Palmer station
The Palmer Station on Anvers Island is the only US Antarctic research station north of the Arctic Circle . It is located on Gamage Point on the southwest coast of the island. Construction was completed in 1968.
Description of the station
The station was named after Nathaniel B. Palmer , who is widely considered to be the first American to see Antarctica . The maximum population that Palmer Station can accommodate is 46 people. The quota for a normal southern summer varies, but is usually around 40 people. However, Palmer is manned all year round, the population falls to between 15 and 20 people in winter who take over the maintenance work after the end of the summer research work. There are science laboratories, a pier and a helicopter landing pad.
The facility is already the second Palmer station, "Old Palmer" was about 1.5 kilometers northwest of the British "Base N", which was built in the 1950s. Old Palmer was built around 1965 and served as the base for the construction of the new station, which opened in 1968. Old Palmer was also intended to serve as a refuge for the population of the new station in the event of a disaster, although that need diminished over time. In the early 1990s, Old Palmer was dismantled and removed from Antarctica as part of the National Science Foundation's environmental cleanup.
science
Most of the scientific research done at the Palmer Station involves marine biology. The station continues to house year-round surveillance equipment for global seismic, atmospheric, and UV surveillance networks, as well as a radar receiver that studies lightning over the western hemisphere.
The Palmer Station is located near some penguin colonies - Adélie , gentoo and chinstrap penguins are present in the summer abound, but in the field they can all year occur in smaller numbers. Various species of seals also live here: fur seals, elephant seals , crab-eaters and leopard seals . Also minke , orcas and humpback whales often swim in the waters around the station.
Further research will be undertaken from the research vessel R / V Laurence M. Gould , a ship with a reinforced hull, including oceanography, marine geology and marine biology. The ship also brings fieldwork research groups to locations across the Antarctic Peninsula to study glaciology, geology, and paleontology.
Supply of the station and transport
The supply of the Palmer station is also guaranteed by the R / V Laurence M. Gould . The R / V Nathaniel B. Palmer , the second research vessel of the United States Antarctic Program , also occasionally brings goods past - but the bay in which the pier is located is too shallow for the Palmer .
There is no routine air access to the Palmer station. Over the years, small planes equipped with skis have landed on the glacier east of the station.
Web links
- Website about the Palmer station
- Map of the area
- Report from an adventure tour to Anvers Island with pictures
- British Antarctic Survey website
- A visit report with pictures
- COMNAP Antarctic Facilities ( Memento of August 7, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map (English)
Coordinates: 64 ° 46 ′ 27 ″ S , 64 ° 3 ′ 8 ″ W