Economic Analysis of the South Pole Traverse
Abstract
The U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) operates the South Pole Traverse (SPoT) to resupply Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station from McMurdo Station. During its first three operational seasons (2008 2011), SPoT s eight tractors delivered an average annual payload of 768,000 lb, most of which was fuel traveling in high-efficiency bladder sleds. These deliveries offset an average of 30 annual LC130 flights to South Pole. We present here an economic analysis of the payback achieved by SPoT during its first three seasons. Costs include SPoT annualized capital and annual operating expenses, and benefits are reduced LC130 costs apportioned per round-trip to South Pole. SPoT s net economic benefits of $2.0M/year result from significantly lower delivery costs per pound compared with LC130 airlift ($3.60/lb versus $6.10/lb, respectively). Additional benefits of SPoT include reduced air emissions, ability to transport outsized or overweight cargo, and increased availability of LC130s to support other science operations in Antarctica. The results here are structured to guide future USAP investments. For example, sled-efficiency improvements dramatically boost benefits: performance gains from using black rather than tan bladders could increase SPoT s annual fuel delivery per round trip by 58% and more than double its net economic benefits to $4.6M/year.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 29, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA602402
Entities
People
- James H. Lever
- Paul Thur
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center