Despite being the only continent on Earth with no indigenous or permanent population, Antarctica does host humans-a relative handful, mind you-all year round at Antarctic bases.
Its many scattered research stations, which are mostly located on the coast but also encompass some stunningly remote outposts in the vast white interior, mark the major footprint of humanity on this least affected part of the landmass on the planet.
There are more than 70 research stations in the Antarctic, operated by more than 40 countries: from Japan (Showa Station on East Ongul Island) and South Africa (SANAE IV on the Weslecarnet Nunatak in Queen Maud Land) to Pakistan (Jinnah). Antarctic Station near the Sier Rondan Mountains) and Bulgaria (St. Clement of Ohrid in the South Shetland Islands). Argentina and Chile are leading with 13 and a dozen stations, respectively.
Given the harsh winters on the White Continent, many of these Antarctic stations are only operational during the summer in Australia; some are little more than summer field camps. But more than a dozen others operate year-round, though understandably with significantly reduced staff during the long, dark winter. The number varies from year to year, but roughly 4000 or 5000 people live in Antarctica in the summer, with 1000 or so “winterers”.
The Antarctic research stations employ not only scientists – biologists, geologists, astrophysicists, meteorologists, etc. – but also a wide variety of personnel, from mechanics to cooks, firefighters and doctors. And two stations – the Argentine base Esperanza and the Chilean base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, where Villa Las Estrellas is located – contain the only civilian settlements in Antarctica.
What are Antarctic research stations used for?
The purpose of these Antarctic research stations is to collect scientific information. The relatively pristine state of Antarctica, as well as its extreme ice environment and climate, long geological isolation, polar position and other basic physical characteristics make it a unique research area for a wide range of scientific disciplines: from glaciology, astronomy and meteorology to marine biology, engineering and even medicine.
Among the fundamental provisions of the Antarctic Treaty is the use of Antarctica “for peaceful purposes only”. While military equipment and personnel are allowed if they are present to support scientific research and similar peaceful purposes, Antarctic bases are not military installations.
However, this does not mean that these Antarctic facilities do not have a specific geopolitical strategy and position. Countries may partially maintain or establish bases to strengthen or establish a presence on the White Continent, perhaps with an eye to future access to resources.
And ulterior motives for the research stations continue to be expressed: some international observers, for example, question whether the new base being built by China on Neovyrazny Island in the Ross Sea, which could be completed by 2024, could be used to monitor other governments’ satellite communications – a suggestion that China strongly denies.
Profiles of individual Antarctic bases and research stations
In this section, we will highlight just a few of the dozens and dozens of seasonal and year-round research stations in Antarctica, including some of the most famous or historically significant.
Mawson (Australia)
Australia’s Mawson Station is one of the oldest Antarctic bases, founded in February 1954. This year-round base is located on a lonely outpost of coastal rock in Horseshoe Harbor, mostly surrounded by ice. New station facilities were built in the 1990s, although some of the original structures remain.
In summer, about 50 employees and three scientists work at Mawson Station, and about 15 employees usually spend the winter.
McMurdo (USA)
McMurdo Station is not only the largest research base, but also the largest community in the Antarctic, a year-round facility on Ross Island’s Hat Point Peninsula that houses up to 1,200 employees with approximately 150 winterers during the Australian summer. Its more than 80 buildings include (or have included in the past) shops, bars and even a bowling alley. McMurdo Station in the Antarctic – only about two miles from Scott Base in New Zealand – was opened in December 1956 and remains the nerve center of the US Antarctic Program.
By the way, if you’re interested in seeing what life is like there, there’s a great documentary called Antarctica: A Year on Ice”.
Amundsen-Scott (USA)
The Amundsen Scott South Polar Station is the research base of Antarctica’s most famous landmark: the geographical South Pole itself. Opened in February 1957, this year-round station was substantially modernized in 2008 to form a full-fledged facility raised above the snow that constantly threatened to bury the station’s former dome.
The Amundsen-Scott South Polar Station, located on top of the Polar Plateau ice sheet, at a depth of about 9000 feet, hosts about 90 staff and 60 scientists in the summer and about 40 staff and nine scientists in the winter.
A ring of international flags marks the ceremonial South Pole near the station: an iconic Antarctic photo for the relatively few tourists who travel to the world’s southernmost point.
Concordia (France/Italy)
Jointly operated by France and Italy, Concordia Station, along with Vostok and Amundsen-Scott, is one of three year-round Antarctic research stations in the interior of the White Continent. Located at an altitude of 3,233 meters/10,607 feet on the East Antarctic Polar Plateau, its demanding, bleak environment makes it (among other scientific pursuits) of great interest to the European Space Agency in terms of simulating extraterrestrial human efforts.
Comandante Ferraz (Brazil)
This Brazilian base, located along Admiralty Bay on King George Island’s Keller Peninsula, was completely rebuilt – and significantly modernized – after its predecessor burned down in a fire in 2012: a vivid reminder of the dangers of fire on the station during dry and windy periods. Antarctic climate.
A $100 million redesign marked a significant increase in the research capabilities of the Antarctic Comandante Ferraz station in climatology, molecular biology and other activities, and introduced modern “hotel-style” accommodation for 64 employees.
Hull VI (UK)
The southernmost of the British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) Antarctic research stations, Halley VI is also “the world’s first portable research center,” as BAS describes it. Its unique design-eight modules or containers mounted on hydraulic ski-mounted supports, each easily towable-reflects its dynamic location on the Brant Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea.
The Halley VI research station, naturally displaced by the movement of the shelf glacier, is vulnerable to icebergs, so it is protected by a grid of GPS sensors called the Halley Lifeline network. The nearby ice breakup prompted a complete relocation of the station in 2016 and 2017, after which this previously year-round station switched to summer-only operation (with automated data collection in winter).
Halley VI research station is also known for being the first to document a hole in the ozone layer back in 1985.
Princess Elizabeth Antarctica
Owned by Belgium but operated by the International Polar Foundation, Princess Elisabeth Antarctica is a summer-only research station located on Nunataku Utsteinen in Queen Maud Land. Opened in 2009, it is known as Antarctica’s first zero-emission base, powered entirely by solar and wind energy.
Despite the fact that many Antarctic bases and research stations are off the beaten path, some are eagerly visited during cruises, sightseeing flights, and other events. For example, the Argentine base Esperanza receives more than 1,000 tourists on average per year. Other Antarctic research stations that can be visited, depending on conditions and itinerary, include Ukraine’s Akademik Vernadsky station, Britain’s Rothera station, and Russia’s Bellingshausen station – not to mention, of course, the ceremonial South Pole at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole in the United States. The station.