This project will continue the acquisition and archiving of polar orbiting satellite images of the antarctic environment by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Center (AARC) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography for three years.
Satellite tracking facilities have been established by the AARC at McMurdo and Palmer Station, Antarctica, which record and archive images from the NOAA series of polar orbiting satellites and from the Department of Defense DMSP series of satellites. The AARC presently maintains an archive of more than 6000 data tapes, and the regional coverage includes all of Antarctica and much of the Southern Ocean. These data are used are used to support such antarctic operational activities as the navigation of research vessels in antarctic waters and weather forecasting for air operations, as well as the geophysical and environmental research projects of polar scientists worldwide.
