South Pole#Time

File:Pole markers.jpg

File:2008 South Pole marker 1.jpg

For most purposes, the Geographic South Pole is defined as the southern point of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface (the other being the Geographic North Pole). However, Earth's axis of rotation is actually subject to very small "wobbles" (polar motion), so this definition is not adequate for very precise work.

The geographic coordinates of the South Pole are usually given simply as 90°S, since its longitude is geometrically undefined and irrelevant. When a longitude is desired, it may be given as {{nowrap|0°.}} At the South Pole, all directions face north. For this reason, directions at the Pole are given relative to "grid north", which points northward along the prime meridian.[http://quest.nasa.gov/antarctica/background/cara/movpole.html "Moving the South Pole"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716140440/http://quest.nasa.gov/antarctica/background/cara/movpole.html |date=16 July 2011 }}, NASA Quest Along tight latitude circles, clockwise is east, and counterclockwise is west, opposite to the North Pole.

File:Ceremonial South Pole.jpg

File:Amundsen-scott-south pole station 2007.jpg

The Geographic South Pole is presently located on the continent of Antarctica, although this has not been the case for all of Earth's history because of continental drift. It sits atop a featureless, barren, windswept and icy plateau at an altitude of {{convert|2835|m|abbr=on}} above sea level, and is located about {{convert|1300|km|abbr=on}} from the nearest open sea at the Bay of Whales. The ice is estimated to be about {{convert|2700|m|abbr=on}} thick at the Pole, so the land surface under the ice sheet is actually near sea level.[https://www.nsf.gov/od/opp/support/southp.jsp Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414060623/https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/support/southp.jsp |date=14 April 2020 }}, National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs

The polar ice sheet is moving at a rate of roughly {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} per year in a direction between 37° and 40° west of grid north,{{cite web |url=http://www.southpolestation.com/pole/survey.html |title=Where is the real Pole really? |access-date=25 March 2008}} down towards the Weddell Sea. Therefore, the position of the station and other artificial features relative to the geographic pole gradually shift over time.

The Geographic South Pole is marked by a stake in the ice alongside a small sign; these are repositioned each year in a ceremony on New Year's Day to compensate for the movement of the ice.

[http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/pastIssues/2005-2006/2006_01_08.pdf "Marker makes annual move"], page 6, Antarctic Sun. 8 January 2006; McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The sign records the respective dates that Roald Amundsen and Robert F. Scott reached the Pole, followed by a short quotation from each man, and gives the elevation as "9,301 FT.".{{cite web |url=http://www.classicalarchives.com/prs/astro/Antarctica/0640-Sign_at_the__moving__actual_geographical_South_Pole.jpg |title=Sign at the (ever moving) actual geographical South Pole (a few feet away from the Ceremonial Pole) |publisher=Pierre R. Schwob Physics/Astronomy |access-date=25 May 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo284509.htm |last=Kiefer |first=Alex |title=South Pole Marker |date=January 1994 |access-date=24 March 2008}} A new marker stake is designed and fabricated each year by staff at the site.

The Ceremonial South Pole is an area set aside for photo opportunities at the South Pole Station. It is located some meters from the Geographic South Pole, and consists of a metallic sphere on a short barber pole, surrounded by the flags of the original Antarctic Treaty signatory states.{{cite web |title=Flags at the South Pole |first=George F. |last=Mobley |date=18 September 2012 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.org/photo/southpole-flags-990-61181/ |access-date=14 June 2020 |publisher=National Geographic |archive-date=15 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615021844/https://www.nationalgeographic.org/photo/southpole-flags-990-61181/ |url-status=dead}}

The tent was erected by the Norwegian expedition led by Roald Amundsen on its arrival on 14 December 1911. It is currently buried beneath the snow and ice in the vicinity of the Pole. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 80), following a proposal by Norway to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.{{cite web |url=http://www.ats.aq/documents/ATCM35/WW/atcm35_ww003_e.pdf |title=List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2012) |access-date=7 January 2014 |publisher=Antarctic Treaty Secretariat |year=2012}} The precise location of the tent is unknown, but based on calculations of the rate of movement of the ice and the accumulation of snow, it is believed, as of 2010, to lie between {{cvt|1.8|and|2.5|km}} from the Pole at a depth of {{cvt|17|m|ft}} below the present surface.[http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=413DE249464BAEBDBF64B335F6B5C576.journals?fromPage=online&aid=8295706] Polar Record / Volume 47 / Issue 03 / July 2011

File:Saludo a la Bandera Argentina durante la Operación 90.jpg

A flagpole erected at the South Geographical Pole in December 1965 by the First Argentine Overland Polar Expedition has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 1) following a proposal by Argentina to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.{{cite web |url=http://www.ats.aq/documents/ATCM35/WW/atcm35_ww003_e.pdf |title=List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2012) |access-date=4 October 2013 |publisher=Antarctic Treaty Secretariat |year=2012}}

{{See also|History of Antarctica|List of Antarctic expeditions|Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration|Farthest South}}

In 1820, several expeditions claimed to have been the first to have sighted Antarctica, with the first{{clarify | reason = Very first what? Claim or sighting?|date=September 2016}} being the Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev.{{cite journal |date=1971 |title=Bellingshausen and the discovery of Antarctica |journal=Polar Record |volume=15 |issue=99 |pages=887–889 |doi=10.1017/S0032247400062112 |last1=Armstrong |first1=Terence |bibcode=1971PoRec..15..887A |s2cid=129664580}} The first landing was probably just over a year later when English-born American captain John Davis, a sealer, set foot on the ice.{{cite web |last1=Hurtigruten |title=General Information |url=http://people.rit.edu/~msl7852/webdesign/midterm/antarctica.html |website=hurtigruten.com/us/ |publisher=Hurtigruten |access-date=23 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023171055/http://people.rit.edu/~msl7852/webdesign/midterm/antarctica.html |archive-date=23 October 2014}}

The basic geography of the Antarctic coastline was not understood until the mid-to-late 19th century. American naval officer Charles Wilkes claimed (correctly) that Antarctica was a new continent, basing the claim on his exploration in 1839–1840,{{cite book |last=Van Doren |first=Charles Lincoln |last2=McHenry |first2=Robert |title=Webster's Guide to American History: A Chronological, Geographical, and Biographical Survey and Compendium |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MVU6DS6Re8gC&pg=PA1326+ |year=1971 |publisher=Merriam-Webster |isbn=978-0-87779-081-5 |page=1326}} while James Clark Ross, in his expedition of 1839–1843, hoped that he might be able to sail all the way to the South Pole; He was unsuccessful.{{cite book |last=Berkman |first=Paul Arthur |title=Science Into Policy: Global Lessons from Antarctica |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDiGTYXZ9X4C&pg=PA35+ |year=2002 |publisher=Academic Press |isbn=978-0-12-091560-6}}{{rp|35}}

File:Aan de Zuidpool - p1913-160.jpg, Hanssen, Hassel and Wisting (photo by fifth member Bjaaland).]]

British explorer Robert Falcon Scott on the Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904 was the first to attempt to find a route from the Antarctic coastline to the South Pole. Scott, accompanied by Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson, set out with the aim of travelling as far south as possible, and on 31 December 1902, reached 82°16′ S.{{rp|37}} Shackleton later returned to Antarctica as leader of the British Antarctic Expedition (Nimrod Expedition) in a bid to reach the Pole. On 9 January 1909, with three companions, he reached 88°23' S – {{cvt|112|mi|km}} from the Pole – before being forced to turn back.{{cite book |last=Simpson-Housley |first=Paul |title=Antarctica: Exploration, Perception and Metaphor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M1ql3mx8xYgC&pg=PA24 |date=2002 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-203-03602-0 |page=24}}

The first men to reach the Geographic South Pole were the Norwegian Roald Amundsen and his party on 14 December 1911. Amundsen named his camp Polheim and the entire plateau surrounding the Pole King Haakon VII Vidde in honour of King Haakon VII of Norway. Robert Falcon Scott returned to Antarctica with his second expedition, the Terra Nova Expedition, initially unaware of Amundsen's secretive expedition. Scott and four other men reached the South Pole on 17 January 1912, thirty-four days after Amundsen. On the return trip, Scott and his four companions all died of starvation and extreme cold.

In 1914 Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition set out with the goal of crossing Antarctica via the South Pole, but his ship, the Endurance, was frozen in pack ice and sank 11 months later. The overland journey was never made.

US Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd, with the assistance of his first pilot Bernt Balchen, became the first person to fly over the South Pole on 29 November 1929.

File:R4D-5L Que Sera Sera landing at South Pole 1956.jpg II]]

File:SPSM.05.jpg. The ceremonial pole and flags can be seen in the background, slightly to the left of center, below the tracks behind the buildings. The actual geographic pole is a few more meters to the left. The buildings are raised on stilts to prevent snow build-up.]]

It was not until 31 October 1956 that humans once again set foot at the South Pole, when a party led by Admiral George J. Dufek of the US Navy landed there in an R4D-5L Skytrain (C-47 Skytrain) aircraft. The US Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station was established by air over 1956–1957 for the International Geophysical Year and has been continuously staffed since then by research and support personnel.

After Amundsen and Scott, the next people to reach the South Pole overland, albeit with air support, were Edmund Hillary (4 January 1958) and Vivian Fuchs (19 January 1958) and their respective parties, during the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. There have been many subsequent expeditions to arrive at the South Pole by surface transportation, including those by Havola, Crary, and Fiennes. The first group of women to reach the pole were Pam Young, Jean Pearson, Lois Jones, Eileen McSaveney, Kay Lindsay, and Terry Tickhill in 1969.{{Cite web |url=http://www.southpolestation.com/trivia/igy2/welch/jones.html |title=First Women at Pole |website=South Pole Station |access-date=24 August 2016}} In 1978–1979, Michele Eileen Raney became the first woman to winter at the South Pole.{{Cite web |url=http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contentHandler.cfm?id=1954 |title=Famous Firsts |date=13 November 2009 |website=The Antarctic Sun |publisher=United States Antarctic Program |access-date=25 August 2016}}

Subsequent to the establishment, in 1987, of the logistic support base at Patriot Hills Base Camp, the South Pole became more accessible to non-government expeditions.

In the summer of 1988–1989, Chilean glaciologist Alejo Contreras Steading reached the South Pole on foot; before that, he had arrived in 1980 by other means.{{cite web |title=He walked 97 days to reach his goal: The story of the first Chilean to set foot on the South Pole in 1988 |url=https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2025/01/03/1153039/alejo-contreras-primer-chileno-polo.html |publisher=Emol |date=3 January 2025 |access-date=4 January 2025}}{{cite web |title=El hombre que más sabe del Polo Sur |trans-title=The man who knows the most about the South Pole |url=https://www.diarioeldia.cl/noticias/2017/02/26/38159-el-hombre-que-mas-sabe-del-polo-sur |publisher=El Día |date=26 February 2017 |access-date=4 January 2025 |language=es}}

On 30 December 1989, Arved Fuchs and Reinhold Messner were the first to traverse Antarctica via the South Pole without animal or motorized help, using only skis and the help of wind.{{cite web |url=http://www.suedtirol.info/South_Tyrol/Detail_Famous_persons/D-1208-en-Reinhold_Messner.html |title=Südtirol – Diese Seite existiert nicht |publisher=Suedtirol.info |access-date=13 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310043609/http://www.suedtirol.info/South_Tyrol/Detail_Famous_persons/D-1208-en-Reinhold_Messner.html |archive-date=10 March 2012 |language=de}}{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/facts/5/263444/Antarctica-as-discussed-in-Reinhold-Messner-Italian-explorer |title=Britannica Online Encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=13 August 2012}}{{dead link|date=May 2013}} Two women, Victoria E. Murden and Shirley Metz, reached the pole by land on 17 January 1989.{{Cite web |url=http://www.antarctic-circle.org/firsts.htm |title=Antarctic Firsts |date=4 October 2014 |website=Antarctic Circle |access-date=24 August 2016}}

The fastest unsupported journey to the Geographic South Pole from the ocean is 22 days, 6 hours and 8 minutes from Hercules Inlet and was set in 2024 by french polar explorer Vincent Colliard,{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Martin |date=2024-01-24 |title=On the New Antarctic Speed Record: An Interview with Vincent Colliard » Explorersweb |url=https://explorersweb.com/on-the-new-antarctic-speed-record-an-interview-with-vincent-colliard/ |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Explorersweb}} who beat the precious solo record set in 2011 by Norwegian adventurer Christian Eide,{{cite news |work=Explorersweb |url=http://www.explorersweb.com/polar/news.php?id=19887 |title=Breaking news: Christian Eide bags the South Pole solo speed ski world record |date=13 January 2011 |access-date=13 January 2011}} and the one set in 2009 by American Todd Carmichael of 39 days and seven hours, and the previous group record also set in 2009 of 33 days and 23 hours.{{cite news |agency=The Canadian Press |url=https://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/563312 |title=Canadians break speed record trekking to South Pole |work=Toronto Star |date=7 January 2009 |access-date=10 February 2010}}

The fastest solo, unsupported and unassisted trek to the South Pole by a woman was achieved by Hannah McKeand from the UK in 2006. She made the journey in 39 days 9 hours 33 minutes. She started on 19 November 2006 and finished on 28 December 2006.{{Cite book |title=Guinness World Records 2014 |last=Glenday |first=Craig |publisher=The Jim Patison Group |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-908843-15-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/76 76] |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/76}}

During the 2011–2012 summer, separate expeditions by Norwegian Aleksander Gamme and Australians James Castrission and Justin Jones jointly claimed the first unsupported trek without dogs or kites from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back. The two expeditions started from Hercules Inlet a day apart, with Gamme starting first, but completing according to plan the last few kilometers together. As Gamme traveled alone he thus simultaneously became the first to complete the task solo.{{cite web |title=Ice Trek Expeditions |url=http://www.icetrek.com/?id=432 |access-date=25 May 2013}}{{cite web |title=Crossing the Ice |url=http://casandjonesy.com.au/expeditions/crossing-the-ice/ |access-date=25 May 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624120256/http://casandjonesy.com.au/expeditions/crossing-the-ice/ |archive-date=24 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Wilson, nå er vi framme! |url=http://gamme.no/x-blogg/entry/antarktis-2011-2012/wilsonnaerviframme |access-date=25 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624120302/http://gamme.no/x-blogg/entry/antarktis-2011-2012/wilsonnaerviframme |archive-date=24 June 2013 |language=no}}

On 28 December 2018, Captain Lou Rudd became the first Briton to cross the Antarctic unassisted via the South Pole, and the second person to make the journey in 56 days.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/science-environment-46708667/capt-lou-rudd-is-first-briton-to-cross-antarctic-unaided |title=Capt Lou Rudd is first Briton to cross Antarctic unaided |work=BBC News |date=29 December 2018}} In January 2025, Norwegian {{ill|Karen Kyllesø|no}} became the youngest person to ski to the pole solo and unassisted.{{cite news |first=Chloe |last=England |title=21-Year-Old Woman Youngest Individual to Ski Solo and Unassisted to South Pole |url=https://www.si.com/onsi/adventure/latest-news/21-year-old-woman-youngest-individual-to-ski-solo-unassisted-to-south-pole |access-date=29 January 2025 |work=Adventure On SI |date=18 January 2025}} The record had previously been held since 7 January 2024 by Frenchman Pierre Hedan, aged 26, and earlier by Mollie Hughes who was 29 when, on 10 January 2020, she became the youngest person to ski to the pole.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-51064356 |title=Woman is youngest to ski solo to South Pole |date=10 January 2020 |access-date=20 January 2020 |language=en-GB}}

{{See also|Climate of Antarctica|Midnight sun|Polar night}}

File:South pole telescope during polar night.jpg

During winter (May through August), the South Pole receives no sunlight at all and is completely dark apart from moonlight. In summer (October through February), the Sun is continuously above the horizon and appears to move from right to left.{{cite AV media |title=South Pole Time Lapse Movies: 2024, September–December |publisher=South Pole Observatory, NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory |url=https://gml.noaa.gov/obop/spo/movies.php?movie=spovideo.2024-3 |time=2:30 |date=2024}} However, it is always relatively low in the sky, reaching a maximum of approximately 23.5° around the December solstice because of the approximately 23.5° tilt of the earth's axis. Much of the sunlight that does reach the surface is reflected by the white snow. This lack of warmth from the Sun, combined with the high altitude of about {{cvt|2800|m|ft|sigfig=2}}, means that the South Pole has one of the coldest climates on Earth (though it is not quite the coldest; that record goes to the region in the vicinity of the Vostok Station, also in Antarctica, which lies at a higher elevation).[https://web.archive.org/web/20090610045758/http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/scienceques2001/20020118.htm Science question of the week], Goddard Space Flight Center.

The South Pole is at an altitude of {{cvt|9200|ft|m|sigfig=2}} but feels like {{cvt|11000|ft|m|sigfig=2}}.{{cite web |url=https://www.usap.gov/travelAndDeployment/contentHandler.cfm?id=1819 |title=Science and Support in Antarctica – Course Material |website=USAP Portal}} Centripetal force from the spin of the planet throws the atmosphere toward the equator. The South Pole is colder than the North Pole primarily because of the elevation difference and for being in the middle of a continent.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-the-south-pole-col/ |title=Why is the South Pole colder than the North Pole? |magazine=Scientific American}} The North Pole is a few feet from sea level in the middle of an ocean.

In midsummer, as the Sun reaches its maximum elevation of about 23.5 degrees, high temperatures at the South Pole in January average at {{convert|-25.9|C|F|0|abbr=on}}. As the six-month "day" wears on and the Sun gets lower, temperatures drop as well: they reach {{convert|-55|C|F|0|abbr=on}} around sunset (late March) and sunrise (late September). In midwinter, the average temperature remains steady at around {{convert|-60|C|F|0|abbr=on}}. The highest temperature ever recorded at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station was {{convert|-12.3|C|F|1|abbr=on}} on Christmas Day, 2011,{{cite web |url=http://amrc.ssec.wisc.edu/blog/2011/12/28/preliminary-report-record-temperatures-at-south-pole-and-nearby-aws-sites/ |title=Preliminary Report: Record Temperatures at South Pole (and nearby AWS sites…) |date=28 December 2011 |author=Matthew A. Lazzara |access-date=28 December 2011}} and the lowest was {{convert|-82.8|C|F|1|abbr=on}} on 23 June 1982[http://quest.nasa.gov/antarctica/background/NSF/sp-stay.html Your stay at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060202103223/http://quest.nasa.gov/antarctica/background/NSF/sp-stay.html |date=2 February 2006 }}, National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs{{cite web |url=http://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-training/schools/resources/climate/antarctic |title=How cold is the Antarctic? |publisher=NIWA |access-date=13 August 2012 |date=27 February 2007}}{{cite web |url=http://icecube.wisc.edu/pole/weather |title=Antarctic Weather |access-date=25 May 2013}} (for comparison, the lowest temperature directly recorded anywhere on earth was {{convert|-89.2|C|F|1|abbr=on}} at Vostok Station on 21 July 1983, though {{convert|-93.2|C|F|1|abbr=on}} was measured indirectly by satellite in East Antarctica between Dome A and Dome F in August 2010[http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-usgs-landsat-8-satellite-pinpoints-coldest-spots-on-earth/ "NASA-USGS Landsat 8 Satellite Pinpoints Coldest Spots on Earth"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211181918/http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-usgs-landsat-8-satellite-pinpoints-coldest-spots-on-earth/ |date=11 December 2013 }}, NASA, 9 December 2013). Mean annual temperature at the South Pole is –49.5 °C (–57.1 °F).

The South Pole has an ice cap climate (Köppen climate classification EF). It resembles a desert, receiving very little precipitation. Air humidity is near zero. However, high winds can cause the blowing of snowfall, and the accumulation of snow amounts to about 7 cm (2.8 in) per year.[https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1993/opp93103/opp93103.txt Initial environmental evaluation – development of blue-ice and compacted-snow runways], National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs, 9 April 1993 The former dome seen in pictures of the Amundsen–Scott station is partially buried due to snow storms, and the entrance to the dome had to be regularly bulldozed to uncover it. More recent buildings are raised on stilts so that the snow does not build up against their sides.

{{Weather box

|location = Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = -12.7

|Feb record high C = -20.6

|Mar record high C = -26.7

|Apr record high C = -27.8

|May record high C = -25.1

|Jun record high C = -28.8

|Jul record high C = -33.9

|Aug record high C = -32.5

|Sep record high C = -29.3

|Oct record high C = -25.1

|Nov record high C = -18.9

|Dec record high C = -12.3

|year record high C = -12.3

|Jan high C = -26.0

|Feb high C = -37.9

|Mar high C = -49.6

|Apr high C = -53.0

|May high C = -53.6

|Jun high C = -54.5

|Jul high C = -55.2

|Aug high C = -54.9

|Sep high C = -54.4

|Oct high C = -48.4

|Nov high C = -36.2

|Dec high C = -26.3

|year high C = -45.8

|Jan mean C = -28.4

|Feb mean C = -40.9

|Mar mean C = -53.7

|Apr mean C = -57.8

|May mean C = -58.0

|Jun mean C = -58.9

|Jul mean C = -59.8

|Aug mean C = -59.7

|Sep mean C = -59.1

|Oct mean C = -51.6

|Nov mean C = -38.2

|Dec mean C = -28.0

|year mean C = -49.5

|Jan low C = -29.6

|Feb low C = -43.1

|Mar low C = -56.8

|Apr low C = -60.9

|May low C = -61.5

|Jun low C = -62.8

|Jul low C = -63.4

|Aug low C = -63.2

|Sep low C = -61.7

|Oct low C = -54.3

|Nov low C = -40.1

|Dec low C = -29.1

|year low C = -52.2

|Jan record low C = -41.1

|Feb record low C = -58.9

|Mar record low C = -71.1

|Apr record low C = -75.0

|May record low C = -78.3

|Jun record low C = -82.8

|Jul record low C = -80.6

|Aug record low C = -79.3

|Sep record low C = -79.4

|Oct record low C = -72.0

|Nov record low C = -55.0

|Dec record low C = -41.1

|year record low C = -82.8

|Jan precipitation mm = 0.3

|Feb precipitation mm = 0.6

|Mar precipitation mm = 0.2

|Apr precipitation mm = 0.1

|May precipitation mm = 0.2

|Jun precipitation mm = 0.1

|Jul precipitation mm = trace

|Aug precipitation mm = trace

|Sep precipitation mm = 0.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 0.1

|Nov precipitation mm = 0.1

|Dec precipitation mm = 0.3

|year precipitation mm = 2.3

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 0.2

|Feb precipitation days = 0.3

|Mar precipitation days = 0.2

|Apr precipitation days = 0.0

|May precipitation days = 0.2

|Jun precipitation days = 0.1

|Jul precipitation days = 0.0

|Aug precipitation days = 0.0

|Sep precipitation days = 0.1

|Oct precipitation days = 0.1

|Nov precipitation days = 0.1

|Dec precipitation days = 0.3

|year precipitation days = 1.6

|Jan snow days = 22.0

|Feb snow days = 19.6

|Mar snow days = 13.6

|Apr snow days = 11.4

|May snow days = 17.2

|Jun snow days = 17.3

|Jul snow days = 18.2

|Aug snow days = 17.5

|Sep snow days = 11.7

|Oct snow days = 16.7

|Nov snow days = 16.9

|Dec snow days = 20.6

|year snow days = 203.0

|Jan sun = 497.2

|Feb sun = 406.1

|Mar sun = 195.3

|Apr sun = 0.0

|May sun = 0.0

|Jun sun = 0.0

|Jul sun = 0.0

|Aug sun = 0.0

|Sep sun = 34.1

|Oct sun = 390.6

|Nov sun = 558.0

|Dec sun = 616.9

|year sun = 2698.2

|Jand sun = 17.6

|Febd sun = 13.1

|Mard sun = 6.3

|Aprd sun = 0.0

|Mayd sun = 0.0

|Jund sun = 0.0

|Juld sun = 0.0

|Augd sun = 0.0

|Sepd sun = 1.1

|Octd sun = 12.6

|Novd sun = 18.6

|Decd sun = 19.9

|yeard sun = 7.4

|source 1 = Pogoda.ru.net (temperatures, 1981–2010, extremes 1957–present){{cite web |url=http://www.pogodaiklimat.ru/climate2/89009.htm |title=Weather and Climate-The Climate of Amundsen–Scott |language=ru |publisher=Weather and Climate (Погода и климат) |access-date=5 April 2017}}

|source 2 = Deutscher Wetterdienst (precipitation 1957–1988 and sun 1978–1993),{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_890090_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Amundsen – Scott / Südpol-Station (USA) / Antarktis |work=Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=5 April 2017}} NOAA (snowy days data, 1961–1988){{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/ANTARCTICA/AM/89009.TXT |title=Amundsen–Scott Climate Normals 1961−1990 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date=5 April 2017}}

|date=August 2010

}}

In most places on Earth, local time is determined by longitude, such that the time of day is more-or-less synchronised to the perceived position of the Sun in the sky (for example, at midday the Sun is roughly perceived to be at its highest). This line of reasoning fails at the South Pole, where the Sun is seen to rise and set only once per year with solar elevation varying only with day of the year, not time of day. There is no a priori reason for placing the South Pole in any particular time zone, but as a matter of practical convenience the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station keeps New Zealand Time (UTC+12/UTC+13). This is because the US flies its resupply missions ("Operation Deep Freeze") out of McMurdo Station, which is supplied from Christchurch, New Zealand.{{cite web |url=https://antarctica.co.uk/time-zone-in-antarctica/ |title=What time zone is used in Antarctica? |website=Antarctica.uk |date=14 January 2023 |access-date=22 October 2023}}{{cite web |url=https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/antarctica |title=Time Zones Currently Being Used in Antarctica |website=Time and Date AS |access-date=22 October 2023}}{{cite web |last=Dempsey |first=Caitlin |url=https://www.geographyrealm.com/country-time-zones/ |title=Which Country Has the Most Time Zones? |website=Geography Realm |date=29 March 2023 |access-date=22 October 2023}}

Due to its exceptionally harsh climate, there are no native resident plants or animals at the South Pole. Off-course south polar skuas and snow petrels are occasionally seen there.Mark Sabbatini, [http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/pastIssues/2002-2003/2003_01_05.pdf "Non-human life form seen at Pole"], The Antarctic Sun, 5 January 2003.

In 2000 it was reported that microbes had been detected living in the South Pole ice.[http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/827063.stm "Snow microbes found at South Pole"], BBC News, 10 July 2000 Scientists published in the journal Gondwana Research that evidence had been found of dinosaurs with feathers to protect the animals from the extreme cold. The fossils had been found over 100 years ago in Koonwarra, Australia, but in sediment which had accumulated under a lake which had been near to the South Pole millions of years ago.{{Cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/14/australia/feathered-dinosaur-australia-intl-hnk-scli-scn/index.html |title=There used to be fluffy dinosaurs at the South Pole |author=Jessie Yeung |work=CNN |date=14 November 2019 |access-date=14 November 2019}}

{{Portal|Geography}}

• List of Antarctic expeditions
• South Pole Telescope
• List of heads of government that have visited the South Pole

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|South Pole}}

{{Wikivoyage|South Pole}}

• [http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/spo/livecamera.html NOAA South Pole Webcam]
• [http://www.adventure-antarctica.de/tag/panorama/ 360° Panoramas of the South Pole] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428185409/http://www.adventure-antarctica.de/tag/panorama/ |date=28 April 2015 }}
• [http://confluence.org/confluence.php?lat=-90&lon=0&visit=1 Images of this location] are available at the Degree Confluence Project
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050905040819/http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/gallery/SPO South Pole Photo Gallery]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20100426023311/http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=1843 Poles] by the Australian Antarctic Division
• [http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/ The Antarctic Sun] – Online news source for the U.S. Antarctic Program
• [http://www.bigdeadplace.com/ Big Dead Place] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625002841/http://www.bigdeadplace.com/ |date=25 June 2016 }}
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6281839.stm UK team makes polar trek history] – BBC News article on first expedition to Pole of Inaccessibility without mechanical assistance
• Listen to Ernest Shackleton describing his 1908 [http://aso.gov.au/titles/spoken-word/my-south-polar-expedition/ South Pole Expedition], and read more about the recording on [australianscreen online].
• The recording describing Shackleton's 1908 South Pole Expedition was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry in 2007

{{Polar exploration|state=collapsed}}

{{Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica|state=collapsed}}

{{Antarctica}}

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Category:East Antarctica

Category:Extreme points of Earth

Category:Geography of Antarctica

Category:Polar regions of the Earth

Category:Historic Sites and Monuments of Antarctica

Category:Southern Hemisphere