At South Pole Station, ground penetrating radar profiles were recorded along the surveyed S-N and W-E routes of two proposed snow tunnels that would function as future water and sewer utilidors. The radar system was operated from within the cab of a tracked vehicle that towed two antennas in a sled. The two antennas transmitted pulses centered near 900 and 400 MHz to provide near-surface detail to penetration depths of 4.1 and 15.0 m, respectively. Eight longitudinal profiles, 518 m long, were recorded along the proposed S-N water line route, and 12 longitudinal profiles, 366 m long, were recorded along the proposed W-E sewer line route. Additional S-N profiles were recorded on the W-E route to delineate a particularly intense reflection. The profiles show that both proposed corridors contain many large and small buried items. Multiple targets at depths of 3.0 to 4.9 m occur along the S-N line. Along the W-E lines, there are multiple targets at similar depths. A particular area is densely cluttered and large targets appear on multiple parallel lines. Near the dome isolated targets appear at depths as great as 7.6 m.

"This document represents the final report of the United States Antarctic Program External Panel. The report has the unanimous approval of all 11 panel members and draws upon our collective experience which includes some 44 individual trips to Antarctica involving visits to all three U. S. stations, each research ship, support icebreakers and numerous field sites. As a panel, we visited McMurdo Station and South Pole Station and toured support facilities at Christchurch. We received approximately 70 briefings and conducted 80 “one-on-one” meetings with individuals involved in virtually all aspects of the Antarctic Program. Over 200 inputs were received in response to our request for “public comments". During visits to McMurdo and the Pole, the Panel conducted informal “Town Meetings” and was the beneficiary of numerous comments by members of those communities having first-hand experience in day-to-day operations. We are most appreciative of the candor and professionalism with which we were treated by all those with whom we came into contact, and in particular the members of the National Science Foundation who so expertly and constructively supported our efforts. We believe the U. S. Antarctic Program is well managed, involves high quality science and is important to the region as well as to the United States. We also believe that in the current budget environment, costs must be reduced, preferably through increased efficiency and “reinvention,” but, if not, through reduced scope. Recommendations are offered herein to help ensure the continued viability of the program into the 21st century."--

Concerns about the effects of global climate change have focused attention on the vulnerability of circumpolar regions. This book offers a synthesis of the spectrum of techniques available for generating long-term environmental records from circumpolar lakes.

This collection contains 92 papers presented at the 11th International Conference on Cold Regions Engineering, held in Anchorage, Alaska, May 20-22, 2002.