The other two science techs here at Summit, Jason and Yuki, do much of their work in a small building about a kilometer to the south of the rest of the station. It's located in the prevailing upwind direction, and is isolated from the rest of the buildings to best capture the clean air and snow conditions of this area. Though the main station is set up to minimize sources of contamination, we're continually burning diesel for heat and power, and using heavy equipment to move equipment and snow. Even the presence of our structures affects the snow accumulation in the area; after twenty years of increased drifting and compaction, the station is now sits on a slight hill. Because contamination is inevitable, much of the science takes place at some distance from our living facilities.
Jason and Yuki make the trek to and from this isolated laboratory everyday, and they always travel there on foot, even when moving equipment. On this particular day, they've loaded a large, empty gas cylinder into a sled, and are pulling it the kilometer back to the main station. The observatory, which is on stilts to minimize drifting, has a tall tower for making measurements at multiple heights above the ground. In the foreground of the photo are stands with instruments that monitor solar and terrestrial radiation. I walk out to check on these every morning. If you enlarge the photo, you can see, along the horizon, the rippling refraction waves that have danced on the horizon nearly every day.
