Full Text:
Filtered sunlight gives off a blue aura inside a fumarole -- an ice tube formed around a volcanic steam vent -- atop Mount Erebus in Antarctica, the Earth's southernmost active volcano. The National Science Foundation runs the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP). In addition to maintaining three U.
S. research stations on the continent, USAP supports research projects in an array of scientific disciplines including, for example, aeronomy and astrophysics, biology and medicine, geology and geophysics, glaciology, and ocean and climate systems. Outreach such as the Antarctic Artists and Writers program and education programs are also supported. For more information about USAP, visit the program's website here.Image credit: National Science Foundation U.S. Antarctic Program; photo by Aaron Spitzer, Raytheon Polar Services Company (1990)
