Research Stations & Transportation
in Antarctica
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Search Words: Wintering Stations in Antarctica, Research Stations in Antarctica, Antarctica Research Stations, Transportation in Antarctica, Institutions & National Antarctic Programs
Antarctica has no indigenous inhabitants, but there are seasonally staffed research stations note: approximately 30 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, send personnel to perform seasonal (summer) and year-round research on the continent and in its surrounding oceans; the population of persons doing and supporting science on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty) varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000 personnel including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research are present in the waters of the treaty region;
- Summer (January) population - 3,687 total (1998-99)
- Winter (July) population - 964 total (1998-99)
- Summer-only stations - 32 total (1998-99)
- Year-round stations - 42 total (1998-99)
In addition, during the austral summer some nations have numerous occupied locations such as tent camps, summer-long temporary facilities, and mobile traverses in support of research.
Page Index
- List of Wintering Stations in Antarctica
- Stations South of 60°S | Stations North of 60°S
- Transportation in Antarctica
- Institutions & National Antarctic Programs
List of Wintering Stations in Antarctica
Research Stations in Antarctica (Wikipedia)
| Stations South of 60°S ( map ) | ||||
| No. | Station | Country | Location | |
| 1 | Amundsen-Scott - Virtual tour of the Pole - Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station - Wikipedia |
United States | 89°59'51"S | 139°16'22"E |
| 2 | Maitri | India | 70°45'57"S | 11°44'09"E |
| 3 | Novolazarevskaya | Russia | 70°46'26"S | 11°51'54"E |
| 5 | Syowa | Japan | 69°00'25"S | 39°35'01"E |
| 6 | Molodezhnaya | Russia | 67°40'18"S | 45°51'21"E |
| 8 | Mawson - Mawson Station - Wikipedia |
Australia | 67°36'17"S | 62°52'15"E |
| 10 | Zhongshan | China | 69°22'16"S | 76°23'13"E |
| 11 | Progress | Russia | 69°22'44"S | 76°23'13"E |
| 13 | Davis | Australia | 68°34'38"S | 77°58'21"E |
| 14 | Mirny | Russia | 66°33'07"S | 93°00'53"E |
| 15 | Vostok | Russia | 78°28'00"S | 106°48'00"E |
| 16 | Casey | Australia | 66°17'00"S | 110°31'11"E |
| 17 | Dumont d’Urville | France | 66°39'46"S | 140°00'05"E |
| 19 | McMurdo - Virtual tour- McMurdo - Your Stay at McMurdo Station - Polar Support (NSF) - McMurdo - Wikipedia |
United States | 77°50'53"S | 166°40'06"E |
| 20 | Scott Base - Scott Base - Wikipedia |
New Zealand | 77°51'00"S | 166°45'46"E |
| 21 | Rothera | United Kingdom | 67°34'10"S | 68°07'12"W |
| 22 | San Martin | Argentina | 68°07'47"S | 67°06'12"W |
| 23 |
Vernadsky - Ukrainian Antarctic Centre - COMNAP - About of Vernadsk |
Ukraine | 65°14'43"S | 64°15'24"W |
| 24 |
Palmer Station - Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) - Palmer Station - Wikipedia |
United States | 64°46'30"S | 64°03'04"W |
| 25 | Capitan Arturo Prat | Chile | 62°30'00"S | 59°41'00"W |
| 35 | General Bernardo O’Higgins | Chile | 63°19'15"S | 57°54'01"W |
| 36 | Esperanza | Argentina | 63°23'42"S | 56°59'46"W |
| 37 | Marambio | Argentina | 64°14'42"S | 56°39'25"W |
| 38 | Orcadas | Argentina | 60°44'20"S | 44°44'17"W |
| 41 | Belgrano II | Argentina | 77°52'29"S | 34°37'37"W |
| 42 |
Halley V - Halley VI Draft - Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation (CEE) - Halley VI |
United Kingdom | 75°34'54"S | 26°32'28"W |
| 44 | Neumayer | Germany | 70°38'00"S | 08°15'48"W |
| 45 | SANAE | South Africa | 71°40'25"S | 02°49'44"W |
| 46 | Troll | Norway | 72°00'07"S | 02°32'02"E |
| 47 | Concordia | France/Italy | 72°06'06"S | 123°23'43"E |
| Stations on King George Island ( map ) | ||||
| No. | Station | Country | Location | |
| 26 | Presidente Eduardo Frei | Chile | 62°12'00"S | 58°57'51"W |
| 27 | Escudero | Chile | 62°12'04"S | 58°57'45"W |
| 28 | Great Wall | China | 62°12'59"S | 58°57'44"W |
| 29 | Bellingshausen | Russia | 62°11'47"S | 58°57'39"W |
| 30 | Artigas | Uruguay | 62°11'04"S | 58°54'09"W |
| 31 | King Sejong | Korea | 62°13'24"S | 58°47'21"W |
| 32 | Jubany | Argentina | 62°14'16"S | 58°39'52"W |
| 33 | Arctowski | Poland | 62°09'34"S | 58°28'15"W |
| 34 | Comandante Ferraz | Brazil | 62°05'00"S | 58°23'28"W |
| Stations North of 60°S ( map ) | ||||
| No. | Station | Country | Location | |
| 4 | Marion Island | South Africa | 46°52'34"S | 37°51'32"E |
| 7 | Alfred Faure, Iles Crozet | France | 46°25'48"S | 51°51'40"E |
| 9 | Port aux Français, Iles Kerguelen | France | 49°21'05"S | 70°12'20"E |
| 12 | Martin de Viviès, Ile Amsterdam | France | 37°49'48"S | 77°34'12"E |
| 18 | Macquarie Island | Australia | 54°29'58"S | 158°56'09"E |
| 39 | Bird Island | United Kingdom | 54°00'31"S | 38°03'08"W |
| 40 | King Edward Point | United Kingdom | 54°17'00"S | 36°29'37"W |
| 43 | Gough Island | South Africa | 40°21'56"S | 09°52'00"W |
Stations South of 60°S
Stations North of 60°S
Table Source & Map Images: Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) as of 2004
Transportation in Antarctica
Ports & harbors: Antarctica's only harbor is at McMurdo Station. Most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and supplies are transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges, and helicopters. A few stations have a basic wharf facility. All ships at port are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; offshore anchorage is sparse and intermittent. McMurdo Station, Palmer Station government use only except by permit.
Airports: Antarctica has twenty available airports, none of these are developed public-access airports or landing facilities. 30 stations, operated by 16 national governments party to the Antarctic Treaty, have landing facilities for either helicopters and/or fixed-wing aircraft; commercial enterprises operate two additional air facilities.
Helicopter pads are available at 27 stations; runways at 15 locations are gravel, sea-ice, blue-ice, or compacted snow suitable for landing wheeled, fixed-wing aircraft; of these, 1 is greater than 3 km in length, 6 are between 2 km and 3 km in length, 3 are between 1 km and 2 km in length, 3 are less than 1 km in length, and 2 are of unknown length; snow surface skiways, limited to use by ski-equipped, fixed-wing aircraft, are available at another 15 locations; of these, 4 are greater than 3 km in length, 3 are between 2 km and 3 km in length, 2 are between 1 km and 2 km in length, 2 are less than 1 km in length, and data is unavailable for the remaining 4.
Antarctic airports are subject to severe restrictions and limitations resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; they do not meet ICAO standards, and advance approval from the respective governmental or nongovernmental operating organization is required for landing (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
- Total: 20
- Over 3,047 m: 6
- 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
- 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
- 914 to 1,523 m: 4
- Under 914 m: 6 (2003 est.)
Heliports: 27 stations have restricted helicopter landing facilities (helipads) (2003 est.)
Institutions & National Antarctic Programs
Many of the sites listed bellow are available in English in addition to their native language, some offer a choice of several languages.
- Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany)
- Argentine Antarctic Institute
- Australian Antarctic Program
- Australian Working Group for Antarctic Astronomy
- Belgian Scientific Research Programme on the Antarctic - (French | Dutch)
- British Antarctic Survey
- Byrd Polar Research Center (US)
- Canadian Polar Commission
- Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica
- Chilean Antarctic Institute
- China, Polar Research Institute (Arctic and Antarctic)
- Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs
- French Polar Institute
- Institute of Antarctic & Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS) (University of Tasmania, Australia)
- National Institute of Polar Research (Japan)
- International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO)
- Italian Antarctic Program
- National Ice Centre US)
- National Science Foundation (US)
- Norwegian Polar Institute (Norsk Polarinstitutt)
- Russian Antarctic Expedition (Arctic & Antarctic Research Institute includes Antarctic photographs)
- Raytheon Polar Services (Support of the U.S. Antarctic Program)
- SCAR (Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, International)
- Scott Polar Research Institute (University of Cambridge UK)
- South African National Antarctic Program
- South Pole Observatory
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