EAGER: An Operational System to Measure Surface Mass Balance Deep in the Interior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet

To obtain observations of temporal variability of firn processes in Antarctica, we designed a cost-efficient, reliable, and easily deployable firn monitoring system capable of operating with little or no maintenance over a period of several seasons. The prototype station was installed in December 2017 in the vicinity of the geographical South Pole and at a short distance from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station in Antarctica. The data presented was acquired between December of 2017 and January of 2020. During the first year, of the months without sunlight the longest period without SMB measurements was 22 days, yielding enough measurements to obtain monthly estimates of every variable. During the polar night of 2019, a technical issue related to extreme cold prevented the data logger attached to the CRNCs to record correctly so the sensor was placed under a stand-by mode until the 2nd of December 2019 when temperatures raised. Firn compaction, temperature and wind were recorded continuously during the 2-year period with the exception of a couple of weeks during the Austral winter. The project finalized in January 2020 and the system was taken down on January 15th.