Syowa Station was established on Higashi-Ongul To (East Ongul Island) in the Lützow-Holmbukta Bay by the first Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE1) in January 1957. It now serves as a global hub for meteorological research network, and has been maintained and operated for half a century as Japan’s main station in Antarctica. The station is manned by approximately 30 team members who conduct various observations throughout the year.
Syowa Station (69°00’19”S, 39°34’52”E; elevation, 29 m above sea level) is located on Higashi-Ongul To (East Ongul Island), approximately 4 km from the mainland on the eastern side of Lützow-Holmbukta Bay in eastern Antarctica.
Due to its location on an island 4 km from the Antarctic mainland, Syowa Station is not markedly affected by katabatic (downslope) winds, meaning it has a relatively warm coastal climate with mild wind conditions. The lowest temperatures typically encountered at the end of August (winter in the southern hemisphere), before rising rapidly from October to November as the hours of daylight increase. The highest temperatures occur in January (summer in the southern hemisphere). The mean humidity is around 70% all year round, although there is little moisture in the air due to the low temperatures. The mean wind speed peaks in April, but approaching low pressure systems can cause strong winds with speeds of approximately 50 m/s throughout year. The predominant wind direction is northeasterly, and the strongest winds are northeasterly. Strong winds around Syowa Station often bring snowfall and high-ground snowstorms due to warm, humid air being transported by low pressure systems, and blizzards can significantly affect visibility. Calm conditions can suddenly change to blizzards within a short space of time.
In addition to 62 buildings, Syowa Station supports a wide array of observation equipment, including a large antenna and various smaller antennae, as well as structural facilities such as fuel tanks. The observation buildings house observation equipment, while the other buildings house generators and other functions.
Established in January 1995 as a base for deep ice-core drilling, Dome Fuji Station is located on top of a dome formed by the Antarctic ice sheet in Dronning Maud Land, approximately 1,000 km south of Syowa Station. Year-round operations have been suspended.
Dome Fuji Station (77°19’01”S, 39°42’12”E; elevation, 3,810 m above sea level) is located on top of the dome of the Antarctic ice sheet in Dronning Maud Land, around 1,000 km south of Syowa Station.
Located on a dome-shaped peak at the convergence of the major ice sheets of East Antarctica, Dome Fuji Station has a polar plateau climate, with an annual mean local atmospheric pressure below 600 hPa and an annual mean temperature below -50°C. According to measurements performed in 1996 (JARE37), the minimum annual local atmospheric pressure was 574.3 hPa, the maximum annual temperature was -18.6°C, and the minimum annual temperature was -79.7°C. The months of April to October are characterized by minimum temperatures below -70°C. The mean annual wind speed is only 5.4 m/s. Because of its location at the top of the Antarctic ice sheet, it is not affected by downslope winds, which means that the prevailing wind direction is unclear. This also means there is no difference between the maximum wind speed and the maximum instantaneous wind speed (low frequency of wind gusts). The location is characterized by having clear skies for more than a third of the year. When clouds do appear they are mainly thin, high-altitude clouds, with medium-altitude and low-altitude clouds being rare. It snows approximately 300 days a year, but most of this snow consists of “diamond dust” ice crystals, with actual snowfall, including blizzards, only occurring on around 30 days a year. Due to the high latitude, polar nights are long (i.e., the sun does not rise from the end of April until the middle of August).
In addition to nine buildings, Dome Fuji Station has equipment such as a communication antenna; meteorological observation equipment; snow and ice observation equipment; and other instruments. There are also trenches for deep ice-core drilling and snow caves for storing, measuring, and processing deep-ice core samples.
Mizuho Station was established on the Mizuho Kogen (Mizuho Plateau) Ice Sheet in July 1970, about 270 km southeast of Syowa Station. This station is currently closed and serves as an unmanned observation site and stopover point on the way to inland areas.
Mizuho Station (70°41’53”S, 44°19’54”E; elevation, 2,216 m above sea level) is located on the ice sheet about 270 km southeast of Syowa Station. This unmanned station serves as a stopover point on the way to Dome Fuji Station.
The mean annual atmospheric pressure is 732 hPa, which is considerably lower than that of comparable altitudes in Japan. The annual mean temperature is -32.3°C: the maximum recorded temperature was -2.7°C (January 12, 1982), and the minimum recorded was -61.9°C (July 16, 1985). There is a constant easterly wind of 10 to 20 m/s, which hardly ever becomes stronger or stops. The air is dry.
The station is comprised of five pre-fab buildings for accommodation and research, and a corrugated metal shelter for emergency use that is equipped with emergency supplies. The power generator, drilling facilities, and snow and ice research facilities are all located beneath the snow surface. A small hill has formed around the station due to snow drifts, and all the buildings are currently buried in snow.
Asuka Station was established in March 1985 on the ice sheet in the northern Sør Rondane Mountains of Dronning Maud Land, 670 km southwest of Syowa Station. This station is currently closed.
Asuka Station (71°31’34”S, 24°08’17”E; ellipsoid height, 980 m). Located on the ice sheet about 120 km inland from Breid Bay on the Princess Ragnhild Coast in eastern Dronning Maud Land.
Located in a downwind region, strong winds blow all year round, with the prevailing wind blowing from the east-southeast. Blizzards are common due to the proximity to the coast. The annual mean temperature is -18.3°C, which is higher than that at Mizuho Station.
The station mainly comprises a main building, a power generator building, an observation building, and passageways. Other facilities include an optical observation building converted from a freezer, a bunkhouse, and a temporary work building. All of the buildings are currently buried under snow.
There are several observation and accommodation facilities around Syowa Station. Expedition members travel to these facilities by helicopter in summer and by snow vehicle over the sea ice in winter.
| 1981 | JARE22 | Installation of living caboose, observation hut, control hut, generator hut, old battery hut, telemetry equipment, VLF observation equipment, and induction magnetometer |
| 1985 | JARE26 | Installation of solar cell system and power control room |
| 1987 | JARE28 | Installation of LF-HF natural radio wave observation equipment and expansion of solar cell system |
| 1989 | JARE30 | Installation of multipurpose antenna collimation equipment |
| 2000 | JARE41 | Installation of ELF observation equipment |
| 2008 | JARE49 | Installation of wind power generation system |
| 2014 | JARE55 | Upgrade of VLF observation equipment |
| 2016 | JARE57 | Upgrade of induction magnetometer |
| 1995 | JARE36 | Installation of living hut (referred to as an “apple hut” because of its shape) and living caboose |
| 1986 | JARE27 | Installation of observation hut, generator hut, and toilet hut |
| 2004 | JARE45 | Installation of observation hut, laboratory hut, and generator hut |
| 2004 | JARE45 | Installation of living caboose |
Departure point for inland travel
| 2005 | JARE47 | Installation of eating hut and generator hut |
