The Antarctic automatic weather station program

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Antarctic Automatic Weather (AWS) Station network is one of the largest observing systems on the surface of the Antarctic. For over 30 years, weather observations from these sentinels have been employed to understand the Antarctic environment in support of meteorological research, operational weather forecasting and education. This presentation will outline the AWS network as it stands today. A brief outline of capabilities and AWS design will be included. Sample output data sets will be discussed. Climatological analysis from one or two AWS sites will be given as examples to be expected from the full network in the upcoming years, as stations individually report over 30 years of observations. Additional examples of the utility of the network will be demonstrated along with future plans outlined.