in total, double the area of previous stations. Within the 15 accommodation containers there is room for 40 occupants to sleep. All inner rooms of the platform are built as self-contained units, some of which have aligned connecting passages, depending on their size. The compartmentalized interior of the station is enclosed in titanium protective sheet metal as thin as paper, with insulating Polyurethane supra foam.^[1] The “structure section” image shows the simulated Antarctic snow-rooted crane between green metal girders. All items shown later found themselves on Antarctic snows in the form of Neumayer III.

The above surface construction of Neumayer III is predominant in the Antarctic, seen at other new stations such as Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and the mostly privately financed Belgian Princess Elisabeth Base.^[4]

Assembly

The majority of the construction materials and the heavy steel frame were delivered ending January 2008; plan dictates last construction equipment had to leave Ekstrom Ice Shelf by March 2009. For construction, a work crew of 90 specialists^[5] was necessary. By mid January 2009 exterior work on the station was completed, so that further improvements to the 99 interior containers^[5] could continue unaffected by the weather.^[6]

Interior

In addition to the previously mentioned laboratories and accommodation areas, there is a south-facing lounge with many windows, a washing room containing two washing machines and two dryers, a Sauna, an IT-room, showering and washing rooms, a dining room with a serving window connected to the kitchen, a conference room, medical treatment and operating rooms, various storage rooms, a large refrigerating area, a dressing room, a heating-system room, a schooling and planning room and finally a water treatment room.

Data

main building height: 29.2 m (96 ft) platform surface area: 68 × 24 m (223 × 79 ft) entire mass: approx. 2,300 t[7] interior surface area (4 floors): 4,473 m2 (48,150 sq ft) heated surface area (3 floors): 1,850 m2 (19,900 sq ft) depth under station: 8.20 m (26.9 ft)

3 diesel generators: 6 × 75 kW, maximum/average power needs 150 kW/105 kW E-10 wind generator: 30 kW USV: 2 × 20 kW for 20 minutes Polardiesel needed during a year (heating, power and transportation): 315,000 litres (83,000 US gal) water supply : 25 kW snow melting using heat of the generators

Remote stations

At Neumayer-Station III, in order to minimize any affect that the main station's regular operations might have on the accuracy of scientific projects, small remote platforms are set up at a distance of 900 to 1,500 m (3,000 to 4,900 ft) from the main station. Magnetic-, seismic-, trace element- and acoustic-research are the chief research foci of these remote stations.

Research

Previous Neumayer stations have been the center of continuous research since 1981 especially with respect to their observatories. In addition to the main research areas of meteorology, geophysics and atmospheric chemistry, which have been studied on the stations since the 1980s, infrasound has been studied for 5 years and marine acoustics since 2005.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} DB mobil, Ausgabe 11, 2008
2. ^ Heilemann, Michael (February 14, 2009), "Auf Stelzen im Eis", Badische Zeitung, http://www.badische-zeitung.de/bildung-wissen-1/auf-stelzen-im-eis--11481179.html 
3. ^ "Deutschlands neuer High-Tech-Bau in der Antarktis", Die Welt, February 19, 2009, http://www.welt.de/wissenschaft/article3233166/Deutschlands-neuer-High-Tech-Bau-in-der-Antarktis.html 
4. ^ Heimpel, Barbara (September 6, 2009), "Grün in der Antarktis", Deutschlandfunk, http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/forschak/667016/ 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Neue deutsche Forschungsstation am Südpol ist fertig", Berliner Morgenpost, February 15, 2009, http://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/wissen/article1035094/Neue_deutsche_Forschungsstation_am_Suedpol_ist_fertig.html 
6. ^ "Fassade der Neumayer-Station III vollständig montiert", Website of the AWI, http://www.awi.de/de/aktuelles_und_presse/pressemitteilungen/detail/item/so/?cHash=03aae05480, retrieved January 15, 2009 
7. ^ http://www.awi.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Infrastructure/Stations/Neumayer_Station_III/NMIII.pdf

External links

• Beschreibungsseite vom Alfred-Wegener-Institut
• realnature.tv Video-, Foto-, und Textberichte über den Aufbau der Station in der Antarktis
• Video über die Station im Planet-Erde-Blog
• Animierte Infografik zur deutschen Antarktisstation Neumayer III, Tagesschau, 20. February 2009
• Neumayer III Station Webcam
• COMNAP Antarctic Facilities
• COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map

Coordinates: 70°40′08″S 8°16′02″W / 70.66889°S 8.26722°W / -70.66889; -8.26722