# McMurdo Station

McMurdo Station is an American Antarctic research station on the southern tip of Ross Island. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), a branch of the National Science Foundation. The station is the largest community in Antarctica, capable of supporting up to 1,500 residents, though the population fluctuates seasonally; during the antarctic night, there are fewer than two hundred people. It serves as one of three year-round United States Antarctic science facilities. Personnel and cargo going to or coming from Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station usually first pass through McMurdo, either by flight or by the McMurdo to South Pole Traverse; it is a hub for activities and science projects in Antarctica. McMurdo, Amundsen-Scott, and Palmer are the three non-seasonal United States stations on the continent, though by the Antarctic Treaty System the bases are not a legal claim (though the right is not forfeited); they are dedicated to scientific research. New Zealand's Scott Base is nearby on Hut Point Peninsula, as is Arrival Heights Laboratory. On the base is a heliport, and across the channel is a helicopter refueling station at Marble Point, but the main airfields in the 2020s are Phoenix Airfield and Williams Field which are to the south and built on ice. Winter Quarters Bay is the base seaport, though access can be limited by weather conditions when the sea ice forms. Weather can make it too hard to land aircraft, and an icebreaker may be needed to reach the port facility. However, the sea ice also makes it possible to make ice traverses and travel directly across the bay, and historically an Ice Runway was crafted. The base is powered by a mixture of generators and wind power, though it had a nuclear reactor in the 1960s.
The base was first established in the mid-1950s as part of an international program to study and explore Antarctica for peaceful purposes. Daylight is seasonal at McMurdo, corresponding to the south polar daytime, and the polar night, which is also winter, lasts from about April to September. As it warms, the sea ice melts, and the port is opened, but by about February, much of the activity drops with plunging temperatures and increasing darkness, and there are usually no flights in or out until July or August.
The base has many buildings and staff which support the local population and its many field stations and research projects. The base is the starting point for the South Pole Traverse snow and ice road, which must be cleared each year, as do the snow and ice runways. The base is quite distant from New Zealand, about the same distance as between New York and Los Angeles, or as between LA and Hawaii. Some of the projects and/or field stations McMurdo Station has supported include the Lower Erebus Hut, for the study of Mount Erebus (an active volcano to the north of the base), WAIS Divide Camp (an ice coring project), ANSMET (meteorite collection), and the Long Duration Balloon site. Telecommunication sites include Ross Island Earth Station and Black Island Earth Station.

## History

McMurdo started in December 1955, and was established in 1956 as a Naval Air Station in support of the International Geophysical Year, then as a science and logistics base in line with the international Antarctic treaty. Each year there are changes at the base, but the overall rhythm of the base has remained. Supplies and people flow in by ship and air for the austral summer, and for a few months there is a frenzy of activities, research, and resources flow out to many field stations and bases in Antarctica. In a few months people depart as the temperature plunges and worsening weather conditions, and much smaller staff over-winter at the base. Originally a Naval base, the role of the NSF and contractors increased and by 1993 the USN had departed.

### Name

The station takes its name from its geographic location on McMurdo Sound, named after Lieutenant Archibald McMurdo of British ship HMS Terror. The Terror, commanded by Irish explorer Francis Crozier, along with expedition flagship Erebus under command of English Explorer James Clark Ross, first charted the area in 1841. The British explorer Robert Falcon Scott established a base camp close to this spot in 1902 and built a cabin there that was named Discovery Hut. It still stands as a historic monument near the water's edge on Hut Point at McMurdo Station. The volcanic rock of the site is the southernmost bare ground accessible by ship in the world. The United States officially opened its first station at McMurdo on February 16, 1956, as part of Operation Deep Freeze. The base, built by the U.S. Navy Seabees, was initially designated Naval Air Facility McMurdo. On November 28, 1957, Admiral George J. Dufek visited McMurdo with a U.S. congressional delegation for a change-of-command ceremony.
In 1961, it was renamed from Naval Air Facility McMurdo, to just McMurdo. The Navy would be involved until 1993, when it left McMurdo in the hands of the NSF. The NSF had been involved over the decades and took on greater responsibilities over the years.

### International Geophysical Year

McMurdo Station was the center of United States logistical operations during the International Geophysical Year, an international scientific effort that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. After the IGY, it became the center for US scientific as well as logistical activities in Antarctica. The IGY was international project in the late 1950s by 67 countries and involved over 4000 research stations Globally.
McMurdo was one of seven bases that the United States built for the IGY, which also included Hallett, Wilkes, Admundsen-Scott, Ellsworth, Byrd, and Little America. Of these only McMurdo and Admundsen-Scott are still operated in the early 21st century.
As part of this endeavour, New Zealand also built a base on Ross Island, Scott Base, which has gone on to conduct many scientific projects. Scott Base is still in operation, but a second year-round New Zealand base, Vanda Station, built later on the Antarctic mainland, has since closed;it still has a weather station and is visited seasonally. Also, Hallet Station was a joint base of New Zealand and the USA, which was operated until 1973.
The Antarctic Treaty, subsequently signed by over forty-five governments, regulates intergovernmental relations with respect to Antarctica and governs the conduct of daily life at McMurdo for United States Antarctic Program (USAP) participants. The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), opened for signature on December 1, 1959, and officially entered into force on June 23, 1961.
On the heals of the success of the IGY, the treaty was developed with three major points, to continue Antarctica's legal status, to use it for scientific purposes, and for peaceful purposes.

### 1960s and 70s

In 1961 the Antarctic Treaty System entered into force and the base was renamed McMurdo Station.
The first scientific diving protocols were established before 1960 and the first diving operations were documented in November 1961.
From 1961 to 1972, the base relied on a small PM-3A nuclear reactor for power, in the age of nuclear optimism. The reactor proved expensive to operate, and was turned off over concerns of stress corrosion.
Between 1962 and 1963, 28 Arcas sounding rockets(which name stands for All-Purpose Rocket for Collecting Atmospheric Soundings) were launched from McMurdo Station. These meteorological sounding rockets collected the first measurements above radiosonde levels of altitude in Antarctica. One discovery was that the wind direction reversed high above (about 35km) the station in September and October, coinciding with a rapid warming. After this there was light easterly winds and the station was left with warmer temperatures.
In 1967, the first Winter fly in (WinFly) took place in June and August, giving a relief of supplies and personnel changes for those wintering over, shortening the time down to about 4-5 months. This is the first phase of Operation Deep Freeze, to resupply McMurdo and support the busy austral summer period.
In 1974, Dr. Mary Alice McWhinnie and Mary Odile Cahoon became the first women to over-winter at McMurdo Station, staying from April through October of the year. In 1962 McWhinnie became the first female in the Antarctic Research Program. Her research was on crustaceans, in particular Krill which inhabit arctic waters .

### 1998 Protocol on Environmental Protection

McMurdo Station has attempted to improve environmental management and waste removal in order to adhere to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, signed on October 4, 1991, which entered into force on January 14, 1998. This agreement prevents development and provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes on marine pollution, fauna and flora, environmental impact assessments, waste management, and protected areas. It prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific ones. A new waste-treatment facility was built at McMurdo in 2003.
McMurdo Station stands about two miles (3 km) from Scott Base, the New Zealand science station, and all of Ross Island lies within a sector claimed by New Zealand. Criticism has been leveled at the base regarding its construction projects, particularly the McMurdo-(Amundsen-Scott) South Pole highway.

### Scientific diving operations

Scientific diving operations continue with 10,859 dives having been conducted under the ice from 1989 to 2006. A hyperbaric chamber is available for support of polar diving operations.

### 21st century

On 24 November 2003, McMurdo Station had a total solar eclipse, which the inhabitants were able to observe.
As of 2007, McMurdo Station was Antarctica's largest community and a functional, modern-day science station, including a harbor, three airfields (two seasonal), a heliport and more than 100 buildings, including the Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center. The station is also home to the continent's two ATMs, both provided by Wells Fargo Bank. The work done at McMurdo Station primarily focuses on science, but most of the residents (approximately 1,000 in the summer and around 250 in the winter) are not scientists, but station personnel who provide support for operations, logistics, information technology, construction, and maintenance.
McMurdo Station briefly gained global notice when an anti-war protest took place on February 15, 2003. During the rally, about 50 scientists and station personnel gathered to protest against the coming invasion of Iraq by the United States. McMurdo Station was the only Antarctic location to hold such a rally.
A snow and road traverse from McMurdo to the South Pole was constructed between 2002 and end of 2005, when it opened for the first time; it has gained several names and has been called the southernmost road in the world. Although the South Pole base is about a three-hour flight by LC-130 from McMurdo, the overland traverse allows massive amounts of cargo including 75,000 US gallons (280,000 L) of fuel and 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) of cargo each year to be transported out of McMurdo. These are carried by land trains (aka convoys) of tracked haulers and sleds. The road also supports polar plateau research camps as well as record breaking attempts. However, the ice road passes through two glacial shear zones, which are prone to dangerous crevasses; this results in ongoing maintenance with ground-penetrating radar to check for new crevasses and fill them. The opening of the traverse freed up aircraft at McMurdo airports because less flights were needed.
In 2008, NASA tested an inflatable lunar habitat at McMurdo station.
Scientists and other personnel at McMurdo are participants in the USAP, which coordinates research and operational support in the region. Werner Herzog's 2007 documentary Encounters at the End of the World reports on the life and culture of McMurdo Station from the point-of-view of residents. Anthony Powell's 2013 documentary Antarctica: A Year on Ice provides time-lapse photography of Antarctica intertwined with personal accounts from residents of McMurdo Station and of the adjacent Scott Base over the course of a year.
An annual sealift by cargo ships as part of Operation Deep Freeze delivers 8 million U.S. gallons (6.6 million imperial gallons/42 million liters) of fuel and 11 million pounds (5 million kg) of supplies and equipment for McMurdo residents. The ships, operated by the U.S. Military Sealift Command, are crewed by civilian mariners. Cargo may range from mail, construction materials, trucks, tractors, dry and frozen food, to scientific instruments. U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers break a ship channel through ice-clogged McMurdo Sound in order for supply ships to reach Winter Quarters Bay at McMurdo. Additional supplies and personnel are flown into nearby Williams Field from Christchurch in New Zealand.

#### 2010s

In 2016, scientist Dr Gordon Hamilton died, when his snowmobile plunged into a crevasse about 25 miles (40 km) south of McMurdo in the shear zone (SZ). The ice is nearly 650 feet thick in this region, but crevasses can open as the ice moves, and the ice shelf was what Dr. Hamilton was studying at the time. Hamilton was an experienced glaciologist, but there is many hazards to working in those conditions especially the crevasses.
In the late 2010s, there was a transition from Pegasus Airfield to Phoenix Airfield. Phoenix Airfield underwent operational testing and received its first wheeled landings during the 2016-17 austral summer season. Then, Pegasus Airfield closed after the last flight on 8 December 2016. Phoenix Airfield was opened in early 2017. Also a new compressed snow "Alpha" runway was built at Williams field.
In 2017, the McMurdo Oceanographic Observatory (MOO) was installed underwater and removed in 2019; it provided underwater data and video from under the ice.
In 2018, two people died while doing maintenance on fire suppression system in a generator building.

#### 2020s

In 2020, one large dormitory was demolished as part of a grand plan, however, the new dorm was never constructed and so in the 2020s McMurdo has had a self-made housing crisis leading to bottleneck that has led to cancelled research projects. At the start of 2020, Dorm 203 was torn down, but then development was halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic and several years later a new dorm was not built. In the 2023–4 season, 67 of 137 projects were cut or scaled back due to housing issues. In 2023, the NIH sent investigators to McMurdo in response to reports of sexual harassment and/or assault by men and women at the station. One result of this was to ban the selling of alcohol at bars, though it’s not a blanket ban on alcohol at the station.
The first confirmed case of Covid at McMurdo was detected in August 2022. By November, 10% of the population of the station was confirmed to be infected. As of February 2023, a total of 175 positive cases have been detected. Covid also reached Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and WAIS Divide field camp. (see also COVID-19 pandemic in Antarctica )
In 2022 the Ross Island Earth Station (RIES) satellite telecommunications center was completed near McMurdo Station, which supports satellite communications for the base.
In 2024, the United States thanked the New Zealand Air Force for conducting a difficult evacuation of a sick person from McMurdo during winter. This difficult flight took place in total darkness, sub-freezing temperatures, and required a "hot" refueling on the runway. The patient was successfully evacuated and achieved a stable condition. The roundtrip to New Zealand was a 7,500 kilometer (4,660 miles) flight.
On December 22nd 2024, the Long Duration Balloon camp, which is a few miles/km from McMurdo on the ice sheet, launched its first scientific balloon of the season. The Salter Test Flight Universal took flight successfully and returned safely by January 2nd 2025, carrying five investigations. This was a part of the annual Antarctic Long-Duration Balloon Campaign done by NASA for its Scientific Balloon Program.
For Operation Deep Freeze 2025, the ship Ocean Giant brought supplies to McMurdo Station for the 24'-25' season, arriving in late January 2025. For this year the Marine Causeway System, rather than an ice pier was used. The Marine Causeway consists of floating modular sections that when assembled allow the cargo to be offloaded. Ocean Giant was then loaded with trash and material for recycling, and departed, then the cargo ship Ocean Gladiator came with more supplies for the base.

## Day and night cycles

Unlike the south Pole, where the Sun is continuously visible for about six months; then it is then continuously dark for the next six months, with a twilight, namely the equinoxes in between, McMurdo has times of the year where it has sunsets and sunrises. McMurdo is farther north, but still south of the Antarctic Circle; its at 77.85° South latitude. So in observational terms, McMurdo has times of the year that are one extremely long "day" and one equally long "night". While the South Pole has one six-month "day", where the angle of elevation of the Sun above the horizon varies incrementally The Sun reaches a rising position throughout the September equinox, and then it is apparent highest at the December solstice which is summer solstice for the south, setting on the March equinox, McMurdo has a part of year with sunsets and sunrises, but also 24 hour light or darkness. In late August there is the first sunrise, and then for the next few months until October there is a day and night cycle; then there is the last sunset of year followed by 24 hour sunlight. In February, there is the first sunset of the year and finally, around April, there is the final sunrise and there is a twilight and 24 hour darkness until the next August.
So while the South Pole sees the Sun rise and set only once a year, McMurdo has periods of a day-night cycle, but also a period of 24 hour light of darkness. Light is also effected by atmospheric refraction, which effects the September equinox and the March equinox, respectively. The station uses New Zealand time (UTC+12 during standard time and UTC+13 during daylight saving time) since all flights to McMurdo station depart from Christchurch and, therefore, all official travel from the pole goes through New Zealand.

## Climate

With all months having an average temperature below freezing, McMurdo features a polar ice cap climate (Köppen EF). However, in the warmest months (December and January) the monthly average high temperature may occasionally rise above freezing. The place is protected from cold waves from the interior of Antarctica by the Transantarctic Mountains, so temperatures below −40° are rare, compared to more exposed places like Neumayer Station, which usually gets those temperatures a few times every year, often as early as May, and sometimes even as early as April, and very rarely above 0 °C. The highest temperature ever recorded at McMurdo was 10.8 °C on December 21, 1987. There is enough snowmelt in summer that a few species of moss and lichen can grow.
The average yearly temperature is freezing, but it can get as high as 8°C (46°F) in the austral summer and as low as -50°C (-58°F) in the austral winter. McMurdo Station is a windy place with an average wind speed of about 10 knots (11 mph, 19 kph), but with gusts ten times that possible.
The station gets about one and half yards/meters of snow each year, but will be snow-free late in summer. Antarctica in general is actually quite dry, and would be considered a desert, but the coastal areas get more precipitation.
Climate data for McMurdo Station (extremes 1956–present) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 5.9 (42.6) | −1.1 (30.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | −1.3 (29.7) | 3.3 (37.9) | −4.4 (24.1) | −2.0 (28.4) | −3.7 (25.3) | 4.5 (40.1) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.8 (51.4) | 10.8 (51.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −0.6 (30.9) | −7.3 (18.9) | −16.2 (2.8) | −17.3 (0.9) | −21.0 (−5.8) | −20.4 (−4.7) | −21.7 (−7.1) | −22.7 (−8.9) | −20.8 (−5.4) | −14.3 (6.3) | −6.5 (20.3) | −0.4 (31.3) | −14.2 (6.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.8 (27.0) | −8.8 (16.2) | −17.3 (0.9) | −20.9 (−5.6) | −23.3 (−9.9) | −22.9 (−9.2) | −25.8 (−14.4) | −27.4 (−17.3) | −25.7 (−14.3) | −19.4 (−2.9) | −9.7 (14.5) | −3.5 (25.7) | −17.3 (0.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.6 (23.7) | −11.4 (11.5) | −21.3 (−6.3) | −23.4 (−10.1) | −26.5 (−15.7) | −26.8 (−16.2) | −28.4 (−19.1) | −29.5 (−21.1) | −27.5 (−17.5) | −19.8 (−3.6) | −10.9 (12.4) | −4.4 (24.1) | −19.7 (−3.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −22.1 (−7.8) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −43.3 (−45.9) | −41.9 (−43.4) | −44.8 (−48.6) | −43.9 (−47.0) | −50.6 (−59.1) | −49.4 (−56.9) | −45.1 (−49.2) | −40.0 (−40.0) | −28.5 (−19.3) | −18.0 (−0.4) | −50.6 (−59.1) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 16 (0.6) | 29 (1.1) | 15 (0.6) | 18 (0.7) | 21 (0.8) | 28 (1.1) | 17 (0.7) | 13 (0.5) | 10 (0.4) | 20 (0.8) | 12 (0.5) | 14 (0.6) | 213 (8.4) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 6.6 (2.6) | 22.4 (8.8) | 11.4 (4.5) | 12.7 (5.0) | 17.0 (6.7) | 17.8 (7.0) | 14.0 (5.5) | 6.6 (2.6) | 7.6 (3.0) | 13.5 (5.3) | 8.4 (3.3) | 10.4 (4.1) | 148.4 (58.4) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 2.6 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 46.1 |
| Average snowy days | 12.8 | 17.6 | 17.8 | 16.4 | 16.2 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 14.5 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 13.5 | 13.8 | 181.3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 66.7 | 65.2 | 66.6 | 66.6 | 64.2 | 62.4 | 60.2 | 63.4 | 55.8 | 61.4 | 64.7 | 67.0 | 63.7 |
| Source 1: Deutscher Wetterdienst (average temperatures) ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (precipitation, snowy days, and humidity data 1961–1986), Meteo Climat (record highs and lows) ||||||||||||||

## Communications

Starting in 1963, McMurdo played host to one of the only two shortwave broadcast stations in Antarctica. From sign-on to 1971, the callsign was KMSA, from then on it was changed to WASA (W Antarctic Support Activities), later changing to AFAN in 1975. As KMSA, the station broadcast in the same building as the bowling alley, the barber shop and the retail store. A part of the vinyl collection reportedly came from Vietnam, believing to have been played by Adrian Cronauer's show in Saigon. In a 1997 interview to The Antarctic Sun, Cronauer denied these claims and the vinyl collection was apparently destroyed. The station—AFAN McMurdo—initially operated on AM 600 and had a power of 50 W, but by 1974, it transmitted with a power of 1 kilowatt on the shortwave frequency of 6,012 kHz and became a target for shortwave radio listening to hobbyists around the world because of its rarity. The station was picked up by DX for the first time in New Zealand in July 1974, and within a few months had its signal received as far as the US east coast. AFAN had changed frequencies several times in subsequent years. The station continued broadcasting on shortwave into the 1980s when it dropped shortwave while continuing FM transmission.
For a time, McMurdo had Antarctica's only television station, AFAN-TV, running vintage programs provided by the military. Broadcasts started on November 9, 1973, with a mix of US programs and interviews with visitors and scientists, as well as a daily news and weather service. The station's equipment was susceptible to "electronic burping" from the diesel generators that provide electricity in the outpost. The station was profiled in a 1975 article in TV Guide magazine, where the station broadcast in the summer months, known by staff as "the season" (November to February), the only season where Antarctica was (at the time) open to aircraft. In the mid-90s, a cable network was installed. By 1998, shortly after the launch of new AFN television services the year before, the traditional AFN network was broadcast over cable channel 2 (the channel that would soon become AFN Prime), NewSports (the current AFN News and AFN Sports) was on channel 11 and Spectrum (current AFN Spectrum) was on channel 13. The cable network as of 2004 had six channels, with channel 13 generating occasional local content.
McMurdo Station receives both Internet and voice communications by satellite communications via the Optus D1 satellite and relayed to Sydney, Australia. A satellite dish at Black Island provides 20 Mbit/s Internet connectivity and voice communications. Voice communications are tied into the United States Antarctic Program headquarters in Centennial, Colorado, providing inbound and outbound calls to McMurdo from the US. Voice communications within the station are conducted via VHF radio.
Testing of the Starlink service began in September 2022, with a second terminal providing connectivity for the Allan Hills field camp brought in November 2022.
Starlink allowed a large increase in bandwidth for residents of McMurdo, include 24x7 availability during the winter season, and for the 2023-2024 season also for morale use. The AIR project also planned to expand Starlink coverage to dorms and other spaces. The greatly expanded internet access has allowed those stationed at McMurdo to stay in touch with the rest of the world more easily and indulge in high-bandwidth leisure activities like watch sporting events.

## Power and water systems

The base ran off generators and supplies at the start, and a nuclear power plant operated from 1962-1973, which was also used to make water. After that a generator plant produced power, heat, and water. A water treatment plant was added in 2002, and in the 2010s wind power, shared with Scott Base, supplemented the diesel generators.
Almost all water and sewer lines are above ground that are insulated and heated. Excavating frozen ground for repairs is difficult, so having them above ground makes maintenance easier.

### Nuclear power (1962–1972)

On March 3, 1962, the U.S. Navy activated the PM-3A nuclear power plant at the station. The unit was prefabricated in modules to facilitate transport and assembly. Engineers designed the components to weigh no more than 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg) each and to measure no more than 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) by 8 feet 8 inches (2.64 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m). A single core no larger than an oil drum served as the heart of the nuclear reactor. These size and weight restrictions aimed to allow delivery of the reactor in an LC-130 Hercules aircraft, but the components were delivered by ship.
The reactor generated 1.8 MW of electrical power and reportedly replaced the need for 1,500 US gallons (5,700 L) of oil daily. Engineers applied the reactor's power, for instance, in producing steam for the salt-water distillation plant. As a result of continuing safety issues (hairline cracks in the reactor and water leaks), the U.S. Army Nuclear Power Program decommissioned the plant in 1972.

### Diesel generators

Conventional diesel generators replaced the nuclear power station, with several 500 kilowatts (670 hp) diesel generators in a central powerhouse providing electric power. A conventionally fueled water-desalination plant provided fresh water.
The base has six generators that can produce 900 kilowatts each, but it depends on the number of people at the base. With 800 people at the base around 1800 kilowatts are produced; the facility is not run at maximum capacity all the time. Heat from the engines, which have to be cooled regardless, is used to heat buildings at McMurdo by a heat exchanger. This design was completed in 1982.
In 2011 a new generator system came online that had 3 in one building and two in another, the water plant building to provide redundancy. There are 4 engines rated at 1500 kW and one at 1300 kW Base power is also supplemented by the Wind power station on Hut Point Peninsula shared by McMurdo and Scott bases.
The generators power the desalination plant, which makes freshwater for the base by taking sea water and putting it through a reverse osmosis filter.

### Wind power

The southernmost wind farm on Earth is located on Ross Island, supplementing power and reducing fuel consumption at McMurdo and Scott. The three-tower facility on Crater Hill has an average wind speed of nearly 30 kph, at 40 m height of the initial turbines.
In January 2010, three new wind turbines had their opening ceremony by McMurdo and Scott officials, bringing significant wind power to Ross island; three turbines rated at 330 kw each for a total of nearly 990 kw shared between the two bases, was estimated to save 240 thousand gallons of fuel per year.
Three Enercon E-33 (330 kW each) wind turbines were deployed in 2009 to power McMurdo and New Zealand's Scott Base, reducing diesel consumption by 11% or 463,000 liters per year. The subsequent failure of a proprietary, non-replaceable part critical to battery storage reduced the power generation of the turbines by 66% by 2019. Three new wind turbines were planned for the 2023–4 season, with great capacity: one new one will be greater than previous three combined. The strong winds make wind power a practical alternative, and the new wind system should supply 90% of the power at Scott Base.

## Transport

Three types of transport at McMurdo include land (ground), sea, and air. In each case the transport must contend with extreme cold, snow and ice. Access by sea might need an icebreaker, and ground transport may utilize snow tires, tracks, and sleds. Aircraft with skis may land on snow, such as the LC-130, while more prepared ice or compacted snow runways may tolerate conventional landing gear though extremely cold temperatures can complicate operating aircraft. Weather conditions also effect the harbor, which ices over in winter and the whole McMurdo sound is covered by sea ice, and there is many types of vehicles to traverse different types of snow, ice, ground conditions. One of the most dangerous areas to traverse is the Glacial ice, where snow can hide deep crevasses.
McMurdo Station has a heliport, which helps reach locations in the area, and there is refueling station across McMurdo sound to the west, on Marble Point.

### Ground

A multitude of on- and off-road vehicles transport people and cargo around the station area, including Ivan the Terra Bus (a pun on Ivan the Terrible). Ivan the Terra is a snow coach that weighs 67,000 pounds empty and has been in service several decades. The word Terra is the name of the snow bus made by the company Foremost, and this type of vehicle is also used in the Canadian arctic. It is an extreme-duty tri-axle bus with very large tires, and Ivan is powered by a 300 hp Cat engine, and it can normally transport 56 people at 25 mph. Despite its size, its very soft on the ground delivering only 15 psi of ground pressure.
Ford E-Series Vans, modified for the conditions including a 20-speed transmission and snow tired, powered by a 7.3 Liter Turbodiesel V-8 is also used in both 4x4 and 6x6 versions. One called the Ice Challenger set a land speed record to the pole in 70 hours. Also Ford E-250 and 350 superduty trucks are used, and, again have to be modified and change is to put heaters on most components, and snow tired or track wheels. McMurdo operates about 60 superduty trucks in the 21st century. There are hundreds of vehicles at McMurdo, but also many different types: these fall into several categories based on where they are normally used. This include rock and/or ice road, local ice, traverse, ice edge, remote site, and inland station. This includes vehicles like pickup trucks, M274 Mule utility truck, Foremost Delta 2, Tucker Sno-Cat (1700 series), Thiokol Sprytes, M51 Dump Truck, and Caterpillar bulldozers and loaders such as the D8, as well as other types such snowmobiles like the Bombardier Elan. Sleds (aka Sledges) of various types and sizes have also been used, such as those pulled by a ski-do.
One of the newer vehicles for the 21st century, is the custom built people hauler, especially for going to and from the airfields and ice shelf is the Kress vehicle.
There is a road from McMurdo to the New Zealand Scott Base, and open since 2005, an ice road and glacial traverse to the South Pole called the South Pole Traverse or McMurdo-South Pole highway.
The McMurdo-South Pole traverse, is a seasonal, over 1000 mile (1600 km) snow and ice road that crosses the frozen Ross Sea, glaciers, and the Antarctic ice cap to reach the South Pole. It was first opened at the end of 2005, though it must be maintained each year to check for new crevasses and clear new snow. It has reduced the number of flights to the South Pole, by enabling the bulk transport and fuel and cargo across the surface, and has also been used for adventuring records.
There can be a seasonal trail between McMurdo to Scott Base called the Cape Armitage Loop Trail, over the sea ice.

### Sea

McMurdo has the world's most southerly harbor, this is important for bringing supplies to McMurdo and in support of projects in the Antarctic, but weather conditions necessitate an icebreaker. An example of a resupply ship is the MV American Tern, which was chartered from 2001-2010.
McMurdo harbor has been opened by U.S. CGC Polar Star which comes every year to McMurdo. Access to ships in the harbor is can be done via an ice pier, though a modular causeway was in development A modular floating Marine Causeway system was used in January 2025.Once the pass is open other types of ships can arrive include sealift, research, auxiliary vessels, and others bringing supplies and supporting research operations in Antarctica.
Dive huts are taken out on the frozen sea ice to facilitate doing dives.

### Air

McMurdo station is serviced seasonally from Christchurch Airport about 3,920 kilometres (2,440 mi) away by air, with C-17 Globemaster and Lockheed LC-130, by two airports:
* Phoenix Airfield (ICAO: NZFX), a compacted snow runway which replaced Pegasus Field (ICAO: NZPG) in 2017
* Williams Field (ICAO: NZWD), a permanent snow runway for ski-equipped aircraft.
Historically, a seasonal Ice Runway (NZIR) was used until December though this has fallen out favor of the compacted snow runway of Phoenix airfield since 2017. The ice runway was built out over frozen sea ice in the late months of the year, after the polar dawn started but before the sea ice broke up.
Aircraft are important part of the supply chain to McMurdo, for example, a U.S. Air Force Globemaster III brought in 100 personnel and nearly 50 thousand pounds of food by air on the first winter fly-in mission of 2021-2022.
McMurdo Station has a helicopter pad, and the helicopters support operations in the area, such as trips to the McMurdo Dry Valleys.Also, there is a helicopter refueling station across the channel at Marble Point.

## Science research

McMurdo is not just a gateway and logistical foundation for projects throughout the region and Antarctica, but also a place for research. Much has been learned about Ross Island and waters. The McMurdo sound is home to one of the oldest known living things on earth, a giant ancient sea sponge. It is also habitat for seals and birds (such as penguins), and the climate, glacial and sea ice, and geology are also studied. The study of Antarctic ice is important globally, because if the ice cap were to melt, many coastal regions would flood.
The Weddel seal is studied at McMurdo, a mammal that can survive in some of the coldest conditions on Earth. One mystery was how Weddel pups do not freeze, and one of the answers was that they have special fuzzy fur called lanugo fur. (not to be confused with the Weddel sea)
Two type of penguins found at McMurdo include Emperor penguins and Adélie penguins. One result from research is that the amount of sea ice and icebergs, if there is more, can make it harder for Emperor and Adelie penguins to raise chicks. A few colonies of Emperor penguins are near the base, and high resolution photos from helicopters and space have been used to track the penguin population.
The giant volcano sea sponge (Anoxycalyx joubini) is estimated to live between 6 thousand to up to 40 thousand years, and grow up to 1.5 meters (5 feet) in diameter and 1.95 meters (6.5 feet) high. They survive by filtering sea water, and with a tube shape, the largest are big enough a person can swim inside. The hexactinellid sponges that live in the Antarctic including the Ross sea are some of the oldest living things on Earth.
Example of marine life in McMurdo sound includes soft corals, finger sponges, sea anemones, Antarctic scallops, Notothenioidei fishes, and other life able to survive the cold. In the late 2010s there was the MOO project, which placed a undersea webcam in the McMurdo sound to observe these and other marine life such as Weddel seals. The vocalizations of the seals was recorded by that project.
McMurdo is also a place of study of Mount Erebus, an active volcano with an exposed lava lake, and formations created by it such as ice caves made by volcanic gases. One of the unique rocks from the volcano are Erebus crystals, which are ejected by the volcano and prized for research.
McMurdo Dry Valleys, a unique nearly snowless area of Antarctica that lies to the west of the station, has also been studied. Meteorological data and other aspects of the dry valleys have been studied.
Areas of scientific research at McMurdo Station include:
* astronomy
* atmospheric sciences
* biology
* Earth science
* environmental science
* geology
* glaciology
* marine biology
* oceanography
* climatology
* geophysics

## Chalet (NSF Offices) and governance

A building called the Chalet, houses the National Science Foundation offices at McMurdo station, and is the Administrative center for the program in Antarctica. The current building was built in the 1969-70 season, replacing a smaller older building. The Chalet was built by Holmes & Narver, Inc.; it was the first civilian building constructed at McMurdo. In the 2010s, it was considered for the existing Chalet to be made into the McMurdo coffee house, and the offices moved to a new building. In the early 2020s, it was again planned to transition the Chalet to an additional moral boosting space, possibly with a snack and drink area.
Next to the Chalet is the Richard E. Byrd memorial which was established in 1965. The Memorial is listed as Antarctic Historic site HSM-54, and is surrounded by flag poles with the 12 founding signers of the Antarctic Treaty.
The Antarctica Treaty leaves law and governance to each Nation; at McMurdo Station law enforcement is carried out by the U.S. Marshal Service, through an agreement between the NSF and the District of Hawaii since 1989. Under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, ratified by 53 nations, persons accused of a crime in Antarctica are subject to punishment by their own country. There are not many cases of crimes historically, but one example occurred on 9 October 1996. There was an Assault and battery stemming from a fight that occurred between two workers in the McMurdo kitchen. One worker attacked the other with a hammer like implement. Another cook tried to break up the fight and was also injured, and both victims required stitches. U.S. FBI agents from the United States were sent to the station to investigate and make an arrest. The McMurdo special deputy preserved evidence and the suspect was detained in Hut 10, because of the extreme weather conditions there was very little concern of the prisoner escaping. The suspect was flown to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he faced charges of four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. He pleaded not guilty, but was convicted and sentenced two four years for the assault. The case, highlighted that tensions had been developing between the two person involved, and resulted an increased focus on screening, prevention, and awareness to prevent a feud developing and ensuing emotional "snapping" event. However, crimes of passion remain a concern.

## Historic sites

The Richard E. Byrd Historic Monument was erected at McMurdo in 1965. It includes a bronze bust on black marble, 150 cm × 60 cm (5 ft × 2 ft) square, on a wooden platform, bearing inscriptions describing the polar exploration achievements of Richard E. Byrd. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 54), following a proposal by the United States to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.
There is a memorial to Capt. Robert Falcon Scott and four others that died on their way back from the South Pole in 1912, that was erected in 1913 after they were found. The Antarctic biologist and explorer Edward Wilson also died on that expedition.
There is also a memorial to a construction worker, the U.S. Navy SeaBee Richard T. William, who died in 1956, when his bulldozer went through the ice: the memorial is statue of woman and called Our Lady of the Snows.
The bronze Nuclear Power Plant Plaque is about 45 cm × 60 cm (18 in × 24 in) in size, and is secured to a large vertical rock halfway up the west side of Observation Hill, at the former site of the PM-3A nuclear power reactor at McMurdo Station. The inscription details the achievements of Antarctica's first nuclear power plant. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 85), following a proposal by the United States to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

## Life

Life in McMurdo is influenced by the seasonal daylight; a period called "the season" kicks off usually with the first sunrise around August of each year. This marks the start of the polar dawn, and the first flights start. As the weeks pass, there is more and more daylight, an ice pier is constructed, and icebreakers make a pass in the melting sea ice to the McMurdo harbor. By October there is the last sunset of the year, and a period of 24-hour daylight begins. More staff and researchers arrive, and the population of the station increases. Staff and resources flow through McMurdo to research projects in Antarctica, including the opening of the ice road to the South Pole and ski cargo planes bringing supplies to that base. Around February, the last flights fly out as the season draws to a close, and there are lowering temperatures in the polar twilight and finally the last sunset; McMurdo Sound ices over. In the polar night, historically, no one has gone in or out, and there is much less staff at McMurdo. In the 2010s there was some success increasing focus on doing staff changes and resupply in June and July, though this means landing in darkness in very cold temperatures.
Once a year, around New Year's Day, the most southern music festival, Icestock, is organized, with performers being from the station and Scott Base.
There is an interfaith church called the Chapel of the Snows that hosts Protestant and Catholic services, as well as secular community organizations such as sobriety groups. One of the main buildings for life in McMurdo is number 155: this has a long indoor corridor called the "highway", with offices, dorms, barbershop, computer lab, station store, and the main cafeteria ("the galley") – the hub of life at the research station. McMurdo's cafeteria is nicknamed the "galley", like on a ship, due to the influence of Navy in McMurdo's history.
From 1961 to 2009, there was a bowling alley with a manual pin-setting machine; the building was demolished due to a structural failure and has not been replaced. The 2-lane alley was housed in a hut, and originally used penguin pins.
The historic pin-setting machine was brought out for the "McMurdo Museum" in 2022, a historical event remembering the history of the station. The event also displayed 1960s wetsuits (replaced in the 1970s with drysuits), and the old Caterpillar D4 tractor called Marcia.
McMurdo had the largest greenhouse in Antarctica from 1989 to 2011. It started out as 50 m$^2$ and expanded to 66 m$^2$ in 1994. The plants were grown indoors hydroponically (that is to say, using water rather than soil). The greenhouse could produce about 100 kg (220 lb) a month at peak production, including lettuce greens, spinach, arugula, chard, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and herbs. It was enough to give the over-winter staff a salad once a week but was more limited for the summer population at McMurdo. The greenhouse originally had glass panes, but switched to being indoors because it was more energy efficient in winter. Although it offered a limited supply, people liked to be around the plants and would sometimes come with a bottle of wine and their dinner to hangout there.
In 2016, it was discovered that McMurdo had an enormous 20 thousand vinyl record collection, dating back to the 1960s when it had its own radio station.
There is a beerless bar at McMurdo, which is a noted social center of the station, and a gym. Although beer is no longer sold at the bar in the 2020s, a ration of alcohol is available to buy at the stationary store, and the bar locations are now BYOB. For the 2023-4 season, an alcohol-free recreation zone was to be created, and several other recreation and morale spaces are planned. One major change for that year is expanding Internet access for leisure purposes and expanding Internet access to more locations at McMurdo.
McMurdo had some of the southernmost bars on the planet, one called Gallagher’s Pub and another was Southern Exposure. Another social place is the 'Coffee House,' which is a popular place to play board games and play guitar in the warm season. Starting in late 2023, alcohol sales were stopped though BYOB was allowed, except at the Coffee House which switched to alcohol free.
The culture has been described as a cross between a mining town and a NIH campus with a bohemian twist, or a summer camp with a lot of work: working six ten-hour days a week is not uncommon. When downtime does come, and with Internet access difficult, leisure time activities are popular, such as ping-pong, art, and hiking, for example.
Its not recommended to be outside with food at McMurdo, as Skua birds are known to snatch food from people's hands. Another bird seen at McMurdo is the snow petrel, and in 2021 a bird watching club was founded.

## Medical facility

There is a small hospital at McMurdo Station, focusing on minor issues; more serious require a medivac out. Nevertheless, it does focus on some unique issues such as cold weather conditions and scuba accidents, and in a worst case scenario, for a mass casualty event with limited staff.
Building 142 next to the 'central hub' 155 is McMurdo General Hospital. The facility has a small staff and focuses on smaller health issues, or on stabilizing a situation enough for evacuation. In addition, the facility tries to prepare for a mass casualty event such as plane crash, with limited staff. This means training volunteers and techniques such as a "walking blood bank", in the case there is more patients than capabilities. There is a focus on aerospace medicine for pilots, and much of the issues are things like colds, sprains, dental, and minor health issues. Some cold related dangers at the Station include hypothermia, frostbite, snow blindness, sunburn, windburn, tent eye, carbon monoxide poisoning, and trench foot.
The facility has four beds that can sustain critical care for several days, but advanced surgery is not available, though the exact mix of beds and level of care has varied over time and also seasonally. At one point it had three emergency beds and three in-patient beds. Usually a doctor is on staff supported by a few residents and/or nurses during the time when the base population can grow to over one thousand people. The facility can take X-rays, do EKG monitoring, basic lab work, basic dental work, but has no blood bank; for serious conditions the focus is on doing a medical evacuation. The facility also has a decompression chamber, supporting medical care for scuba divers if they get decompression sickness (aka "the bends").
An example of a medical evacuation occurred in 2024, a patient was flown to New Zealand where they recovered. Medical evacuations in winter are very rare, but has happened in 2001, when the doctor had to be evacuated, 2003, and as mentioned in 2024. McMurdo is also place people are evacuated to, and an example of this is when someone was rescued from the WAIS Divide field camp in 2006. Because much of Antarctica is at high altitude, it is also needed to treat those experiencing issues with high altitude such as altitude sickness or high altitude pulmonary or cerebral edema (HAPE and HACE). Some of the treatments for this include a gamow bag (portable hyperbaric bag) or medications.

## Points of interest

McMurdo station is on the southern end of Hut Point Peninsula on Ross Island, the base itself has many buildings for different functions. Nearby are many historical or important locations.
There are some historical cabins dating to the early 1900s, geological features on Ross Island, as well as an assortment of memorials, plaques, and novelties on hut point. In the wider region are many imposing natural features including the Ross Ice Shelf, Mount Discovery, Mount Erebus, and phenomenon such as the southern lights aurora can be seen. Wildlife is very limited, some types that may be seen include penguins, seals, whales, and seabirds, depending on the time of year. Underwater near the base there is variety of sealife. One of the unique devices at McMurdo Station, is the Observation tube, which is tube that extends beneath the ice with windows allowing the subsurface to be observed without scuba diving.
Facilities at or near the station include:
* Building 155 (hub of activity with the "Galley" (Cafeteria), offices, dorm, etc.)
* Albert P. Crary Science and Engineering Center (CSEC)
** Salt Water Aquarium
* Chapel of the Snows Interdenominational Chapel
* Discovery Hut, built during Scott's 1901–1903 expedition (historic site)
* Memorial plaque to three airmen killed in 1946 while surveying the territory
* Ross Island Disc Golf Course
* Gallagher's (formerly Erebus Club)
* Southern Exposure Bar (formerly Chief's Club)
* Coffee House (ex-Officer's Club)
* "Hotel California" dorm
* Waste Water Treatment Plant
* Chalet (NSF offices)
* Winter Quarters Bay (harbor)
* Observation tube (seasonal)
* Observation Hill (overlooks station)
* Ross Island Earth Station
* Post Office
* General Hospital
Nearby to varying degrees:
* Scott Base (about 3km away by road through "the gap")
* McMurdo Ground Station (MGS) (NASA-NSF)
* Arrival Heights Laboratory (ASPA)
* Hut Point Peninsula (various areas such as Arrival Bay, Crater Hill, Pram Point)
* Scott's Hut (Cape Evans) (historic site)
* Shackleton's Hut (Cape Royds) (historic site)
* Lower Erebus Hut (Near Mount Erebus)
* Infrasonic Array at Windless Bight
* Long Duration Balloon (about 8 miles southeast from McMurdo)
* Williams Field airport (ice runway)
* Phoenix Airfield (compacted snow runway)
* Castle Rock (north of the base by trail)
* Erebus Glacier Tongue (Glacier to the north extending west into McMurdo Sound)
* Mount Erebus (to the north on Ross Island)
* Mount Terror (to the northeast on Ross Island)
* McMurdo Dry Valleys (Across sound to the west)
* White Island (to the south)
* Black Island (Island to the south, accessible by sea ice road in winter)
* Discovery Mountain (Southward)

## Nearby bases

By road, McMurdo is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from New Zealand's smaller Scott Base, which was built around the same time in the mid-1950s and the development of this area involved a collaboration between the United States and New Zealand; both were projects for the International Geophysical Year (IGY). McMurdo and Scott base are technically in the New Zealand–claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound Antarctica, though by article IV of the 1961 Antarctic Treaty System the claim is in abeyance. The two bases were established to be close on purpose during Operation Deep Freeze in 1955+, which because of the IGY was part of a multinational project to establish bases in the antarctic, for which the sites were chosen. Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand, 3,920 kilometres (2,440 mi) to the north helps provide logistical support for flying in supplies for the bases. McMurdo has the southernmost harbor in the world, but for access by ships icebreakers can be needed to establish passage.
In addition to McMurdo and Scott, New Zealand and the USA also established Hallet Station, a joint base operated until 1973.
Normally separated by a great distance, McMurdo is place where the USA and New Zealand are neighbors. Scott base has "American Night" where residents can get 50 cent beers and is known for being crowded.
Other stations near McMurdo, besides Scott Base, include the Italian seasonal base Zucchelli Station which is on the coast of the Ross Sea (Terra Nova Bay), the German seasonal base Gondwana Station at Gerlache Inlet also in Terra Nova Bay, and the South Korean Jang Bogo Station of South Korea also in Terra Nova Bay.
There is many other field stations and huts in the area, included historic or seasonal ones.