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This is an historical photo of a dome at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, framed by ridges of snow called sastrugi. These sharp, irregular, grooves or ridges are formed on a snow surface by wind erosion, saltation of snow particles and deposition, and found in polar and open sites such as frozen lakes in cold temperate regions.
The ridges are perpendicular to the prevailing winds; they are steep on the windward side and sloping to the leeward side. Amundsen-Scott is one of three U.S. research stations on the Antarctic continent. All of the stations are operated by the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic Program.Image credit: Bill McAfee, National Science Foundation
