mcmurdo station trip

McMurdo Station

The largest research facility in Antarctica, McMurdo Station is an American scientific base located on Ross Island

Region: Antarctica

Destinations: Ross Sea

McMurdo Station size and population

Built in 1955, McMurdo Station is the largest scientific research facility in Antarctica. It can support more than 1,200 people during the Southern Hemisphere summer, but in winter that population goes down to about 200 people.

The size of McMurdo Station can make it feel more like a village than a base. There are about 85 buildings that make up McMurdo Station, including hostels, a chapel, fire station, powerplant, harbor, and three airfields. From 1961 to 1972, there was even a nuclear reactor at McMurdo Station.

The science behind McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station’s primary purpose is scientific research. It is operated by the United States Antarctic Program, and its personnel conduct research into such fields as climatology, biology, geology, glaciology, and atmospheric studies, among others.

McMurdo Station’s Antarctic surroundings

Ross Island , where McMurdo Station is located, was discovered in 1840 by James Clark Ross. The island is home to two famous volcanos, Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, and is also where Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott built wintering huts. Shackleton’s hut is on Cape Royds , and Scott’s is on Cape Evans . We visit both huts during our expeditions.

McMurdo Station Antarctica

A us research and support facility that was established in 1955 at the southernmost point of antarctica where bare ground is accessible by ship. 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.,   where is mcmurdo station.

The American McMurdo station is built on solid land on the coast of continental Antarctica at the edge of McMurdo Sound, it is situated at the southern end of Ross Island at the end of a spit of land called the "Hut Point Peninsula".

McMurdo Station seen from Arrival Heights in October 2007, White Island (left) and Black Island (right) in the background

Scott's historic hut at Hut Point with McMurdo Station in the background.

Ross Island is about 45 miles long and wide at the maximum points. McMurdo shares Ross Island with New Zealand's Scott Base and Mount Erebus, a 12,448ft (3,794m) active volcano as well as emperor penguin, adelie penguin and skua colonies and the inactive volcano Mount Terror.

McMurdo is at 77°51'S, 166°40'E between the Ross Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf. The Ross Ice Shelf is a floating area of freshwater ice fed by glaciers spilling off the continent of Antarctica that fills a huge bay approximately the size of France.

The modern McMurdo Station developed from an encampment on Ross Island at Hut Point in 1955, part of a major series of American expeditions to Antarctica as part of "Operation Deep Freeze". Initially the station was simply a collection of tents before prefabricated buildings were erected. It was originally known as Naval Air Facility McMurdo, being renamed just "McMurdo" in 1961.

The position of currently used stations on Ross Island, McMurdo (USA) and the Scott (New Zealand), and Ross Island in relation to Antarctica.

Historical Significance

Hut Point and the Hut Point Peninsula get their name from a wooden building erected in 1902 by Captain Robert Falcon Scott and used as the main base during the 1901-04 "Discovery"  expedition. The hut was also used by Ernest Shackleton during the 1907-1909 "Nimrod Expedition (his main base was 20 miles away at Cape Royds) as a staging point during Scott's 1910-1913 expedition (main base at Cape Evans, between hut point and Cape Royds) and again in 1914-1917 by the Ross Sea Party of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition. The hut and surrounding area is protected under the Antarctic Treaty as Antarctic Specially Protected Area 158.

There are also the historic remains of "Vince's Cross" commemorating George Vince a member of Scott's 1901-1904 expedition who died in the vicinity in 1902, and a cross on Observation Hill commemorating Captain Scott's party all of whom died on the way back from the South Pole in 1913.

The region was first discovered by James Clark Ross in 1840 during an expedition from 1839-1843 on the ships Erebus and Terror . Many of the features in the area are named after that expedition. The Ross Sea and Ross Ice Shelf after James Clark Ross himself, Mount Erebus and Mount Terror after the ships. McMurdo Sound and subsequently McMurdo base were named after Lieutenant Archibald McMurdo, an officer on the Terror .

  What happens on McMurdo Station, how big is it?

McMurdo is a center for all manner of scientific programs and experiments. It is also a starting-off point for many field parties that travel out to various places in Antarctica to carry out scientific work there. All personnel and cargo that goes to or from the Amundsen-Scott station at the South Pole first passes through McMurdo, most of the flights in and out are to Christchurch in New Zealand.

There are about 1000 personnel on station during the summer months, falling to around 250 in the winter. Many of these summer personnel are scientists, though in the winter, most are support workers. There are now over a hundred permanent structures, three ice runways and even a floating dock (wharf) made artificially of frozen freshwater. The buildings consist of a whole range of scientific laboratories, administrative buildings, workshops, garages, medical buildings, dormitory and sleeping facilities, kitchens, canteens and recreational facilities.

Terrestrial and marine biology, geology, meteorology, upper atmosphere physics, glaciology, sea-ice studies, cosmic radiation, geophysics, petrology, geochemistry and geomorphology are some of the scientific research activities that go on at McMurdo.

Most people arrive at McMurdo by air today, this is a C-17 arriving at Pegasus Field, one of three airstips around McMurdo. Pegasus Field is an ice runway capable of handling wheeled aircraft all year round. Most food and other supplies are delivered by ship.

Mount Erebus seen steaming gently in the distance from the ice runway, quite an impressive first sight when arring at McMurdo!

Sunrise and nacreous clouds over McMurdo Station seen from Observation Hill

The memorial cross erected to Captain Scott and his South Pole team in 1913, situated at the top of Observation Hill and looking down at McMurdo. Hut Point with Scott's hut is at the end of the dark spit of land on the left.

  What's around McMurdo?

Above - looking across the frozen sea from McMurdo to the Royal Society mountain range, Scott's hut and Vince's cross in front.

Just up the coast from Hut Point is the Erebus Ice Tongue, the blue-white jagged projection that is sticking out into the sea-ice in the picture above left. It is fed by a glacier that flows down the slopes of Mount Erebus, large pieces break off rarely, once every 3 to 4 decades.

If you look at the interactive map below, you will see the ice-tongue points to an area to the left that appears brown with no ice cover, these are known as the "Dry Valleys" it is area where glaciers flow, but then prevailing winds cause the ice to evaporate leaving dry permanently frigid land. It is the closest place on earth to the surface of Mars and is where Mars landers and probes have been tested in the past.

Mount Erebus is one of just 5 locations world-wide where there is a permanent lava lake. There is usually enough steam or smoke being emitted to see the wind direction at the summit.

  Scott Base

The road to Scott Base from McMurdo from Observation Hill.

Scott Base in the summer when snow cover is at a minimum.

Scott Base is a New Zealand run Antarctic base situated about 2 miles from McMurdo. It is much smaller than McMurdo (all other Antarctic bases are much smaller than McMurdo!) with about 25 personnel in the summer and 12-15 over the winter.

Scott has been occupied as a year-round base since 1957.

I visited The Ross Sea region of Antarctica on a semi-circumnavigation of the southern-most continent in partnership with  Oceanwide Expeditions . Of course, all opinions are my own.

Visiting McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Updated March 2024 , Visiting McMurdo Sound, Antarctica was originally published in January 2021

Welcome to the Earth’s southernmost navigable body of water, McMurdo Sound. Via the Haskell Strait, the Ross Sea is connected to the largest ice shelf in Antarctica, the Ross Ice Shelf.

Few adventurers make it to McMurdo Sound and the Ross Sea, this is about as off the beaten path as you can get on planet Earth. Those that do will be rewarded with chances to view abundant wildlife, sit in the shadows of Mt. Erebus- Antarctica’s second tallest mountain, and visit the largest and remote US scientific research base at McMurdo Station. 

Start planning your Antarctica voyage:  The Antarctica Travel Guide

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A Place Of Extremes

McMurdo Sound is probably one of the world’s most inhospitable destinations. Downright frigid katabatic winds tumble down from the Transantarctic Mountains that lie at the fringe of the Antarctic Plateau.

These winds can bring the temperatures in McMurdo Sound to a blistering -51ºC. And let’s not forget that the circumpolar currents of the Southern Sea help to prevent the more temperate waters of the South Pacific and the South Atlantic Oceans from warming.

This severe weather and cold current combo guarantees that 90% of the shorelines typically at any given time are covered in fast ice. During the winter months of June, July, and August McMurdo sound is locked under about 3 meters of ice due to these extreme conditions. 

Check out  10 reasons why you should visit the Ross Sea  on your Antarctic adventure

First Discovery

McMurdo Sound was first discovered by Captain James Clark Ross in February of 1841 and named after Lieutenant Archibald McMurdo. Located in a strategic position, south of Antarctica and New Zealand, McMurdo Sound was visited often by Antarctic explorers.

Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott would both go onto build bases along McMurdo Sound in the 20th century, using the icy stretch of water as a staging point for South Pole expeditions. 

McMurdo Sound Points Of Interest

Ross island.

McMurdo Station (USA)

Located on the southern tip of Ross Island, McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research station that is operated by the US Antarctic Program. It’s the largest human settlement in Antarctica with the ability to hold just over 1,250 people and is one of three year-round US Antarctic science facilities. 

Observation Hill

Observation hill sits atop the southernmost extremity of Ross Island, effectively separating McMurdo Station from Scott Base. Ob Hill, as the ‘locals’ call it, is a 230 meter high lava dome, offering great views across the Antarctic continent, thanks to the often clear skies around McMurdo Sound.

Atop Ob Hill, you’ll find a 9-foot-tall wooden cross erected in honor of the last members of Robert Falcon Scott’s party, whose bodies lie encased within the Ross Ice Shelf. 

Discovery Hut

Built in 1902 during the Discovery Expedition by Robert Falcon Scott, Discovery Hut sits prominently atop Hut Point, just 300 meters away from McMurdo Station. Commonly, Discovery Hut is confused with Scott’s Hut located not far away at Cape Evans, also built during the British Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1913, led by Robert Falcon Scott in 1911. Discovery Hut has been designated a historic monument. 

Discovery Hut would go on to be used throughout several expeditions that took place between 1902 and 1917. After Shackleton left the hut in 1917, it sat untouched until 1956 when US expeditions during Operation Deep Freeze dug it out from snow and ice. The cold helped to preserve Discovery Hut and its contents, though the seal meat left behind in their does not smell pleasant.  

Get a copy of Bradt’s Antarctica wildlife guidebook before you set off for Antarctica

Scott Base (New Zealand)

Scott Base is the New Zealand Antarctic research facility, located at Pram Point on Ross Island, just on the opposite side of Ob Hill from McMurdo Station. The base houses 85 people during the summer season and a paltry 10-14 in the winter. 

Scott’s Hut, Cape Evans

Located on the north shore of Cape Evans, toward the west of Ross Island sits Scott’s Terra Nova Hut. The hut was constructed in 1911, as Scott rejected the idea of reusing nearby Discovery Hut, a prefab construction, assembled in England before it made the journey down to Ross Island by ship. Significant effort was put into insulating Scott’s Hut, to make it warmer than Discovery, using layers of quilted seaweed and rubber ply. 

A cross sits prominently outside Scott’s Hut constructed in memory of the three members of Shackleton’s Ross Sea Party, who died not far from here. 

Similar to Discovery Hut, Scott’s Hut sat untouched until 1956 when it was rediscovered. Furthermore, Scott’s Hut is fairly well-preserved, owing to the fridge temperatures that plaque the area.

Mount Erebus

Mount Erebus is the second-tallest active volcano in Antarctica at a staggering 3,794 meters and the continent’s southernmost. Several expeditions have summited the volcano with an active lava lake at its apex. Mount Erebus is likely most famous as the site of the Mount Erebus Disaster when sightseeing flight Air New Zealand flight 901 in November 1979, killing all 237 passengers and 30 crew on board. 

Mount Terror, Mount Bird, & Mount Terra Nova

The three inactive volcanoes of Mount Terror, Mount Bird, and Mount Terra Nova rise from Ross Island in the shadows of Mount Erebus at 3,230 meters, 1,765 meters, and 2,130 meters respectively. 

Erebus Ice Tongue

The Erebus Ice Tongue is a seaward extension of Erebus Glaciers as it tumbles down off of Mount Erebus and into McMurdo Sound. The ice tongue juts 11 kilometers into McMurdo Sound from near Cape Evans on Ross Island. The calm waters protected by Cape Evans and Cape Royds help to preserve the Erebus Ice Tongue that was formed by the rapidly flowing glacier ice stream of Erebus Glacier. 

Cape Royds extends from the west of Ross Island into McMurdo Sound, named after Lieutenant Charles Royds. Shackleton’s Hut was constructed at Cape Royds in 1908. Flagstaff Point is Cape Royds’ southernmost point. 

Shackleton’s Hut

Built in 1908 during the Nimrod Expedition, 37 kilometers north of the previously built Discovery Hut located at Hut Point. 

Shackleton’s Hut was designated a historic site, and in 2008 the hut was fully restored to its conditions at the time Ernest Shackleton and his party left it. Interestingly in 2006 five crates of McKinlay and Co. whisky were found buried under the hut.

Looking for inspiration? Check out  10 reasons to visit Antarctica

Coastal McMurdo Sound

McMurdo Dry Valleys

Located west of McMurdo Sound, the McMurdo Dry Valleys are one of the strangest places on Earth. Victoria Valley, Wright Valley, and Taylor Valley are the three main valleys, with McKelvey, Belham, Barwick, Alanta, Stuiver, Wall, Virginia, Priscu, Pearse, Miers, Garwood, and Marshall Valleys all comprising the smaller valleys of the area. These snow-free* valleys are some of the driest places you’ll find on Earth.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are in a unique location that allows for them to be so dry. The Transantarctic Mountains that back the valleys prevent seaward-flowing ice from spilling down from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and onward into the Ross Sea. The Dry Valleys receive about 100 millimeters of precipitation (snow) per year, but it is typically evaporated almost instantly by the dry winds that plague this region.

Probably the most well-known and most fascinating feature of the McMurdo Dry Valleys is the Blood Waterfall that spews from the side of Taylor Glacier in Taylor Valley. 

*Usually snow-free. My friend  Darrell Day  was in Taylor Valley this past February of 2020 standing in a foot of snow in a place where it pretty much never snows. 

Read more about the  McMurdo Dry Valleys  and my experience there

McMurdo Ice Shelf

The McMurdo Ice Shelf is a portion of the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica, bounded by Ross Island and McMurdo Sound to the north, Minna Bluff, White Island, and Black Island to the south, and the Transantarctic Mountains to the west. 

Franklin Island

Lying at the fringe of McMurdo Sound and Terranova Bay sits little Franklin Island, named after Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin and discovered by James Clark Ross in 1941. Franklin Island is the remnant of a shield volcano with its vent sunk off the east coast of the island. 

Franklin Island is home to a large Adelie penguin colony, whose rookery is towered over by the looming cliff named Bernacchi Head.

Read up more on  Franklin Island  and its famous Adelie colony

Drygalski Ice Tongue

Extending out from Scott the Scott Coast, just south of Zucchelli Station sit the Drygalski Ice Tongue stretching 70 kilometers into McMurdo Sound from David Glacier, located in the Prince Albert Mountains of Victoria Land. Named after German Professor Erich von Drygalski, a Prussian-born Antarctic explorer. The Drygalski Tongue is thought to be at least 4,000 years old. 

Terra Nova Bay

Zucchelli Station (Italy)

Zucchelli Station, named after Mario Zucchelli, who served as the director of activities for the ENEA-Unità Tecnica Antartitide as part of the National Antarctic Research Program (Italian Antarctic Program) for 16 years. It’s an Italian research facility, set at the edge of the Gerlache Inlet on the shores of Terra Nova Bay, just north of McMurdo Sound. Zucchelli Station is only open seasonally from October to February every year. 

Jang Bogo Station (South Korea)

Jang Bogo Station sits at the terminus of the Gerlache Inlet between Zucchelli and Gondwana Stations. It is a South Korean research station named after the eighth-century maritime ruler of Korea who controlled the Yellow Sea. Jang Bogo is a newer station, completed in 2014 with the capability to house 60 staff in summer and 15 in winter.

Gondwana Station (Germany)

Sitting just north of both Zucchelli Station and Jang Bogo Station along the Gerlache Inlet at the fringe of the Transantarctic Mountains sits Germany’s Gondwana Station. The station was built in 1983 and is operated by the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources. The base supports the GANOVEX (German Antarctic North Victoria Land Expedition) during expeditions.

How To Visit McMurdo Sound

Unless you score a job at one of the Antarctic Bases centered around McMurdo Sound (the odds are not in your favor), your most realistic option for visiting the Ross Sea is via a Ross Sea cruise.

Oceanwide Expeditions offers a  Ross Sea Crossing  (this is the actual trip I did) that takes you between New Zealand and Argentina on a semi-circumnavigation of the continent. Another advantage of this trip is that there are helicopters aboard the M/V Ortelius.

Heritage Expeditions offers a Ross Sea trip  that starts and ends in Bluff, New Zealand. Price-wise it’s roughly the same as Oceanwide’s Ross Sea Crossing. 

Have Any Questions About Visiting McMurdo Sound?

Ask in the comments section below. 

More posts from Antarctica:

McMurdo Dry Valleys: Visit Mars Without Leaving Earth

Off The Beaten Path New Zealand: Campbell Island

Antarctica Travel Guide

Franklin Island: Ice Glazed Volcanoes On The Fringe Of Antarctica

10 Reasons To Visit Antarctica

10 Reasons To Visit The Ross Sea

Sailing The Lemaire Channel

Preparing for Antarctica

I’m going to Antarctica!

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McMurdo Station

Visit the McMurdo Station webcam . Read recent reports from McMurdo Station , published in the Antarctic Sun .

McMurdo Station, located at 77 degrees 51 minutes S, 166 degrees 40 minutes E, is the largest Antarctic station. 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 station was established in December 1955. It is the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program, with a harbor, landing strips on sea ice and shelf ice, and a helicopter pad. Its 85 or so buildings range in size from a small radio shack to large, three-story structures. Repair facilities, dormitories, administrative buildings, a firehouse, power plant, water distillation plant, wharf, stores, clubs, warehouses, and the first class Crary Lab are linked by above-ground water, sewer, telephone, and power lines.

NSF chalet and the Admiral Byrd Memorial. (NSF photo by Brien Barnett)

Recorded temperature extremes have been as low as minus 50 degrees Centigrade and as high as plus 8 degrees Centigrade. Annual mean is minus 18 degrees Centigrade; monthly mean temperatures range from minus 3 degrees Centigrade in January to minus 28 degrees Centigrade in August.

Drifting snow can accumulate about 1.5 meters per year, although the station becomes snow-free in summer. Average wind is about 5.1 meters per second; a gust of 52 meters per second was recorded in July 1968.

Scientific research is performed at and near McMurdo in aeronomy, astrophysics and geospace sciences, biology and ecosystems, geology and geophysics, glaciology, geomorphology, ice cores, and ocean and climate systems. Participants of the Antarctic Artists and Writers Program also work at sites near McMurdo Station.

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McMurdo Station, Antarctica: a Mighty Fine Place to go for a Drink

Often dubbed ‘the final hint of civilization’ on the southernmost end of the world, McMurdo Station is a US-run scientific research station in Antarctica. The largest encampment of its kind is also the last accessible place on the White Continent one can reach by ship.

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. It boasts a chapel, several ATMs, a golf course, three plane landing strips, a fire station, post office, and two bars.

Granted, McMurdo Station is a long way to go for a drink, yet a visit is one of the highlights for many of our guests on cruises to Antarctica . Renowned for attracting an utterly diverse bunch of people, McMurdo is arguably one of the most fascinating towns you could visit. And considering getting there is an adventure in itself, a stiff drink upon arrival may be just the reward you’ll need!

What is McMurdo Station all about?

McMurdo Station is part of Operation Deep Freeze, the American Antarctic missions which began in the 1950s. Run by the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) , the operation includes all the US stations on the White Continent, as well as all the restocking missions needed to keep them running. The primary objective of McMurdo is scientific research, and expert researchers work in fields of biology, chemistry, and astronomy primarily. They are geologists and glaciologists, physicists, oceanologists and almost every other type of ‘-ologists’ known to man.

Everything is researched here: from climate change to Antarctic wildlife, the shifting of ice shelves and all else which may help us better understand this most enigmatic part of the world. Tens of thousands of polar diving expeditions have taken place here in the last two decades alone, and McMurdo acts as the last support base for extreme scientific research missions further afield.

Whilst the great part of the research work is carried out during the more ‘bearable’ summer months’, McMurdo in winter is mostly inhabited by civilians whose sole mission is to keep the whole town – which includes a hundred or so buildings – in perfect working condition.

Life on McMurdo Station

Much like every other destination on the planet, McMurdo also boasts high and low seasons! In summer, when the sun never sets and the temperature can even creep above a balmy 0 degrees Celsius, the town hosts a booming population. You know, relatively speaking.

In winter, however, when darkness prevails and freezing doesn’t even begin to describe the temps, only a few hundred hard-core residents remain. Contracted scientists, researchers, and civilians mostly work on a rotational basis, ranging from 1 to 3 months. The great majority who work here are actually civilians, who are in charge of keeping the whole shebang operational. Along with the researchers, this amazing bunch of adventurous cooks, builders, electrician plumbers, truck drivers, and technicians make for one amalgamous ‘family’. They hail from all over the globe, and all share a common desire to work and live in a place that’s both mesmerizing and incredibly unforgiving.

Life here is both mundane and extraordinary. Residents hold art exhibitions, head to the pub to hear live music and partake in marathons. They organize trivia nights, sporting events and even held the sole protest in Antarctica against the invasion of Iraq by US troops, back in 2003.

Antarctica is often described as an addictive place. Its magnetic pull, the dramatic beauty of its landscape, incredible wildlife and surreal experience means there are few who visit only once. McMurdo station is no exception. Many of the residents and scientists working and living here come back year after year. Some for decades on end. The collective time spent at McMurdo is locally referred to as ‘ice time’, something of which all are very proud to boast.

Their dedication to keeping the station running smoothly, and their personal desire to live a life a little less ordinary, is the driving force behind many people’s near-obsession with McMurdo.

If you’re as fascinated as we are by this amazing place and the people who inhabit it, check out Encounters at the End of the World , an interesting documentary by famed German film-maker Werner Herzog, which portrays everyday life at McMurdo and the colourful characters who call this place home.

The mind-boggling logistics that keep McMurdo Station running

Sitting on the lounge at home, it’s easy to take things for granted. You open the tap and fresh drinking water comes out. You pop up to the corner store for supplies, and just about everything you need to survive is always at your fingertips.

Not so much in Antarctica, the only continent where nothing grows naturally. Everything needed for living at McMurdo needs to be shipped in on cargo ships, with periodic restocking flights by DC10 and LC-130 Hercules picking up the slack every year. Millions of litres of fuel and tonnes upon tonnes of supplies are brought in every year to keep this mission alive and well, and an equally impressive amount of waste is brought back to the US from McMurdo.

Almost one-third of the electricity used at the station is wind-produced, and more than 170,000 litres of fresh drinking water that are needed every single day, are desalinated on-site. People living at McMurdo station are, perhaps more than anybody else, acutely aware of the environmental impact each human being makes on our planet simply by ‘existing’. Minimizing their own impact in Antarctica – and rationing just about everything – is the way of life down here.

 Restocking of McMurdo during operation Deep Freeze in 2007. Photo credit: Wikipedia.

Where is McMurdo Station & can you visit?

McMurdo Station shares island space with the New Zealand Antarctic Mission (a mere fraction of its size), found on the southernmost tip of Ross Island, in the heart of the spectacular Ross Sea. This is where you’ll also find Mt Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on earth.

Social visits to McMurdo Station are not exactly unheard of yet permission is rarely granted. Looking for a totally out-of-the-box experience? Then head there to work! By all accounts, the pay is meagre and you get to shovel a lot of snow, but if you’re craving a change of pace, dare we say you may have just found it. It’s not surprising to learn that every year, there are infinitely more applicants than job availability, yet with a bit of perseverance and a clean bill of health there’s no reason why you shouldn’t give it a good go. Generally speaking it is easier to get a job working for the Antarctic research centre of your home country, as that’s where interviews will take place.

But we have an even better option for you. Why not join us on an Antarctica expedition cruise to the spectacular Ross Sea?

This is one of the least-visited and most beautiful parts of the southern continent. On a voyage aboard an expedition vessel, you’ll not only get to see an insane amount of wildlife – including penguins, sea lions, an infinite number of endemic birds, and even whales – but you’ll finally have that end-of-the-world experience to which all McMurdo Station residents are totally addicted.

Awe-inspiring and unforgettable, a cruise to Antarctica is a bucket-list adventure everyone should experience at least once in life. We can also include visits to ‘easier to access’ research stations so you can get an insider’s view at the incredible work being done in our planet’s most enigmatic continent.

Antarctica and the Big Bang: Science at the World's Bottom

Dutch science journalist Govert Schilling recently visited Antarctica's McMurdo research station on a National Science Foundation-sponsored trip for reporters. Here, the writer offers his first-hand take on science at the bottom of the world.

In December, I spent some time at the Antarctica Hilton. This sounds much fancier than it really was. In fact, the "Hilton" is the nickname of a small shed at the intersection of two snow-covered "roads" in the vicinity of McMurdo Station, home base for American researchers on the southernmost continent, Antarctica.

One of these roads led to the Long Duration Balloon (LDB) facility, a staging ground where high-altitude balloons carrying science experiments are launched. After I made a visit to the LDB, camp manager Scott Battaion had dropped me off at the "hotel," along with Shaul Hanany of the Univerity of Minnesota, the principal investigator of a soon-to-be-launched balloon experiment. Within a few minutes, a shuttle would pick us up for the remaining 6 miles (10 kilometers) or so to "McTown."

Outside the shed, as far as the eye could see, there were snow-covered ice fields beneath a clear-blue sky, with white Mount Erebus — the southernmost active volcano in the world — gently smoking in the background. Shaul got a bit restless when the shuttle didn't show up for five, then 10, then 15 minutes. Personally, I didn't mind too much: The delay provided me with a chance to discuss the hottest episode in the history of the universe — the Big Bang — on the coldest continent of our planet — Antarctica .

Finally, a small dot appeared on the horizon. It turned out that the four-wheel-drive van had gotten stuck in a snow drift. Half an hour later I was back "home," ready for dinner at the McMurdo galley, and hopefully some more interesting encounters with Antarctic scientists.

I was fortunate enough to have been selected by the National Science Foundation as one of three participants on the 2012/2013 media trip to report on the United States Antarctic Program. This was a unique opportunity to visit the frozen continent, journey to the southernmost point of the planet, and meet a bewildering variety of scientists, from microbiologists and penguin researchers to glaciologists, climatologists, particle physicists and cosmologists. Cold as it was, this was scientific heaven. [ Images: Life at Antarctica's Concordia Station ]

Visiting the South Pole

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Sure enough, the highlight of our visit was a day trip to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station on Dec. 10 — a flight of just under three hours for the propeller-driven military LC-130 Hercules freight carrier that is one of the few available aircraft able to land on the ice, using skis.

"It's a very warm day," said station support supervisor Andrea Dixon. Indeed, the temperature was a balmy minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit, which felt like minus 35 degrees F with the wind chill (minus 27 degrees Celsius, which felt like minus 37 degrees C), which, by the way, was still low enough to numb your fingers if you took off your gloves for more than a few minutes to take photographs.

Almost as daunting was the relative shortage of oxygen — the South Pole is at an altitude of 9300 feet (2835 meters) above sea level. Especially when wearing all the NSF-provided extreme-cold-weather gear, walking a flight of stairs became an exhausting endeavour.

Given all the activity going on at the South Pole, I found it hard to believe that it's only been just over a century since Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen first reached this spot, followed just over a month later by his British rival Robert Scott, whose team perished on the way back. Now, the U.S. station is a miniature village, complete with kitchen, sleeping rooms, shop, post office, gym and sauna. During austral summers, when the sun never sets, some 150 people live and work here; during the prolonged winters, about 20 stay behind to keep things going. [ Race to the South Pole in Images ]

But in this forbidding frozen environment, you can't help notice that human presence is ultimately governed by the elements. Both the new, elevated South Pole Station and the Ice Cube Laboratory, where cosmic neutrinos are being studied, had to be designed in such a way that they can be cranked up to higher elevations in the future, lest they become buried under accumulating snow drifts.

Meanwhile, all human edifices are inexorably driven toward the remote ocean, at a rate of about 33 feet (10 meters) per year, by the glacial motion of the Antarctic ice sheet. That's why the marker for the true geographical South Pole has to be relocated every year, in a small ceremony on New Year's Day.

Neutrino lab

Obviously, it was exciting to visit the data center of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory (the actual observatory can't be seen at all — it consists of more than 5,000 sensitive detectors melted in 0.2 cubic miles, or 1 cubic kilometer, of polar ice). And it was thrilling to get a closeup view of the 10-meter South Pole Telescope, which studies the cosmic microwave background, also known as the "afterglow of creation" left behind by the Big Bang. Not to mention the excitement of discussing meteorite hunting with a NASA astronaut, and visiting the payload assembly hall for long-duration balloon flights.

But what struck me most during my visit was the passion and perseverance of scientists — biologists, geologists and astronomers alike — in their quest for knowledge.

They leave home and family behind for weeks or months on end. They fly to the most inhospitable continent of the planet, crammed up in the cargo bay of a Hercules. They have to attend classrooms and field trips to learn about survival techniques and safety measures in the harsh Antarctic environment. And then, they finally set off on their own expeditions, often working more than 12 hours per day, sleeping in tents, fighting the elements — all that to gain a better insight into the workings of our changing planet, its vulnerable biosphere and the vast universe it is part of.

When I flew back to Christchurch, New Zealand, on Dec. 13, I left a frozen world full of mysteries, and a vibrant community of truth-seekers committed to unlocking these secrets. And I took something with me (in addition to lasting memories and hundreds of pictures): a small bottle with "the cleanest air in the world," sampled and sealed at NOAA's Atmospheric Research Observatory at the South Pole. It will remain on my desk as a reminder of the purity of Antarctica.

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• The McMurdo–South Pole Highway: The World's Most Southerly Road

Where Is The World's Most Southerly Road Located?

McMurdo-South Pole Highway, also known as the South Pole Traverse, is estimated to be about 995 miles long. The highway is a densely snow-covered road in Antarctica that connects the McMurdo Station on the coast of US to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The McMurdo-South Pole Highway was built when the snow was leveled and filled into the crevasses. Although the road is not paved it is marked using flags to indicate the route.

Route Of The McMurdo–South Pole Highway

The South Pole trail was fully traversable in 2005 for the first time with case corp and caterpillar tractors hauling specially designed sleds transporting cargo and fuel to the South Pole in approximately 40 days. The trip returning to McMurdo Station is consequently faster due to less cargo and fuel. The construction of McMurdo-South Pole Highway began during the southern summer field season in the years between 2002 and 2003 before coming to an end in the southern in summer of 2005 to 2006. The Antarctic Plateau and the McMurdo Ice Shelf are considerably stable with the most crevasses occurring along the short elevated shear zone between them, the area where the trail climbs ahead of the Leverett Glacier from close to the southernmost area of Ross Ice Shelf to the Polar Plateau which is over 6,600 feet above sea level. The section of the road is in constant need of seasonal maintenance. The section of the road required much more construction work than anticipated due to likelihood of the ice sheets moving.

History Of Establishment Of The Route

The United States National Science Foundation (NSF) funded the project to provide a more effective and efficient way to supply the South Pole Station with fuel and cargo at a lower budget. However, due to the unpredictable adverse weather at the McMurdo-South Pole Highway during some summers, the number of supply flights NSF made to bring in the scientific equipment, and construction supplies had reduced substantially. The McMurdo-South Pole highway not only lowers the carbon footprint over the use of aircraft but also saves approximate 40 flights. Following a one year break, the team involved in the traverse took control of the trail between the years 2007 to 2008 and after a season of comprehensive work completing the first operational road between the year 2008 and 2009.

Interesting Facts Associated With The McMurdo–South Pole Highway

The South Pole Traverse also assisted with the transportation of heavy equipment required to implement the road's proposed plan of an optical fiber link between the South Pole and the French-Italian Concordia Station of South Pole Connectivity Program. The Concordia Station is based at Dome C at the boundary of the Antarctic Plateau. The Station has 24 hours access to geosynchronous satellites which cannot be used at the poles because they are located below the horizon. For that reason the South Pole currently uses lower bandwidth satellites that sufficiently dip south of the equator and are used for several hours every day. However, these satellites are at the end of their lifespan. The McMurdo-South Pole highway might be able to provide an alternate route that is regularly maintained to such a link, but opinions differ as to the shear section’s suitability for long term cable.

Successes Achieved On The Road

A press released on February 7th, 2006 by the NSF indicated that about 100 metric tons of cargo had been successfully transported overland to the South Pole Station as proof that the highway is functional.Maria Leijerstam pedaled a recumbent fatbike that has three wheels over a section of the McMurdo-South Pole highway in February 2013. The achievement was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the first person to arrive by bicycle at the South Pole.

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Daily Life in McMurdo

MCMURDO STATION, ANTARCTICA– We’ve been in Antarctic for just about a week now. Much of our time since we’ve arrived has been spent unpacking, setting up, and testing our gear and attending training sessions and meetings with the Raytheon support personnel.

All 4 of our Aerosonde unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) survived the trip to Antarctica, and have been setup and test run on the loading dock of the lab.

The Aerosondes are relatively small, with a 9 foot wingspan. Despite their small size they are capable of flying through strong winds (they were designed to fly through hurricanes), which is good as we expect to see close to hurricane strength winds at Terra Nova Bay, where we’ll be conducting our science flights.

The temperature has remained below 0 F since we’ve arrived. The warmest temperature has been -4 F and the coldest, in McMurdo, has been -36 F yesterday. The past few days have been both cold and windy.

This video was taken from the Crary lab loading dock on Sunday morning. The temperature was -30 F and the wind was blowing 30 mph.

Sunday was particularly cold and windy, with wind chill temperatures down to near -70 F. Despite the cold weather myself, Nick, Peter, and Paul took a walk to Scott’s Hut, located just north of McMurdo. The hut was built as part of Sir Robert Falcon Scott’s Antarctic expedition in 1902. We’re hoping to get a tour of the hut tomorrow afternoon, as no unescorted groups are allowed to enter the hut to ensure that the historic artifacts are not disturbed.

While the weather is one aspect of coming to Antarctica at this time of year that I’ve really enjoyed on this trip, the other is seeing the transition from the long polar night to the long days of summer. Since we’ve been here the length of daylight is getting noticeably longer. When we arrived last Wednesday sunrise was at 10:53AM and sunset was at 2:59PM. Today sunrise is at 9:41AM and sunset is at 4:08PM, giving us more than 2 hours more daylight now than just a week ago. By September 21st we’ll have 12 hours of daylight. Once the sun rises on 19 October it will not set again until 24 February.

In many ways, everyday life in McMurdo isn’t too different from life back in the US. We live in dorms, that keep us well insulated from the cold. The dorm rooms are setup to accommodate 2 people per room. I’m sharing a room with Dave. There are communal bathrooms on each floor of the dorm, and each dorm has a TV lounge room.

Our meals are prepared for us and served in a cafeteria in building 155 (all of the buildings here are referred to by numbers). Meals include breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as a midnight meal called Mid-Rats for people that work the nightshift.

There are two bars (Gallagher’s and Southern Exposure) and a coffee house in McMurdo.

We are able to go to a gym that includes cardio equipment and weights. The only problem I’ve found in going to the gym here is that I find it very difficult to put on my big parka after working out, since I’m usually very hot and sweaty. I’ve taken to walking the 100 yards from the gym to my dorm in just my shorts and T-shirt after a work out. This is fine, even with the temperature down near -30 F, although my T-shirt did freeze stiff during the less than 5 minute walk back to my room the other day. At least the cold weather makes it easy to cool off after a workout.

We spend most of our time in the Crary lab, which contains offices as well as lab space.

This afternoon we visited the Berg Field Center food room, to get food to stock our hangar at the Pegasus ice runway.

The drive from McMurdo to the runway takes about 30 minutes, and if the weather becomes too bad we will need to stay out at Pegasus, rather than risking getting stuck trying to drive back to town. Weather conditions here are classified as conditions 3, 2, or 1. Condition 3 is considered normal weather and there are no restrictions on travel. Condition 2 is defined by stronger winds (48 to 55 knots), a wind chill temperature of -75 to -100 F, or visibility less than 1/4 mile. During condition 2 weather you are required to check out with the firehouse before leaving town. Condition 1 weather is the worst weather, with wind speeds greater than 55 knots, wind chill temperatures less than -100 F, and visibility less than 100 ft (often due to blowing snow). During condition 1 weather you are not allowed outside and off base travel is not permitted. If we happen to be at Pegasus when condition 1 weather occurs we’ll need to stay there until the storm ends. If we are driving between Pegasus and McMurdo and get caught in condition 1 weather we’ll need to stop where we are and wait in the van until the weather improves, since it is too easy to get lost and drive off of the road in whiteout conditions.

Now that the last flight to Antarctica, until the end of September, has been completed, we are now cleared to start setting up at the Pegasus runway. We are planning on going out to Pegasus tomorrow to begin setting up our office space. Our hangar will be a large tent, and is going to be setup by the carpenters later this week. That should be ready for use by the end of the week. Once that is setup we’ll be ready to start our flights. I’ll include some photos of our facilities at Pegasus on my next post.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 at 4:02 pm and is filed un . , Unmanned Aerial Vehicles der . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

8 Responses »

Thanks for the comments on my first blog post.

Feel free to drop me an e-mail ([email protected]) if you want.

Cheers, John

What a great peak into life at McMurdo…especially the picture of the food store room. Can’t wait to hear about setting up at Pegasus. Those winds are sounding mighty fierce!

Sounds like a fascinating project and a great time! (You don’t need any more Aero Eng or GIS/imaging help, do ya? hehe). I’ll be following along.

Looks like their feeding you off of Fritos and Cheezits!

Dear Mr. Cassano, I am nine years old. I love science. My mom, brother and I enjoyed reading your journal. Wow! It sure sounds cold there. We live in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. We are studying Antarctica right now in our home school. It is a very interesting place. I thought all deserts were hot. I noticed that there were only men in your pictures. Are there any female scientists there? Thank you.

A fan of mountains since childhood (I cut my teeth on the Blue Hills in Milton, Mass., then New Hampshire’s White Mts), I was struck by that picture of the beautiful Royal Society Range (part of the Transantarctic Mts.). I wonder if anybody has climbed them. One party was out collecting meteorites and had the great good fortune of climbing the T.A. Mts. to scout for them. Few have such an opportunity. There were also some fossil collectors up there. –Roger Williams, NOAA veteran (GMCC-CMDL-GMD).

Hope all is going well down their. Hey what is the miles of ice to the open water this year, just would like to know if you could find out please.

I just applied for the surveyor position there, I have been looking at this and now I really want the job! I am pretty sure I could handle a whole year there because I have done several year long tours without going home. One was Korea and the other was Iraq.

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Life in Antarctica: A Look Inside McMurdo Station With Jen Sorensen

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Part of what motivates me to travel around the world is a burning curiosity to discover how other people live , how other places work, and what a regular day in a faraway place might look like. Besides satisfying this curiosity through my own adventures, I am always looking to get the perspective of locals and other travelers on their own unique experiences in unforgettable places.

For this reason, I am starting a series on the blog featuring stories from inspiring travelers and locals around the world entitled “Reports From the Road”. Congratulations, you are reading the first one today!

Of all the far-flung places on the planet, Antarctica is right near the top of the list as one of the most inhospitable and inaccessible places in the world. I spoke with Jen Sorensen, whom I had previously met while working on a film in Los Angeles and is now working at McMurdo Station, about food, work, and life in Antarctica. It’s not like you might think; there are Bunny Boots and a band room involved. Read ahead!

1) What motivated you to want to go to Antarctica?

2) how did you get a job in mcmurdo station.

3) How did you get to Antarctica in the first place?

4) how many people are there at the station what do they do.

McMurdo Station From Above – Photo by Eli Duke via Flickr.com

 5) Walk us through a regular day at the station for you.

6) does it ever feel isolating or lonely, and how do you deal with it.

Band Room at McMurdo

7) Talk to us about the conditions of Antarctica, and how it affects your life there (i.e. special equipment or gear needed).

Photo by US Embassy via Flickr.com

8) How does life in Antarctica at McMurdo compare to other places you’ve been?

9) what, if anything, do you do for outdoor fun.

10) How are your living quarters, food, and other essentials?

Coffee House at McMurdo Station – Photo by brookpeterson via Flickr.com

 11) What do you find special about McMurdo and life there?

12) if you could give one piece of advice to anyone considering a stay at mcmurdo, what would it be.

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica is a unique experience that many dream of being part of.

At least that’s how I felt. Getting to live and work in Antarctica was an amazing opportunity that despite its ups and downs, I would do all over again in a heartbeat.

In this article, take a peek inside McMurdo Station, the continent’s largest research facility and “city” to see what daily life working in Antarctica (“the ice”) is like.

1. There’s a Club for Short People of Antarctica (SPOA)

SPOA aka Short People of Antarctica is for anyone 5’2” and under.

Or, as the slogan states: 62″ and under, under 62° south .

There’s even a flag.

The story goes that the limit was put at 5’2″ because that was the height of the tallest person in the group of short friends who started the club.

I don’t mean to brag, but in the 2019-2020 summer season, I was verified the tallest of the shortest.

My medical paperwork, I kid you not, put me at 5’2.99.”

I thought the nurse was joking when she wrote that, and when I asked if she was serious, she just shrugged and walked me to the next exam.

UPDATE: my medical paperwork listed me as 5’3″ in 2021 so I guess I’m officially out of SPOA? :(

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2. You Can’t Visit McMurdo as a Tourist

While there are of course exceptions for special guests such as Anthony Bourdain or documentary crew, generally speaking, the only people staying in these research facilities are people paid to live in Antarctica (i.e. researchers and support staff).

3. Everyone Works 6 Days a Week

Life on the ice is no vacation.

If you want to check off living in Antarctica from your bucket list, you’ll have to be ready to work around 54 hours a week.

Read more about what life is like at McMurdo Station

4. You Might Have 3 Roommates

Most of the dorms are double occupancy rooms with a shared ensuite bathroom, but the largest dorm, Building 155, holds up to four people per room.

During summer, these rooms are usually filled to full capacity.

5. It’s Mostly Men and Mostly White

This probably doesn’t come as a shock, but it’s worth mentioning for those interested in life on the White Continent.

The men to women ratio is typically 70:30 with the majority of people down there being– surprise– white.

As an Asian American woman who had spent the prior seven years primarily around non-Americans while teaching English in Japan or working on cruise ships , it was fun talking with other women and BIPOC down there, swapping stories of what the experience was like for them.

I even remember seeing one of the few other Asians in the bar one night showing his peers that he could squat while flat-footed.

I busted out laughing and shouted to him “Asian squat!” as both he and I explained to our respective parties what that was.

Related: Life at the South Pole Station: Everything You Want to Know

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Michelle | Work + Travel (@wandereatwrite)

6. Women Wintering Over Have to Take a Pregnancy Test

Because the station doesn’t have the medical capabilities to properly care for pregnant women and there are no flights in or out of the ice during winter, every woman staying (“wintering over”) is required to take a pregnancy test before the last flight leaves.

Also in during the summer season, if you become pregnant you’ll need to go home.

And on that note…

7. There are Free Condoms Everywhere

Every main restroom and all of the ones in the bars have a container of free condoms to avoid the previously stated situation, as well as STDs.

8. Working in Antarctica Means You Get the Antarctica Service Medal

The Antarctica Service Medal is a military award issued by the U.S. Department of Defense for U.S. military personnel or civilians who either served or worked in research facilities or aboard vessels for at least 10 days in Antarctica south of 60 degrees latitude. 

This is probably the coolest souvenir and item I’ll ever own.

9. The Town Goes Dry When Provisions are Brought In

Provisions such as food and fuel are brought in once a year via ships between January and February known as vessel season, or simply “vessel.”

Various U.S. and New Zealand military entities also arrive in town during this time to assist in the efforts.

These few weeks are the busiest on station all year, the most populated, and tend to be a bit more rowdy due to the visitors who’ve spent weeks at sea.

As a result, the entire town goes dry with the bars closing and the store pausing sales on alcohol.

10. There are Weekly Alcohol Rations

To try to ensure that there’s enough alcohol to go around and no one abuses it (remember I said “try”), there’s a weekly limit on how much alcohol each individual can purchase from the McMurdo Store.

The limit might vary each season, but it looks a little something like one main purchase of either a single bottle of liquor or 12 beers, plus 6 beers or one lesser bottle of alcohol.

11. All Trash is Removed from the Continent– Even Poop

In accordance with the Antarctic Treaty , no waste can be left on the continent.

The international agreement was designed to protect the continent as much as possible from any human interference, which includes waste of all kinds.

Each type of waste is sorted, treated, stored, and then removed every year.

This includes food scraps, plastic, metal, recycling, and yes— even all the human waste generated from the scientists and support staff living in the research facilities.

12. There’s a Thing Called Pee Bottles

If you go for a hike or you work in a field camp or worksite with no toilet, you’ll need to bring what’s so delicately called a pee bottle.

These are designated— and yes, reused— plastic Nalgene bottles that are used to collect and store urine until you can dispose of it properly.

As per the Antarctic Treaty, not only are you not allowed to just pee in the snow or ice at your convenience, but it could be grounds to get you sent off the continent permanently.

Have people gotten away with it? Of course.

I know of a handful of people who forgot their bottle and just had to answer nature’s call.

But in order to protect one of Earth’s last remaining mostly uninhabited continent and its environment, pee bottles are required.

And yes, this applies to women, too.

Us ladies were advised to practice before using it for real out in the elements, and there’s also a female urinal device that can come in handy as well.

13. Communication is Old School

Working in Antarctica is like traveling back in time. 

Internet connection and Wi-Fi capabilities are extremely limited, so besides basic email, most communication on continent is done through landline phones, pagers, and two-way radios.

McMurdo is notorious for having very slow online page loading speeds, especially in the summer when the town’s population increases to over 1000 people.

Even as a mid-rat, or night shift worker, during the peak of the summer season at 3 a.m., I was lucky if I was able to send a quick message through Facebook’s basic platform in under 10 minutes or load my Gmail in the basic HTML setting.

14. Flights Rarely Go as Scheduled

Between the gateway city of Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo, conditions need to be perfect in order for a flight to take off or land.

There’s always something, whether it’s issues with the planes or the weather.

Mechanical problem in Christchurch? Flight is rescheduled for 24 hours.

Low visibility in the airfield on the ice? Flight turned back to Christchurch.

That’s right— after finally having favorable conditions to take off out of New Zealand, you could make the 5-7 hour flight all the way to McMurdo and be within minutes of landing and STILL be turned around and sent back to Christchurch in what’s called a boomerang flight.

My flight to the ice was delayed a week, which meant I got 7 paid days in Christchurch to wander around. My flight out of Antarctica was about 8 days delayed, as well; so, average.

On the ice, you learn to expect the unexpected.

15. There’s an Annual New Year’s Eve Festival Called Ice Stock

Every New Year’s Eve in McMurdo, there’s a day-long outdoor music festival called Ice Stock.

Bands made up of people in town perform throughout the afternoon and into the evening, burgers and hotdogs are served, and people dress up in colorful costumes or the always popular animal onesie.

16. Some Dry or Canned Goods are Expired

Like, years expired.

I even found juice powder from every decade since the 90s.

And yes, we still use, eat, and drink them. On the ice, nothing is wasted.

But before you get grossed out, I’d ask you to keep a few things in mind.

One, the early Antarctic explorers survived on seals, penguins , and dry biscuits.

A hundred years later, we’re having fresh eggs for breakfast and lobster for Christmas dinner with slightly old juice powder and canned bean salad.

Two, preserved foods are exactly that— preserved.

And expirations dates? Well, I’ve come to know them as suggestions that don’t apply on the coldest, driest, most desolate continent on Earth.

Three, honestly, if you didn’t know the products were expired, it wouldn’t bother you.

The cooks are amazing and the food they prepare is such a luxury.

They’re honestly better than any food I ate in the crew mess (cafeteria) while working on cruise ships .

So your coffee creamer is a few months past the expiration date. It’s a harsh continent.

Related: What Working on Cruise Ships is Really Like: Pros & Cons

17. There’s Brunch Every Sunday

A good meal is all it takes to boost morale on the ice.

Working long hours in the cold and harsh environment while away from family, friends, and the rest of civilization can break even the strongest of people.

To combat that, there’s a Sunday brunch every week during summer full of as much fresh fruit as possible (if there’s any available), a live egg station, hot specialties, freshly baked pastries and desserts, and a smorgasbord of cheeses, smoked salmon or ahi tuna, crackers, and other charcuterie elements.

Life in McMurdo isn’t always easy, but at least it’s a little more pleasant of an experience than what the early explorers went through.

18. There are Secret M&M’s Hidden in the BOG Paintings

In the Back of the Galley (BOG) dining area, all of the large paintings have a small M&M hidden in the artwork.

While it might take a bit to find the first one, the others become easier to search for once you know what you’re looking for.

19. There’s Only One Type of Insect in Antarctica

Because of the continent’s harsh environment, there is only one native insect species on the ice known as the Antarctic midge and they stay frozen for 75% of the year.

The flightless insect is the continent’s largest native land animal yet measures less than a centimeter long.

One of the perks about living on the ice was that I never had to worry about ants or spiders.

The only other living creatures around were whales, seals, skua (vicious sky turkeys), and of course— penguins!

20. There are 24 Hours of Sunlight in the Summer and 24 Hours of Darkness in the Winter

Antarctica officially only has two seasons: summer and winter.

Between the austral summer (October to February) the sun never sets, resulting in 24 hours of sunlight.

While there are a couple months in between the “official” seasons where there’s a bit of both light and darkness, from around April through August it’s nearly always 24 hours of no sunlight.

It’s also during these dark winter months when the Southern Lights (commonly mistaken for Northern Lights in Antarctica ) are visible.

Related: Antarctica Northern Lights & Southern Lights Guide 2023

Are you ready to live in Antarctica? Check out my guide for how you can get paid to live in Antarctica to find out all the information you need about living and working on the ice!

P.S.- Many thanks to my wonderful ice friends who helped me piece together the random details for this post!

Additional Antarctica Posts:

• How I Got Paid to Live in Antarctica: FAQ About Working on the Ice
• McMurdo Station Packing List for Working in Antarctica
• Working in Antarctica: Supply Tech Jim Huston | Stories from the Ice
• Working in Antarctica: Blaster Garry Rex | Stories From the Ice

Life at the South Pole Station: Everything You Want to Know

• Antarctica Northern Lights & Southern Lights Guide 2023
• How to Get Paid to Travel to Every Continent (Yes, Even Antarctica)

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Michelle is a freelance writer who has traveled to all seven continents and 60+ countries through various forms of employment. Over the last ten years, she’s worked as an ESL teacher in Japan, a youth counselor aboard cruise ships, and a hospitality manager in Antarctica.

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38 comments

Wow! This is so interesting. I never knew what life was really like in Antarctica and I love how you go into detail in this article. It is great they do everything they can to keep Antarctica clean! :)

As all good stewards of this planet should!

What a fascinating glimpse of life at McMurdo Station. I had no idea that women were required to take pregnancy tests before overwintering. It makes sense but still… And shipping all human waste back to the mainland! It’s good to see that people aren’t leaving it there. Very interesting.

Definitely a place with lots of quirks but such a unique place to experience!

That was absolutely fascinating, thank you for sharing! I met a lovely couple in Kerikeri, New Zealand, who met in Antarctica and work there 6 months of the year. Really interesting to have a deeper understanding of what life is like there when you live there. Oh, the pee bottle, and if it’s freezing and you’re outside? Oh gosh, wow! And alcohol rations, cannot imagine! Good on you.

You learn a lot of new skills on the ice ;)

The adventure of a lifetime (maybe two lifetimes!) While live “on the ice” sounds grueling, I’m sure it gives you a perspective so few have & such a different relationship to the Earth. I love love loved reading this very cool post.

Thanks for reading! It really makes you wonder what the rest of the world would look like if all waste were properly handled and the environment a priority.

Wow, what an incredible experience! I’d love to visit Antarctica, but I’m not sure I’m cut out to stay there for a long time! I don’t do well in cold weather! Thanks for this fascinating insight into life on the continent!

I’m terrible with cold weather as well but sometimes sacrifices have to be made for great adventures!

Coolest post I’ve read so far! How fascinating!

This was a fascinating read; I genuinely enjoyed it! Seems like such an adventure to live on Antarctica!

Thanks for reading! It definitely was an unforgettable adventure :)

This is absolutely fascinating and I have to say, I am a bit jealous. What a thing to experience – something I would love to do at least once in my life. I know it isn’t all glamourous, but what an entirely different world. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about this place ( a place none of us will ever be able to visit as tourists!).

Luckily, there are ways to get down there without paying for an Antarctic cruise or expedition, even if you’re not a scientist! You can read more about how I was able to get a dishwashing/ floor mopping job here: https://wandereatwrite.com/how-i-got-paid-to-live-in-antarctica/

This is so fascinating! I absolutely love all of your blog posts; I always learn something new!

Thanks for following along with my adventures! It really means a lot :)

This is so cool! It blows my mind that you were able to live in Antarctica. I love reading about the workings of how you can be there. What an amazing experience!

Great post and love these facts. Some of these ate not so surprising and the meteorites thing makes sense since the scientist in the movie eight below was looking for one. Also good to know that zi need a pregnancy test if I want to visit as a scientist. Lol.

I didn’t know that! I’ll have to check out that movie.

That was definitely full of fascinating facts. I had never heard of McMurdo Station. This is a great experience but I’m not sure how I would cope with no sunlight!

Me neither! I left just a couple weeks before it went dark but I absolutely loved having 24 hours of sunlight.

I loved reading about this, so interesting. And of course so many of the points you talked about make complete sense. What an experience!

This is amazing that you got to experience it. I’m looking into a few isolated trips but nothing like this!

This looks so fun! I love reading about all the cool opportunities you have experienced throughout the world… really inspiring!

Thanks for reading! There are so many ways to see this world, it’s all about finding what works for you.

So many things that I never would have thought about before reading this post. Namely, the pregnancy test thing and having to leave if you become pregnant. It makes sense for safety, but that would suck if you got pregnant while you were out there and had to leave.

Agreed, but what a story that would be!

Thanks for sharing. My son Jonathan is there now working as a chef. He seems to like it a lot.

This is really well done. Thank you! I’ve been looking for some realistic accounts of recent visits to Antarctica and Mcmurdo and you definitely hit the mark. Looking forward to exploring more of your content. Thanks again!

I was there in 1968 with the Royal New Zealand Navy. They used. to say that it was a “great place with a girl behind every tree.” In those days it was true.

We didn’t take pregnancy tests this winter! I kept waiting to be told to go to medical but I’d heard rumors that stock is too low on tests so they just didn’t test us this year. Is that the truth? Or did they just not want to know because station population is so sparse this winter and no one wanted to stay? WHO KNOWS?

Interesting! I guess things are always changing down there, especially during COVID seasons ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Thanks. Good read.. I’m going back for 2nd deployment soon. I was there cooking 8/2018-2/19. I forgot about the M&Ms in pics. Fruit loops with the misty frosty ice cream was my favorite vice

Long live Frosty Boi!

How long ago was your deployment? I’m scheduled -support staff/contractor- to be on the ice 10 feb (2023). my biggest concern is keeping track of bills and home stuff while I am away. Mixed bag of emotions about wintering over, but not passing up the opportunity to add this to the resume.

I was in MCM 2019-2020 and 2021, South Pole after that. Taking care of errands back home can definitely be challenging but is totally worth the adventure (and completely do-able!). Best of luck on your deployment!

EXCELLENT article. Love the spaced out and easy to read font. Great pics. Our daughter used your super helpful packing list and is currently in Christ Church gearing up. She said you were a guest speaker on one of her zoom calls and that you were really sweet. Good luck in your future endeavors.

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Back in McMurdo Station

By Jennifer Lamp

This blog post was originally drafted on January 13 , but couldn’t be posted until now because the Antarctic fieldwork site lacked an internet connection, and other challenges. Read the team’s previous blog posts  here .

In preparation for our camp pull-out, we spent Saturday, Dec. 22nd weighing all of our gear and assembling the helicopter sling loads. McMurdo Helicopter Operations (“HeloOps”) needs accurate weights of all of our cargo so that they can gauge how many helicopters to send, and how much fuel each can carry. The weather was touch-and-go on Sunday morning, but by 11:30 the clouds cleared enough for two helicopters to make it into Beacon Valley. A small A-Star helicopter picked up our Scott tent sling load, and a larger Bell 212 grabbed the three of us and about 600 pounds of cargo. Half of our gear will remain in Beacon Valley until a third helicopter is able to pick it up later in the week. It was a long day, but we made it back to McMurdo in time to shower before dinner service in the galley, for which everyone — especially those sitting near us — was thankful. We settled into our dorm rooms, did laundry, and got in touch with our families to let them know we made it back safely.

On the 24th, McMurdo hosted a holiday dinner service, where Missy, Kate, and I joined the rest of the station in singing Christmas carols and gorging on seafood and chocolate truffles. I was plagued by some vertigo-esque dizziness that lasted a few days after our helicopter ride out of Beacon Valley — prompting my first ever visit to the McMurdo clinic — so besides the holiday dinner and scrubbing our tents clean, I took it easy for our first couple of days back.

A helicopter was able to make it back to Beacon Valley on the 26th to pick up our last sling load. We were therefore able to clean and return the bulk of our field gear that afternoon. Missy left the ice on Dec. 27th, and Kate made it onto a flight on Dec. 29th, leaving me as the sole G-055-er in Antarctica. I enjoyed a low-key New Year as I slowly adjusted to being back in the midst of humanity, and waded through emails from the last month. Indoor plumbing is always the best part of returning to “normal life” after a field season for me, but breakfast food that isn’t instant oatmeal is a close second.

The plan for my remaining time in McMurdo is to conduct trips every 7-10 days back to Beacon Valley to check on the equipment. I’ll download the data, check that all of the instrumentation is functioning well, and perform any maintenance that is needed. During the first trip, I’ll also need to stop by the old helicopter landing site in Mullins Valley where some of our heavy rock samples are still cached .

There are two types of helicopter support requests for day trips: “close support” where the helicopter remains at the site, and “ground time” where the helicopter drops you off with a survival bag and leaves for other work. The survival bag contains items like a small mountain tent, a WhisperLite stove, and emergency food rations in the event that a helicopter is unable to pick you up (usually because bad weather comes in). No one is allowed to be dropped off for a ground time trip alone, so I rode out to Beacon Valley for my first day trip on Jan. 2nd with our project implementor, Bija, who is also in charge of the Berg Field Center (BFC) at McMurdo. (In fact, for all of my ground time trips I ended up taking along a field-savvy person from the BFC in case we had to break into the survival bag.)

Bija and I we were given ~4 hours on the ground in Beacon Valley. The instrumentation was running well, except for one datalogger on the meteorological station that needed to be replaced. I changed a few of the settings in our acoustic emission (AE) system software, and Bija helped to further rebuild the area surrounding the study site by placing large rocks around our four boulders to better mimic the wind break made by the natural terrain.

A Bell 212 helicopter then picked us up in Beacon Valley, and flew us to Mullins Valley to pick up the rock samples that we left during the field season. However, we quickly ran into a problem: we could not find the samples! We couldn’t see them from the air, and landed for a few minutes to hike around the coordinates, but to no avail. I was concerned, but hoped that the presence of snow on the ground was the culprit — I couldn’t see the helipad, and the white rock bags containing the samples blended in with the snowy backdrop.

I was able to get back to Beacon Valley on January 12th, after ice conditions there kept the helicopter from flying earlier in the week. This time I went to the site with BFC-er Krista. Again, all of our equipment was running smoothly, and I made some further tweaks to the AE system software. I requested a smaller, A-Star helicopter for the Mullins Valley portion of this trip so that we could fly closer to the ground and hopefully spot the rock samples. And, success! Most of the snow had sublimated, and I spotted the sample cache as soon as it came into view. We were able to quickly load the samples into rock boxes and on to the helicopter.

In between these trips I’ve been trying to catch up on other work. This is made difficult by the fact that internet is very slow at McMurdo, and some days I can’t even load my email, let alone try to open an attachment or download a paper. I’ve started hiking on some of the trails around station to break up the day. It’s been difficult for me to keep a consistent sleeping schedule with 24 hours of sunlight and no set working hours.

In other exciting Ross Island news, the icebreaker has been spotted in McMurdo Sound! The USCGC Polar Star is one of the United States’ two polar-class icebreakers, operated by the Coast Guard. The Polar Star will traverse McMurdo sound to make a path for the resupply vessel to reach the ice pier at McMurdo Station. The resupply vessel will deliver almost all of the items (including fuel) needed to operate the station for the next year. All of McMurdo is excited to welcome and celebrate the crew of the Polar Star when they dock for a few days later this month.

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Nasa c-130 makes first-ever flight to antarctica for gusto balloon mission.

Olivia F. Littleton

On Oct. 28, 2023, NASA’s C-130 Hercules  and crew safely touched down at  McMurdo Station , Antarctica, after an around-the-globe journey to deliver the agency’s Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO). The United States research station, operated by the National Science Foundation, is host to NASA’s Antarctic long-duration balloon campaign in which the GUSTO mission will take a scientific balloon flight beginning December 2023.

The C-130 crew, which has now completed half of the 26,400-nautical-mile round-trip journey, first stopped at Fort Cavazos, Texas, on Oct. 17, to load the GUSTO observatory and members of its instrument team . Additional stops to service the aircraft and for crew rest included Travis Air Force Base (AFB), California; Hickman AFB, Hawaii; Pago Pago, American Samoa; and Christchurch, New Zealand, before finally reaching McMurdo, Antarctica – a mere 800 miles from the South Pole.

GUSTO , part of NASA’s Astrophysics Explorers Program, is set to fly aboard a football-stadium-sized, zero-pressure scientific balloon 55 days and beyond, on a mapping mission of a portion of the Milky Way Galaxy and nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. A telescope with carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen emission line detectors will measure the interstellar medium, the cosmic material found between stars, and trace the full lifecycle of that matter. GUSTO’s science observations will be performed in a balloon launch from Antarctica to allow for enough observation time aloft, access to astronomical objects, and solar power provided by the austral summer in the polar region.

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Aircraft Office in Wallops Island, Virginia, which manages the C-130, spent nearly a year in coordination efforts preparing for GUSTO’s trip to its launch site. From international clearances with agencies, cargo configurations with NASA’s Balloon Program Office, logistical support with the National Science Foundation at McMurdo, to specialized training on nontraditional navigation systems in Antarctica, the Aircraft Office developed an extensive plan to safely deliver the intricate science payload.

The first-ever mission to Antarctica for the NASA C-130 aircraft presented several long-haul cargo flight challenges. Mission managers and NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) started early to stay ahead of coordination of international flight clearances.

“We work very hard to make sure that we execute the mission at a high standard of technical competence and professionalism to maintain NASA’s international reputation,” said John Baycura, Wallops research pilot on the GUSTO mission.

Large time-zone changes challenge the crew’s circadian rhythm. Ninety hours in flight across multiple time zones requires an extra pilot and flight engineer on the mission to share the workload. Mandatory crew rest days at strategic locations, per NASA policy, ensure the crew receives enough time to rest, adjust to the schedule, and proceed safely.

Unexpected weather also tops the list of most pressing challenges for this type of flight. Oceanic crossings come with the added risk of weather complicated by no radar coverage over the ocean. The crew uses DOD and civilian weather agencies to identify hazardous weather and adjust flight routes, altitude, and timings accordingly. “For the specific case of McMurdo, while en route, we called the weather shop at McMurdo Station to get a forecast update before we reached our ‘safe return’ point. Using a conservative approach, we decided whether to continue to McMurdo Station or return to Christchurch and try again the next day,” said Baycura.

For this mission, no commercial entities supported the final leg to Antarctica. U.S. Air Force C-17’s and the New York Air National Guard LC-130’s that typically transport to McMurdo Station had limited space in their schedules. By using NASA’s C-130 for this specialized cargo mission, “the balloon program gained a dedicated asset with a highly experienced crew and support team. This greatly reduced the standard project risks to schedule, cargo, and cost,” said Baycura.

For more information, visit nasa.gov/wallops .

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Investigators will travel to Antarctica after claims of sexual assault at U.S. bases

Juliana Kim

McMurdo Station is photographed from the air on Oct. 27, 2014. National Science Foundation via AP hide caption

McMurdo Station is photographed from the air on Oct. 27, 2014.

Investigators with the National Science Foundation's watchdog office are heading to Antarctica in response to longtime allegations of sexual misconduct at U.S. research stations there — which the NSF director has described as a "pervasive problem."

Special agents are expected to arrive Monday at McMurdo Station, the largest research hub on the continent where hundreds of scientists conduct fieldwork. The visit is scheduled through Nov. 17.

"Members of our investigative staff will be visiting McMurdo to prepare for a future on-site presence in Antarctica and meet with staff to explain our role," Lisa Vonder Haar, the chief of staff for the NSF's inspector general, said in a statement.

Sexual harassment and assault plague U.S. research bases in Antarctica, report says

The trip comes more than a year after the release of a damning report by the NSF, which oversees all American operations in Antarctica, cataloging a culture of harassment and assault within the U.S. Antarctic Program. In addition to McMurdo, the NSF also collected concerns of sexual misconduct at South Pole Station, Palmer Station and other U.S. research vessels in Antarctica.

Drawing on surveys of 880 current and recent employees, 59% of women said they had a negative experience with sexual harassment or assault during the program, while 95% of respondents said they knew of someone who was assaulted or harassed within the program.

"Every woman I knew down there had an assault or harassment experience that had occurred on ice," one interviewee told the report's authors. Another woman in the report called sexual assault and sexual harassment "a fact of life" in Antarctica. Several men also recounted experiencing sexual harassment by men and women, according to the report.

The inquiry also revealed that a pervasive environment of harassment and assault was compounded by fears of retaliation.

"People on station fear, and rightfully so, that if they are harassed or assaulted and report it, they will be the ones who will be going home," one person told the report's authors. "When things happened on ice, the number one thing I heard was 'don't report it or you will go home and be blacklisted from the program.'"

The NSF commissioned the report in 2021 afters years of reports of sexual misconduct. In 2018, three women came forward with allegations that Boston University geologist David Marchant had sexually harassed them during research expeditions to Antarctica while they were graduate students. He was later fired from his university . In a statement at the time, he denied the allegations.

"It wasn't surprising to me to hear some of the stories that we heard," said Roberta Marinelli, the director of the NSF's Office of Polar Programs, in an interview with NPR last year. "It's certainly disappointing."

The U.S. Antarctic Program sends more than 3,000 people — from researchers to cooks — to the bottom of the world each year. About one in three of them are women.

Over the past few months, the NSF watchdog office has been addressing complaints from Antarctica workers remotely. The upcoming visit is part of an effort to have a stronger presence on the ice, Vonder Haar added.

On Thursday, the NSF appointed Renée V. Ferranti as a new special assistant to the director tasked with sexual assault and harassment prevention and response implementation. Ferranti was previously the director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program at the Peace Corps. She begins her appointment on Sunday.

"Addressing this pervasive problem remains a top priority for me and the agency, and with Renee's expertise we will continue to adapt and further accelerate our efforts to address the evolving landscape of sexual assault prevention and response," Sethuraman Panchanathan, the director of NSF said in a statement.

Correction Nov. 3, 2023

An earlier version of this story mistakenly said that investigators will be spending the next two weeks examining reports of sexual misconduct at U.S. research bases on Antarctica. Investigators will be arriving to prepare for a future on-site presence in Antarctica.

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NASA C-130 Makes First Flight to Antarctica

The 26,400 nm, round-trip flight delivering an observatory to mcmurdo station took nearly a year to organize, according to the space agency..

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility C-130 aircraft delivered the agency’s Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) payload to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, on October 28, 2023. The GUSTO mission will launch on a scientific balloon in December. [Credit: NASA]

A NASA C-130 Hercules successfully made its first flight to Antarctica on Saturday, delivering the Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) to McMurdo Station, according to the space agency.

GUSTO is set to launch aboard a long-duration balloon campaign in December to map a portion of the Milky Way and nearby Large Magellanic Cloud.

The NASA Wallops Flight Facility , based in Wallops Island, Virginia, spent nearly a year coordinating the 26,400 nm, round-trip flight that required an extra pilot and flight engineer to manage 90 hours across numerous time zones.

“From international clearances with agencies, cargo configurations with NASA’s Balloon Program Office, logistical support with the National Science Foundation at McMurdo, to specialized training on nontraditional navigation systems in Antarctica, the [Wallops] Aircraft Office developed an extensive plan to safely deliver the intricate science payload,” NASA said.

The journey began October 17 at Fort Cavazos, Texas, where the GUSTO observatory and members of its instrument team were loaded onto the heavy-lift cargo aircraft.

“Additional stops to service the aircraft and for crew rest included Travis Air Force Base (AFB), California; Hickam AFB, Hawaii; Pago Pago, American Samoa; and Christchurch, New Zealand, before finally reaching McMurdo, Antarctica—a mere 800 miles from the South Pole,” NASA said.

Said John Baycura, a Wallops research pilot on the GUSTO mission: “We work very hard to make sure that we execute the mission at a high standard of technical competence and professionalism to maintain NASA’s international reputation.” 

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