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Background: Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century. Following World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the continent. A number of countries have set up year-round research stations on Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but not all countries recognize these claims. In order to form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it entered into force in 1961.

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By explorer_keith
May 21st 2005

Auroras, Penguins & Seals

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

The Penguin Visitor
Here is the picture of our surprise visitor. It is and Adelie penguin and they are rarely seen this far south during the winter. It was a treat.

Greetings from Antarctica! The last several weeks have been somewhat quiet down here. The sun has disappeared and it now stays dark for most of the day with only a brief moment of twilight like light in the middle of the day. The new darkness that has surrounded us has made the stars appear brilliantly in the sky, even in the middle of the day, and has blotted out the surrounding scenery - Yes, that means no more pictures of the Royal Society Range for a few months. Storms have become a lot more regular with strong winds and lots of [View Full Entry]

By explorer_keith
April 24th 2005

There Goes the Sun!

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

The Scott Base Swimming Hole
The water temperature is cold! I feel a new respect for the people who floated in the water after the Titanic went down!

It is Sunday, April 24, 2005. The sunset is happening today at 1:26 pm and the next sunrise will not occur until August 19th. The fiery golden orb that sustains life on this planet is finally moving north, below our horizon, suspending us in darkness and kicking off the cold, dark Antarctic winter. To celebrate, Scott Base hosted a large barbeque and the first of three Polar Plunges. The Polar Plunge is just what it sounds like - A large hole is opened through the sea ice, a ladder is installed and everyone takes turns jumping into the frozen ocean. There [View Full Entry]

By explorer_keith
April 17th 2005

I'm Dreaming of Penguins from Space!

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

Oh What a Sunset!
As the sun is getting lower and lower on the horizons, the sunsets are getting more and more beautiful and they last for a long time.

‘Beep, Beep, Beep’, the alarm went off at 6:00am like normal. I was lying there in bed when I realized something out of the ordinary - There was a spaceship in my dorm room. I quickly got out of bed and looked around the dark room and that is when I saw the penguin. It was an Adelie penguin about a foot and a half tall and it was wearing a cheap, metallic red, plastic space suit. Suddenly, the penguin jumped out of the suit and started running (or waddling) rapidly around the room like a crazed puppy, flapping its arms [View Full Entry]

By ratzeputz
April 2nd 2005

March in McMurdo

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

McMurdo on a fine fall day

Hello everyone, April 2, 2005 We usually work six days a week. However, the first Saturday of the every month in the winter is a non-work day. So I thought I would take some time and upload a few more photo from McMurdo taken during the last month. March is the first month of the austral winter season. The first photo is a shot of town taken on a nice day a couple weeks ago. Since that time the sun has sunk behind a ridge and will not shine on the foreground of the photo again until spring. The next one [View Full Entry]

By explorer_keith
March 27th 2005

Nighttime Fun

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

Full Moon Over Ross Island
This is a picture of the full moon from a ledge on Castle Rock with Mt. Terror and the Ross Ice Shelf in the Distance.

Hello from Antarctic! The last few weeks have been action packed and very competitive. I have started getting into the proper mindset for winter down here - I have accepted that I will not be able to do the stuff I want to do and, though I feel like a kid chained to a bench in a playground, I have decided to have fun. The sun is spending less time with us every day and there have been quite a few great sunsets and sunrises. The stars are getting more brilliant every night and the search for auroras has begun. We [View Full Entry]

By explorer_keith
March 13th 2005

Winter is Here!

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

The Last Flight!
This is a picture of the plane banking away from Ob Hill as it leaves us in its wake. The statue is of Admiral Bird, who was the first to fly over the pole.

On Saturday, February 26th the last plane took off from Pegasus runway, heading North to warmer climates, with the last vestiges of the summer season in its belly. The whole station met at the chalet, which is the summer headquarters for station management, to toast the last flight and the coming of the Antarctic winter. We watched the plane, eight miles in the distance across the ice, as it sat idly on the runway making its final preparations for the journey to New Zealand. Finally, there was movement and everyone stood ready, cameras in hand, as the plane left the ice [View Full Entry]

By ratzeputz
March 11th 2005

Dry Valleys and Fata Morgana

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

Polar Star
USCG Polar Class Icebreaker the Polar Star

Here are some more photos I took from a helicopter while flying through Taylor and Wright Valleys last month. Both valleys are part of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, one of the largest snow-free areas in Antarctica and an area of intense scientific interest and investigation. All these photos were taken through the plastic windshield of the helicopter, so they are not the best quality. Also included are three photos of the Fata Morgana mirage that has been appearing almost daily across the Sound towards Mt. Discovery and the Royal Society Range. [View Full Entry]

By ratzeputz
February 26th 2005

First Day of Winter

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

Goodbye James

The last flight of the summer season departed Mactown yesterday. A small group of well wishes gathered at Building 140 to bid farewell to the final 71 summer people as they departed for Pegasus Airfield. A couple hours later the plane made a pass close to town as most of the winter overs stood on the deck of the Chalet and toasted it with champagne. Their flight north was on a USAF C-17 cargo plane. For those of us standing on the deck, it’s an interesting mix of emotions as the plane flies away. For those of you wanting to take [View Full Entry]

By explorer_keith
February 25th 2005

A Small Island in the South Pacific

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

The Kapitan Khlebnikov
This is the cruise ship from Quark Expeditions.

I thought that all of the boats had left for the season, but then, on my way to lunch, I looked out in the frozen channel, past all of the slumbering seals, and I saw another large icebreaker. It was a Russian ship, but it was not the Krasin, which had been gone since the supply vessel left. This ship was here on an entirely different mission than the previous three icebreakers - it was a tourist cruise ship! Leaving the lunchroom, I was greeted by a hallway full of tourists wearing large yellow coats with the name ‘Quark Expeditions’ embroidered [View Full Entry]

By explorer_keith
February 14th 2005

The Seals Are Here!

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station

Mountains & Glaciers
This is a picture of the Royal Society Range and one of the glaciers flowing into McMurdo sound. The lighting is getting more interesting, which means winter is approaching.

Hello from Antarctica! The sun has started its decent in the sky - a sign that winter is approaching. McMurdo Station has quieted down, vessel off-load is complete and the supply vessel and the icebreakers have gone home for the year leaving a large open-water channel in the ice, which has attracted some wildlife. Every day at the water’s edge there have been seals lounging, lethargically on the ice. I have been told that, due to the open water, this is one of the best times of year to see animals, but they will have to hurry as the ice is [View Full Entry]

Travel Blog » Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station