From the 1993/94 Orient Lines Marco Polo brochure...

McMurdo Station

During the austral summer months, the U.S. McMurdo Station is virtually a city and most interesting to visit. Overlooked by volcanic Mount Erebus, it is the largest research facility in Antarctica, with over 850 scientists. There is lots of activity, with helicopters flying in and out day and night -- quite a change from the tranquility we have experienced up to now. Here at McMurdo we will be at our southernmost point, only 736 miles from the South Pole.

From the 1994 Orient Lines Grand Antarctic Circumnavigation brochure...

Of the many highlights in Antarctica, perhaps the most spectacular is the opportunity to cruise the Ross Ice Shelf. The largest of Antarctica's shelves, this floating platform rises high above the water and stretches almost 110 miles long. From the face of the shelf, huge chunks of ice occasionally splinter off and large tabular icebergs float gently eastward with the southerly ocean currents.

This is as far south as a ship can sail, and from the decks of the Marco Polo you will see the sprawling complex that is the U.S. station known as McMurdo. More of a logistics hub than a research station, McMurdo provides support to almost all of the Ross Sea research and scientific communities. During the short-lived Antarctic summer, over 1200 people reside at McMurdo but as the last flight leaves for Christchurch in late February, this number dwindles to about 180 who continue to man the base during the long, Antarctic winter.

Research done at McMurdo includes marine and terrestrial biology, biomedical studies, geology and geophysics, glaciology and glacial geology, meteorology and upper atmosphere physics.


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