Casey Station Antarctic Traverse Snow and Weather Measurements 1985

Two major Antarctic research traverses from Casey Station in 1985 collected data over the Law Dome and Wilkes Land area. The traverses ran from March to June and September to January, visiting A0, GC, and GD snow cane series. The Australian Antarctic Division conducted the program and archives the log books.

Use Cases

• Analyze snow accumulation rates and density from the A0, GC, and GD snow cane series to study regional mass balance.
• Correlate air temperature and barometric pressure measurements with wind speed and direction data to model local atmospheric conditions.
• Use snow hardness and stratigraphy observations from shallow drilled cores to understand snowpack structure and evolution.
• Combine gravity measurements with snow density data for subsurface analysis and firn compaction studies.
• Compare isotope observations from different traverse periods (Autumn/Winter vs. Spring) to investigate seasonal climatic signals.

Strengths

• Data collected during two distinct seasonal traverses (Autumn/Winter and Spring) in 1985.
• Includes numerous measurement types: snow accumulation, sastrugi, wind, temperature, pressure, hardness, density, gravity, snow temperature, stratigraphy, isotopes.

Limitations

• Exact row count, column names, and file formats are unknown.
• Data is from a single year (1985), limiting temporal analysis.
• Spatial coverage is limited to specific traverse routes near Casey Station.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Division (AU_AADC).

Collection Method

Field measurements taken during ground-based traverse programs from Casey Station.

Time Range

1985 (specific traverses: March 24 to June 14, and September 10 to January 3).

Freshness

Data last updated in 1986; it is a historical snapshot.

Geography

Law Dome and Wilkes Land area, Antarctica, near Casey Station.