Autonomous low-power magnetic data collection platform to enable remote high latitude array deployment

Space Physical Sensor Protection and Control System Based on Neural Network Prediction: Application in Princess Elizabeth Area of Antarctica

In the inland areas of Antarctica, the establishment of an unmanned automatic observation support system is an urgent problem and challenge. This article introduces the development and application of an unmanned control system suitable for inland Antarctica. The system is called RIOD (Remote Control, Image Acquisition, Operation Maintenance, and Document Management System) for short. At the beginning of this research project, a mathematical model of heat conduction in the surface observation chamber was established, and the control strategy was determined through mathematical relationships and field experiments. Based on the analysis of local meteorological data, various neural network models are compared, and the training model with the smallest error is used to predict the future ambient temperature. Moreover, the future temperature is substituted into the mathematical model of thermal conductivity to obtain the input value of the next input power, to formulate the operation strategy for the system. This method maintains the regular operation of the sensor while reducing energy consumption. The RIOD system has been deployed in the Tai-Shan camp in China’s Antarctic inland inspection route. The application results 4.5 months after deployment show that the RIOD system can maintain stable operation at lower temperatures. This technology solves the demand for unmanned high-altitude physical observation or astronomical observation stations in inland areas.

Sustainable energy at the 100 W level for scientific sites on the Antarctic Plateau: lessons learned from the Polar Experiment Network for Geospace Upper atmosphere Investigations-Automatic Geophysical Observatory project

The need to provide power to unmanned instrumentation over the course of an entire year on the Antarctic plateau presents a large number of engineering and logistical challenges. Designs formulated in ideal laboratory environments often fail in the Antarctic due to the harsh operating conditions, and field experience is necessary to achieve year-round operation in the 100 W power range. In this paper we present our current power design for the Automatic Geophysical Observatories; a design based on over two decades of experience on the ice and allows for relatively continuous operation at the aforementioned power level. We also discuss our various implementation methods, both failures and successes, in an effort assist other unmanned deployments on the ice.