Abstract:
The polarisation of the Antarctic sky was captured near the sea ice edge at Cape Bird to complement previous studies of the sky polarisation seen at Wellington (New Zealand), Scott Base, Tent Island and at Lake Vanda (Antarctica). The polarisation was seen to change from one site to another due to albedo effects (the way the light reflects from the surrounding ground) being much higher in
... Wellington than in Antarctica. Simultaneously, polarisation data was collected from a trip with the US Coast Guard Ice Breaker from Hobart, Australia to McMurdo. The polarisation at Hobart was essentially the same as at Wellington, but decreased in areas of pack ice. At the fast ice edge in the Ross Sea, the polarisation was at the value typical of Scott Base. This data completes a set showing albedo effects which are important for an understanding of details of the earth's radiation balance. 
