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Arrival Heights

Observation Hill

McMurdo Pier

Lodging Construction

McMurdo Station seen from the summit of Observation Hill.

The McMurdo Station Webcams

The Arrival Heights Webcam is located on the edge of Arrival Heights just north of Hut Point on the west side of Hut Point Peninsula. The image shows fuel storage containers in the foreground, and housing, maintenance, and administrative facilities in the center. Observation Hill (Ob Hill) appears in the background.

The Ob Hill Webcam is located at the base of Ob Hill, a very large feature adjacent to McMurdo Station, approximately 750 feet (230 meters) high. The Ob Hill webcam is focused on McMurdo Station with a view showing the Crary Science and Engineering Center, McMurdo Sound and the pier on the left, and several dormitories to the right.

The Lodging Construction camera offers a view of the construction of a new lodging facility that will replace aging and energy-inefficient buildings. The new facility will have 285 beds, comprised of 201 singles and 42 double rooms, and will include centrally located shower and restroom facilities and areas for socializing on each floor.

The McMurdo Station Pier webcam (seasonal, typically available during vessel operations in January and February) shows views of the Ice Pier, McMurdo Sound, and Victoria Land beyond. Vessels providing essential services to the station--such as icebreaking or cargo and fuel delivery--can be seen docking at the Ice Pier.

For information about current research conducted in or near McMurdo Station, see NSF McMurdo Station Projects.

NOTE: Webcam images are often obscured due to harsh and unpredictable weather conditions.

McMurdo Station (77°51'S, 166°40'E), the main U.S. station in Antarctica, is a coastal station 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 on the ice shelf and a helicopter pad. The two airfields-Phoenix and Williams Field Skiway-are used by different aircraft. Repair facilities, dormitories, administrative buildings, a firehouse, power plant, water distillation plant, wharf, stores, clubs, warehouses, a science support center, and the first-class, 4,320 square-meter Crary Lab are linked by above-ground water, sewer, telephone, and power lines.

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.

Research in multiple fields is performed at and near McMurdo Station, including Astrophysics and Geospace Sciences, Earth Sciences, Glaciology, Integrated System Science, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and Organisms and Ecosystems. Participants of the Antarctic Artists and Writers Program also work at sites in the area. For information about projects supported at McMurdo Station--and based from McMurdo, such as deep field projects in East and West Antarctica--see the USAP Science Planning Summaries on the Science Support page. Historical information on previous seasons can be found at the Science Planning Summaries Archives.

To find out more about life at U.S. Antarctic research stations, see the Around the Continent section of The Antarctic Sun.