Eyes on Antarctica
Just below the weather sensor is a 25X zoom camera with a 360-degree view and a second smaller camera that moves in and out of the protective housing.
“We have two cameras for redundancy and we can run them at different times every hour for a few minutes,” Mr Mills said.
“They go on a pre-arranged schedule, but we can adjust their timing and sightings from Tasmania in real time.”
Energy from the solar panel in the summer, and batteries – similar to car batteries – during the dark in the winter.
While the collected data and images can be stored securely in the device, the aim is to transmit them in real-time via satellite via the Australian Antarctic Data Centre.
The first ARTEMIS was sent to Davis Station in early 2022 for testing before being deployed to Larseman Hills later this year. Other units will be deployed in the coming years.
All installations will be subject to an environmental impact assessment, and will be informed by scientific experts and managers working together to understand and protect the unique Antarctic and sub-Antarctic environments.
