Palmer Station Antarctica

Antarctica is one of the scientific centers of the world. Each year, thousands of scientists travel to Antarctica to conduct research. Researchers from all over the

world gather in Antarctica, at various research stations around the continent. Some countries, like the U.S., have multiple stations in Antarctica. One of the U.S.’s stations is Palmer Station Antarctica, and it’s run by the United States Antarctic Program.

Palmer Station Antarctica is one of several U.S. research stations on Antarctica. America has one of the largest Antarctic research programs out of all the countries participating in the Antarctic Treaty. Palmer Station Antarctica is the only U.S. station north of the Antarctic circle, and it’s placed in prime position to conduct research. Though the temperature around Palmer station is, on average, extremely low even for Antarctica, the station operates smoothly due to experienced scientists and plenty of government funding. The station was initially built in 1968, and has been used every year since.

Palmer Station Antarctica is named after Nathaniel B. Palmer, who is widely considered to be the first American to see Antarctica. The station is small, but it’s pretty large compared to many other research stations. The maximum occupancy of the base is 46, and during the summer there will usually be around 40 people stationed there. Palmer station is staffed year-round though, with a small maintenance crew stationed there year-round to keep the base in order. During the summer there will usually be between 15 and 20 people at Palmer station. “Old Palmer”, a base built in the 1950’s, came before Palmer station Antarctica, and was later replaced by it. Old Palmer was built about a mile away from the current location, on Amsler island. The base was not used much, but it remained in operation until the early 1990’s, when it was dismantled by an environmental group.

Since there are many people stationed at Palmer station Antarctica, there are enough researchers to conduct many different experiments. Palmer station mainly researches marine biology, but they also monitor temperature, weather, seismic movement, etc. They also monitor lightning in the Western hemisphere. There is a wide variety of wildlife surrounding the station, which is also used for research. Penguins, seals, whales, etc. can often be seen near Palmer station Antarctica, as can hundreds of species of birds.

Like all other stations in Antarctica, Palmer station Antarctica has a specific research vessel that supplies it. Laurence M. Gould is that ship, and it runs trips to and from the base quite often. It brings supplies and researchers in, and takes waste products out. The Antarctic treaty lines out some guidelines for waste disposal, and most environmentalists don’t want to see our research activities directly damaging the infrastructure of such a majestic place. The Nathaniel B. Palmer research vessel also occasionally runs people and supplies to and from Palmer station, but the previous ship is it’s main one.