February was a month of big transitions at McMurdo Station. A US research and support facility that was established in 1955 at the southernmost point of Antarctica where bare ground is accessible by ship. Crates, machinery, tools, and other work-related items were stored elsewhere while the employees and community members set up a stage, placed couches and chairs, and decorated the place to a wonderfully unrecognizable degree; we at once stepped out of the cold and into some warm, homey entertainment. Winter fully settled in at McMurdo Station in April. The "shoulder season" at McMurdo Station was underway through March. February was a great month for viewing wildlife. Winter-travel safety regulations and fewer out-of-town recreation opportunities than in summer make getting away from light pollution tricky, but folks lucky enough to get outside of town at the right time have seen some small but beautiful auroras. McMurdo residents also began enjoying occasional dinners at New Zealand’s Scott Base. Soon after, a girl, Gisella, was born at the same station. The sun rose and then set one hour later on April 24. It started with vessel operations and the majority of science activities wrapping up. Personnel remaining at McMurdo in March spent the month working on end-of-season projects, enjoying the first sunsets and dark night skies in months and beginning station-wide winter activities. In the winter, there are about 250 people keeping it going. The station was established in December 1955. Nearly all of the science groups wrapped up their work in early February, with support staff remaining in larger camps like Shackleton Glacier until mid-month. Here, the weather continues to warm as our fellow Americans back home experience uncommonly cold weather. Now that the transitional months of February and March are over, McMurdo residents are hard at work on winter projects and pursuing recreational activities during their time off. Carpenters, electricians and communications technicians were flown out to the field to take down camp infrastructure, and science cargo was packed up and shipped off continent. There are a lot of first-season contractors on station this year, and folks have been getting involved by leading pressure ridge tours and Discovery Hut tours, coordinating the annual Turkey Trot 5k race on Thanksgiving Day, and volunteering to help galley staff with Thanksgiving meal preparations. Members of the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF), which arrived at McMurdo at the beginning of February, spent the month working on a number of projects for the station. And as always, Winfly is a time for both greetings and goodbyes, with friends leaving for warmer climes and faces old and new arriving on station. These projects are expected to have a positive long-term impact on science support at McMurdo Station, but will create short-term challenges like road closures, which are usually not an issue outside of vessel season. As always, the prelude to summer for some means the denouement to winter for others and a time to return home. The station can support more than 1,200 people, though during the southern hemisphere winter that population goes down to about 200. [1] Approximately 12 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, send personnel to perform seasonal (summer) or year-round research on the continent and in its surrounding oceans. It is capable of housing more than 1,200 support staff and scientists, although for the past few years the station population during the summer season has been closer to 850. Some were more lighthearted, like a survey that asked people how they like their eggs cooked in the galley, and what are the most common names on station. McMurdo Station (118) >> McMurdo Station (118) x View More Country Antarctica (118) >> Antarctica (118) x View More Job Title Company Location Date Posted; Surveyor Supervisor (Professional Land Surveyor) ^company_name^ McMurdo Station. With several science groups planning to arrive in the first week of October, Field Safety and Training personnel got right to work prepping travel routes on the sea ice of McMurdo Sound, which these groups will use in conducting their research. At this point in the season, many wintering workers start longing for mail and fresh vegetables but also take time to reflect on the magic of working in Antarctica and celebrating community during the coldest, darkest, and most isolating time of the year. They consisted of two runs: the Ob Hill Uphill (a dash to the top of our local, steep hill) and the annual 10K. Iridescent nacreous clouds light up the sky over McMurdo Station. Over 1000 people work here in summer and 100 in winter. During the long Antarctic winter, which is spring and summer in the U.S., it is virtually inaccessible. The midwinter flight, originally scheduled to arrive at the end of June, was delayed three weeks due to mechanical issues. About 1,000 people live and work there during the Antarctic summer, and about a quarter of that number remain to work for the winter. Various other preparatory projects continued apace during September, with helicopters being readied for early flight operations, Fleet Operations continuing construction on moving Williams Airfield in time to support ski aircraft during the summer, and the fuels department laying hoses from town to the airfields for Mainbody flight operations. Turnout was excellent this year, with almost half the station, as well as many folks from Scott Base, enjoying more than a dozen science projects put together by community members in their free time. The Kiwi station’s winter population of just 15 allows eight or so McMurdo residents to join them for dinner before "American Night," a tradition that runs all year, but enjoys a quietness and intimacy only found in the winter season. In the darkness of winter, a shimmering band of the aurora australis glows over the road to Scott Base. McMurdo Station Antarctica. The other excitement for July was watching the sunlight slowly creep above the Royal Society Range. Flags were decorated and hung; gingerbread construction took the look of field camp tents and local McMurdo buildings; and a handful of hopeful contestants battled it out for a shot at being Santa at the big Christmas Party. A few emperor penguins were spotted in the area and Adelie penguins were often seen near Hut Point, with a half dozen or so coming onto Ross Island to molt. By the end of the month, the only daylight that came to McMurdo was a few hours of twilight in the middle of the day. PG. The team members worked tirelessly day-in and day-out to mark, flag and establish routes in weather ranging from bluebird skies to bitter wind and cold. At least 11 children have been born in Antarctica. The Independent describes McMurdo as a "frozen frontier town," and it has a summer population of about 1,200 workers. Otherwise, most projects taking place over the winter focus on station repair and upkeep before another busy summer season gets underway. Progress has been made on the boiler upgrade in dorm 208, and a five-person traverse out to the telecommunications facilities at nearby Black Island to carry out repairs was completed successfully. The McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research station on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand–claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. Work has begun on clearing that space and preparing it for construction, which is slated to begin in February. As is usual for the beginning of the season, much of the research so far has been biology and ecology focused, taking place on the sea ice. Siya nahimutang sa sidlakang bahin sa kontinente. The cold didn’t stop McMurdo residents from organizing the 3rd annual Independence Day parade. The beginning of December kicked off with the annual Craft Show. Science lectures or TV shows can be enjoyed in the Crary lab’s library every week on “Science!!! Home to about 1,200 summer residents and 250 hardy folks who brave the winter harshness every year, McMurdo is a true ‘small city’ by all intents and purposes. In 2001, National Geographic reported that eight children had been born at Esperanza alone. For the latter, it means goodbyes (some temporary, some less so), but also the prospect of vacation, a return home, greenery and new adventures in the world beyond the Ice. The largest station, McMurdo Station, has a summer population of about 1,000 people and a winter population of about 200.[3]. Following the departure of the March flight, McMurdo Station residents held our first big winter season event: The annual "skua sorting" party. A large glycol leak occurred in the cafeteria just a few days before Midwinter Dinner, temporarily delaying meal preparations. The event took place at noon and lasted just ten minutes, but many people pitched in to create a parade full of uniquely McMurdo-style quirkiness. McMurdo Station really came together this past month. Rick Petersen, AIA, and Don Schieferecke, AIA—principals of the Denver firm OZ Architecture—made the journey last October. The month started out dark as night and with the lowest temperatures the station had experienced all year. ", By Elizabeth Delaquess, McMurdo Station correspondent. Items not thrown away, claimed for personal use, or sent to the Berg Field Center and Lodging went to "Skua Central," McMurdo’s free clothing and supply center. Work installing and adjusting a meteor radar and antenna array between McMurdo and Scott Base was also completed in March. The return of the C-17s meant freshies in the galley and mail for the first time in several weeks. The boiler replacement project in dorm 208 has made the library inaccessible all winter, and in mid-June, the TV station lost prime time, sports, and news programming it receives from the American Forces Network due to a satellite change. There was also the Man Haul: a tradition honoring Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his crew in the early 1900s, who – among others in that period – pulled their own sleds of gear by rope, similar to sled dogs. It brought out McMurdo’s knitters, woodworkers, screen printers and artists. In the last week of November, larger, deep field camps like WAIS (West Antarctic Ice Sheet) opened as well, thanks to the arrival of the LC-130 planes operated by the New York Air National Guard, which provides logistical support to the U.S. Antarctic Program. Bad weather has been a feature of the summer season this year, though there were some beautiful days early in the month that allowed McMurdo Station personnel to get out and enjoy the area. The cargo vessel offloaded supplies and loaded up on retrograde waste. The radome on Arrival Heights stands out in contrast to the Iridescent nacreous clouds overhead, a unique feature to early polar springs. After the initial flurry of activity and adjustment to a dramatically increased station population following the first couple of flights at the end of August, station residents got down to the task of preparing for the frenetic pace of the coming summer season. The coastal ice buckles and pockets of water give way to recently submerged penguins looking for a warm nap upon the sea ice; they shake off and stretch their wings. Even as I pack this update full of activities, there are still some missing. New Zealand nag-angkon sa maong dapit. Most summer workers arrived in mid-to-late October, following a two-week delay in Christchurch. After the unexpected calm during Winfly flight operations, the weather in McMurdo reasserted itself with force, resulting in several days of intermittent Condition 1 on station, the most severe weather classification. Get the right job in McMurdo Station with company ratings & salaries. The theme this year was “Under the Sea,” and decorations in the galley included videos from the McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory, the underwater camera installed near the end of the summer season, and a 15-foot-long orca that the waste department built from used cardboard boxes and fabric. Those few hours of pink skies and deep blue twilight have been a much-needed reminder for the winter crew that sunlight will be returning soon. McMurdo Station is a US base on Ross Island in the Ross Sea of Antarctica, with New Zealand's Scott Base nearby. The wildlife of Antarctica may be settling in to winter hibernation, but station operations and maintenance continue as planned. As well as McMurdo's dinner, a number of station residents attended Midwinter celebrations at New Zealand’s Scott Base. There’s a post office, coffeehouse, radio and TV stations, gym, barbershop, stores, three bars, power and water distillation plants, and more. The extreme temperatures in Antarctica necessitated large amounts of fuel oil to maintain operations, making the prospect of nuclear power, an attractive alternative. In addition to bringing in hundreds of grantees and contractors and increasing McMurdo Station's population by several hundred in just a few days, the last members of the winter crew of McMurdo Station departed for Christchurch, some leaving the station after a full year on The Ice. 2/5/2021 … August usually means two things at McMurdo: Winfly and weather, the latter usually of the poor variety and greatly impacting the former. Though the sun hasn’t yet crested the horizon, the orange and purple glow along the eastern horizon herald the forthcoming end of the months-long Antarctic night. McMurdo Station, located at 77 degrees 51 minutes S, 166 degrees 40 minutes E, is the largest Antarctic station. McMurdo Station was originally build in 1956 for the International Geophysical Year of 1957 – 58. During this time, the flow of nonessential cargo like package mail and fresh vegetables, known as "freshies," slows to a trickle. It also marked the start of the mass exodus that begins in early February and culminates at the end of the month. In bygone days, when open dumping was practiced in front of McMurdo Station, the skua population burgeoned, putting extra pressure on the Adelie rookeries around Ross Island. Ambient temperatures dipped to 40 below zero Fahrenheit and wind chills reached 80 below zero Fahrenheit. Based on the progress being shown on large winter projects and the number of recreation activities that residents are organizing in their free time, May has proven to be another productive and enjoyable month in the long McMurdo winter season. This coastal station is located on the southern tip of Ross Island on the bare volcanic rock shore of the McMurdo Sound. March is one of only two months per year where McMurdo residents are treated to equal parts daylight and darkness. With such a small population, shared spaces like the galley feel much more relaxed, and have helped foster a more family like atmosphere in the last month. For the station’s science fair, Matt Kehler (left) and Liz Widen make sorbet using liquid nitrogen. Personnel celebrated Midwinter with the annual Midwinter Dinner and other events while also juggling the challenges that come with maintaining aging infrastructure in an extreme and isolated environment. NASA.gov brings you the latest images, videos and news from America's space agency. With a transient population of more than 1,000 people in summer (about 250 in winter) and about a hundred buildings, McMurdo Station offers many of the amenities you’d expect to find in any big town. Another highlight of the month was the annual winter science fair. Antarctica has no permanent residents. Winter projects have been continuing as planned. During the summer these powerful birds feed on penguin eggs and chicks. The few hours of twilight McMurdo experienced at the beginning of the month have been replaced by total darkness, all day, with the moon and stars easily visible in the middle of the day in clear weather. A waddle of penguins that passed by the station on Christmas Day. In addition to those included in population counts, another approximately 1,000 scientists work aboard ships in the waters surrounding Antarctica, and temporary camps and research stations are common on the continent in the summer. Seen behind a cargo Delta, the sun is just visible peeking over the horizon. Search jobs in McMurdo Station. McMurdo had its first sunset in four months on February 20th, and a week later, the final Mainbody flight took off. In preparation for the start of Mainbody, fuelies lay out long fuel lines to the airfields. On Sunday mornings, residents like to get together and kick back with a hot cup of “Lava Coffee.” Sign made by David Forrest. Wikivoyage Poetics aside, this month was full of activity – inside and out. It contains research stations and field camps that are staffed seasonally or year-round, and former whaling settlements. During the week before the holidays the Waste department hosted a show typically known as the "Waste Barn Party." According to the New York Times, McMurdo is the largest (by population) research station on the continent. It is the largest base in Antarctica by a considerable margin with around 1000 personnel (up to 1250 possible) in summer and 250 in the winter. Over several days prior to scheduled flights, the sky above McMurdo was awash in colorful cloud formations that call to mind iridescent oil paintings or the impression of a sky on fire. The April flight departed with no delays on the 16th, reducing the station’s population to 133, where it will remain, roughly, until the August flights begin and the station will more than double in population. As stations all around the continent sent out Midwinter greetings, it was a special treat to celebrate this uniquely Antarctic holiday people from another Antarctic research program. In the summer (the warmest months are November, December, and January, because it’s the South Pole, not the North one), its population gets up over 1200. The purpose of that original plan was to provide an in-depth first look at the current layout of McMurdo, identify both constraints and opportunities for future redevelopment, and create a basic plan to serve as a guide for that development. The Antarctic Convergence is an uneven line of latitude where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the warmer waters of the worlds oceans. The station gets its name from the McMurdo … There are big changes taking place at McMurdo Station over the next few years, namely with the addition of a new Network Operations Center. The Antarctic covers approximately 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere. Station residents work hard throughout the dark winter months. However, this year that was very much not the case, in stark contrast to the same time last year. 8 live births were recorded at Esperanza Base from 1978 to 2002. NASA’s Ground Station at McMurdo is a crucial component in tracking satellites, and the GRACE follow-on launch on May 23rd kept the two McMurdo Ground Station engineers extra busy. Turnout was excellent this year, with about 35 volunteers sorting trash, recycling, and unwanted clothes, shoes, art supplies, and other articles from 18 huge cardboard containers in just a few hours. A day after the flight arrived and departed, taking 24 people back to Christchurch and bringing in 25 new folks, McMurdo Station was buzzing with excitement. The pace of life on station picks up noticeably, which can be jarring to some who are used to the quieter pace of winter, but to many the fresh energy and enthusiasm is a welcome jolt, and helps carry McMurdo along on the march toward Mainbody, and the surge of scientific activity that comes with it. Population of McMurdo How many scientists are there? Midwinters Greetings from stations across the continent adorn the wall leading up to the cafeteria. The first was Emilio Marcos Palma, born on 7 January 1978 to Argentine parents at Esperanza, Hope Bay, near the tip of the Antarctic peninsula. In addition to end-of-season work by the NZDF, a few mechanics and carpenters remained after the summer crowds left to work on laying cable for telecommunications upgrades and winterizing dorms. The first leg, Denver to Los Angeles, was just a prelude to the 15-hour flight to Sydney, followed by a comparatively quick three-hour hop to Christchurch, New … Monday,” a dorm room in building 155 has been temporarily turned into a “light room” with couches and fake plants to help residents handle the lack of natural light over the next several months, and the firehouse has created an aurora watch pager list to alert folks anytime an aurora is spotted. All but three of the dorms, as well as the coffeehouse, are being closed for the winter. June at McMurdo Station was a time of challenges and celebrations. The station got its first flight in over three months, bringing much-anticipated mail and fresh vegetables. These included refurbishing one of the dorms, dismantling, inspecting, and rebuilding the ice pier’s Bailey bridge used during vessel operations, and assisting in supply and other work centers. Wildlife hasn’t been seen near McMurdo in a month, and safety ropes running between 155 and the dorms have been set up in preparation for severe winter storms. McMurdo Station, located on Ross Island, is one of three US Antarctic research stations, and is the largest in Antarctica. In spite of the delay at the start of the summer season, science and support were well under way by the end of November. The shuttle driver has seen eleven seasons here at McMurdo and this year will be his last. July was a month of transition at McMurdo Station. A molting Adelie penguin stands on Ross island near McMurdo Station. During the 1960s and early 1970s, McMurdo Staion, the largest research base in the Antarctic, was powered by a medium-sized, portable nuclear reactor. In recent years the winter-time population has been around 50 people. McMurdo Base Size and Population. In response, many members of the community pitched in and helped with clean up and dinner prep so McMurdo's Midwinter Dinner took place on time with no issues. To them, ironically, I say, "stay warm. 140 metros ibabaw sa dagat kahaboga ang nahimutangan sa McMurdo Station, ug adunay 1,258 ka molupyo. In addition, approximately 1,000 personnel including ship's crew and scientists doing … With a shrinking town population, shoulder season maintenance projects wrapping up, science activity slowing down and the dark skies arriving ten minutes earlier every night, winter is quickly getting underway at McMurdo Station. For a small isolated group of humans, McMurdo residents sure know how to keep spirits high. McMurdo was the first station to receive data from the satellite on its first orbit over Antarctica, and will continue to track the satellite for the next five years. The sun illuminates the mountains of the Royal Society Range across miles of sea ice. Fellow coworkers sang, flipped and bent and impressed many in acrobatic yoga, collaborated to make festive tunes and beckoned laughter from the crowd. May was a quiet month at McMurdo Station. [4] The first girl born on the Antarctic continent was Marisa De Las Nieves Delgado, born on May 27, 1978. McMurdo is experiencing a quiet year for auroras so far, with only a few aurora alert pages sent from the firehouse. The town’s population swelled to over 900 people with the addition of personnel to assist with the cargo ship Ocean Giant. "Born Freezing: Meet Antarctica's First Citizen - WebEcoist", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Demographics_of_Antarctica&oldid=1003307082, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 January 2021, at 10:51. Flight support crews pulled long days in these low temperatures to make sure operations came off without a hitch, and this year’s expedited flight tempo could not have been realized without them. McMurdo is built on the bare volcanic rock of Hut Point Peninsula on Ross Island, the solid ground farthest south that is accessible by ship. The Perry kept McMurdo’s fuels department busy delivering needed fuel for the next year, until it departed with the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star several days later, bringing this season’s vessel operations to an end. McMurdo Sound is one of Antarctica's most _a_ strategic bodyies of water as measured by its importance to surface vessels and aircraft re-supplying the continents largest base at McMurdo Station. The number of scientific researchers and members of the support staff housed at the Amundsen–Scott Station has always varied seasonally, with a peak population of around 200 in the summer operational season from October to February. Weddell seals, which would often rest along the cracks in the sea ice during the summer, became less common as the month drew on. The sun won’t fully rise until August 19th, but as the month has worn on, the sun has gotten close enough to the horizon to make the mountains faintly visible once again as the eastern horizon turn gold, pink, and red for several hours in the middle of the afternoon. During its 10 year lifetime, the nuclear power station produced over 78 million kilowatt hours of electricity and produced 13 million gallons of fresh water using the excess steam in a … McMurdo Station Webcams in Antarctica. The sun sinks below the Transantarctic Mountains. The month before Mainbody is usually a busy one at McMurdo, and this year was no exception. South Pole Station Satellite Pass Schedules. For the former, it means easing into the pace and way of life at McMurdo, for some of whom it may be the first time and replete with a sense of wonder and adventure that often accompanies a first trip to the Ice. Some science projects were more serious, like using liquid nitrogen to make sorbet in five minutes, and a photography experiment that measured how often people need to have their photo taken before they get one they like. The ubiquitous skua is the scavenger of the southern realm. Then, near the end of the month, the very first touches of light as the sun slowly crept towards the horizon. However, those who left at Winfly, to say nothing of the winter crew who would remain behind, were treated to a spectacular display of nacreous clouds on the near-eve of their departure. In spite of the flight delays and the challenges brought about by this season's construction projects, it looks like the McMurdo community will have another happy and productive season. Continuing a trend of mild weather that's lasted all winter, August proved to be little different, apart from some expected low temperatures and unexpected stretches of little-to-no wind. Today, McMurdo Station, or McMurdo for short, or Mac-Town for shorterer, is the biggest human place in Antarctica. The Chalet barely stands out against the blowing snow during a brief, relative lull in the worst of the stormy conditions in September. However, September was not without its moments of pique. This extended delay made the arrival of fresh vegetables, fruit and mail on July 19th all the more special. In addition, approximately 1,000 personnel including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research are present in the waters of the treaty region. A flight brought the station’s population to its lowest of the season, the sun rose for the last time until August and McMurdo residents, most of whom will be here for another four to six months, are diving further into their winter duties. Aurora sightings remained fairly infrequent this year, but folks receiving aurora alert pages from the firehouse have seen some good displays, especially around New Zealand’s Scott Base. As the sea ice broke up, Adelie penguins stopped by the shores near McMurdo Station. But there were no flights in May, and McMurdo’s population of 133 remained settled in its work and activities for winter. Activity peaked in late January. Antarctica is the world's southernmost continent resting in the Antarctic Circle and … NOTE: Webcam images are often obscured due to harsh and unpredictable weather conditions. Trips to Arrival Heights and Phoenix Airfield were organized at the end of the month to see the last sunsets. After only a single day of delays, all four Winfly flights came and went in a flurry of back-to-back-to-back-to-back activity across a 48-hour span. For Christmas, the creative enthusiastically worked on projects for several contests. In early February the last supply vessel, the fuel tanker Maersk Perry, arrived at the ice pier. It isn’t easy getting from Denver to McMurdo Station, on the southern tip of Ross Island, Antarctica. The birth occurred at Fortín Sargento Cabral, Base Esperanza (Argentine Army) to parents Nestor Arturo Delgado and Juana Pabla Benitez, both Argentines from the province of Salta in northwest Argentina. These stratospheric clouds are exceedingly rare and found only in the Earth’s Polar Regions due to the very low temperatures required for them to form. Cool Antarctica: Who lives in Antarctica? A small crowd of people watch the last sunset until mid-August from Arrival Heights, a ridge overlooking McMurdo Station. Adelie penguins have been spotted passing by the station, the musicians that played Icestock 2019 have been heard and the spirit of all the holidays have been felt. The beginning of February also marked the end of "the gap," a period from around early December until early February when the white ice runway at Phoenix Airfield, the airfield used by the C-17 airplanes, becomes unusable due to warmer temperatures. The continent of Antarctica makes up most of the Antarctic region. Crazy as it sounds, McMurdo is like the New York City of Antarctica.