Stations such as Byrd and Siple are populated only in the summer. These have been constructed to meet specific scientific objectives, but are not fit for the rigors of human habitation in the inhospitable Southern Hemisphere winter months. The summer bases, like all Antarctic stations, conduct meteorologic studies. So little atmospheric information is available from the Antarctic, that each study area can provide a valuable opportunity for monitoring. Some of the summer stations, such as Dome C and Siple, have been built specifically for drilling ice cores.
Ice cores contain a detailed record of our Earth's climate history.
Other summer bases are part of the LTER, Long-Term Ecologic Research project, an environment monitoring project. LTER field station in the Dry Valleys. Photograph courtesy of John Anderson, Rice University. If the research is for a short period of time a summer field camp can be established. No matter if the project is two weeks or two years, the field site must be safely accessible by ship, plane, or helicopter.