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McMurdo Station, the largest of the U.S.A.'s Antarctic bases, is located on Ross Island. In the summertime, the population of McMurdo Station reaches almost 1200 people, while in the wintertime, the population dwindles to around 150 people. McMurdo Station is 7 km from New Zealand's Scott Base. Scott Base is New Zealands' main base and supports approximately 100 people in the summertime and 40 in the winter. At the time we are in Antarctica, Ross Island is surrounded by ice. The thinnest ice that is close to the station is around 5 metres thick. It is thick enough to land the C-130 Hercules and C-17 planes we arrive on. Toward the end of our stay (in mid December), the ice surface deteriorates because of summer melting and the planes are forced to land on the permanent Ross Ice Shelf. The Ross Ice Shelf is hundreds of metres thick.
Comparing the size of Antarctica to New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
(sources:
aadc-maps.aad.gov.au
and
www.usap.gov)
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