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McMurdo Station Webcam For information about current research conducted in or near McMurdo Station, see the NSF McMurdo Station and Vicinity Research Projects page. McMurdo Station (77°51'S, 166°40'E), the main U.S. station in Antarctica, is a coastal station on the volcanic hills at the southern tip of Ross Island, about 3,864 km (2,415 miles) south of Christchurch, New Zealand, and 1,360 km (850 miles) north of the South Pole. The original station was built in 1955 to 1956 for the International Geophysical Year. Today's station is the primary logistics facility for supply of inland stations and remote field camps, and is also the waste management center for much of the U.S. Antarctic Program. Year-round and summer science projects are supported at McMurdo.
The station has a harbor, landing strips The mean annual temperature is -18°C (0°F). Temperatures may reach 8°C (46°F) in summer and -50°C (-58°F) in winter. The average wind is 12 knots, but winds have exceeded 100 knots.
McMurdo Station began the first phase of austral summer operations on August 20, 2009 with the first flights of the Winter Fly-in,
or WinFly. During the week-long operation, the U.S. Air Force will fly five round-trip flights between Christchurch,
New Zealand, and McMurdo Station to bring people and supplies in preparation for the 2009-2010 field season. About 350
people, including 24 scientists, will join the 153 wintering population on Ross Island. To find out more about life at U.S. Antarctic
research stations, see the
Around the Continent
Additional Links and Resources For another view of Antarctica, see the South Pole Station Webcam |
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