At each site, a "shallow" (~20 m) firn core must be drilled and collected in order to obtain the accumulation rate over the last ~40 years. This is most often done by hand and can be an exhausting job, especially at high elevation and in windy conditions. Here, we are drilling in the lee of the parked Spryte to avoid the wind. Blue is measuring the length of the core prior to cutting it into smaller sections, taking the mass of these sections and bagging them for later processing. The drill bit is kept shaded inside of the piece of yellow pipe once it comes out of the hole. Even in very cold temperatures the sun can warm it enough so that it might freeze in once it goes back into the hole.
Another view of coring behind the Spryte. Since we are several miles outside of the station, the vehicle is always left running (lest we shut it off and not be able to start it again).
The ceremonial south pole with flags from the 12 nations to originally sign the Antarctic treaty. The geodesic dome of the station can be seen in the background. It has been getting steadily buried over the years and a new station is currently being built.
The obigatory "hero" photo taken at the geographic south pole. The line of flags in the rear of the photo mark the position of the pole in years past.