Antarctica is home to quite a number of research stations and scientific facilities operated across the continent by countries from all around the globe.
The Palmer Research Station, nestled on Anvers Island, is one of them, and the only station we were able to visit on our voyage around the Antarctic peninsula. Apparently, it took special permission and we were also the first outside group to arrive since the start of the pandemic, so folks there were excited to show us around and to tell us what they were researching, and what their often multiples roles at the station are.
As we were led around the station on a boardwalk, we came past the “Aquarium” that holds multiple large water tanks used for a variety of research purposes. We also passed a tall sign showing directions to multiple places, including the South Pole. We were only 1744 miles away from it! A little further down, we could see the massive glacier that is a neighboring island in the distance, with little snowy sheathbills walking and hopping around the big rocks underneath us by the water. While isolated and surely far away from any civilization, and apparently with intermittent internet at best most times, what a way to wake up every morning!
Palmer Station is part of the United States Antarctic Program and overseen by the National Science Foundation. It serves as a base for interdisciplinary scientific studies involving international collaborations in marine biology, oceanography, glaciology, and climate science. They are also monitoring global seismic activity and atmospheric conditions over the Southern ocean.
The station itself is a collection of buildings, living quarters, labs, and sheds that house and support the group of 40 scientists, engineers, and staff that stay there for months at a time. We also came across a lot of gear, instruments, boats, snow plows, cranes, technical equipment, and essential infrastructure. Most people join Palmer during the Antarctic summers when the weather is somewhat milder, and it was a delight to meet several of them, including a number of women. We shared our excitement about Antarctica and their related research, including with some MIT-connected folks from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod.
Palmer was also the place we got to see krill — wee!! They had a few buckets with krill in it. They are so tiny, only a few millimeters long, with these big black goggly eyes and all orange-red in color. No wonder much of the penguin guano has the same color
Often it’s the small things that make life interesting. The krill were no exception and I’m glad we had a chance to see it in addition to all the other wildlife.
As we walked all around, I spotted a forgotten water bottle. It was plastered in Antarctica stickers including one saying “A woman’s place is in Antarctica”. Yes! — This warmed my heart so much. After all, I was part of a group of 109 women and non-binary people visiting the station and other places around the peninsula. Moreover, even if it was just for two hours, this was probably the largest group of women ever present on the island. And we belonged there.