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Palmer Station Camera
Torgersen Island Penguin Camera
The Laurence M. Gould Docked at Palmer Station
The Palmer Station Webcam
The Palmer Station Webcam is mounted on a tower overlooking the smallest of the United States Antarctic stations, as well as Arthur Harbour and the Bismarck Strait beyond.
Storage containers, dormitories, and research facilities can all be seen in the image, as well as a dock to the left. In addition to regular visits by the research vessel
Laurence M. Gould, cruise ships and other visitors to Antarctica can often be seen in view of the camera.
Most research at Palmer Station is conducted during the austral summer (October to March), when days are long, ice cover is low, and organisms are abundant. Scientists
study many of the marine and terrestrial organisms that inhabit the local area, including bacteria, algae, invertebrates, fish and birds.
The area is part of the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program
. Since 1990,
this multi-disciplinary project has focused on studying the effects of changing sea-ice cover, a potential indicator of global climate change, on the structure and function
of the region’s marine ecosystem. Palmer Station also participates in data collection for worldwide environmental monitoring networks. Onsite instruments measure seismic activity,
atmospheric characteristics, and very-low-frequency (VLF) radio waves. Satellite images processed at Palmer Station are used to understand and map regional sea ice conditions,
weather patterns, and phytoplankton concentrations in the ocean.
An Adélie parent guards a newly-hatched chick
The Torgersen Island Penguin Camera
The Penguin Camera is located on Torgersen Island (64°46’S, 64°04’W), off the coast of Anvers Island and less than a mile from Palmer Station. Torgersen
Island is home to a colony of Adélie penguins numbering approximately 2,500. This camera is seasonal and operates primarily from October to February, the Adélie breeding
season. The camera is solar-powered and may sometimes experience brief outages due to inclement weather. School classrooms and other educational demonstrations will
often take control of the camera, moving it to gain better views of the colony.
Torgersen Island Location map
During the camera's operational period, both adult birds and chicks can be seen. An Adélie breeding pair will often take turns caring for chicks while the other takes
to the sea to feed on krill. While primarily home to Adélies, other penguins can sometimes be seen on Torgersen Island, including Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins.
For more information, see the Penguin Science
and Oceanites
web sites. Also see the Torgersen Island
blogs at the NSF's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program
site and the
Torgersen Island Visitor Site Guide
at the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat
pages.
Scientist Narissa Bax Holds a Sea Spider in the Laboratory of the Research Vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer
Research Vessels
As there is no place to land a cargo airplane at Palmer Station, ships play a crucial role both in science and the transport of cargo and personnel from Punta Arenas, Chile, 750 nautical miles
(1,390 km) to the north.
Profile of the Laurence M. Gould
The 230-foot (70-meter) research vessel Laurence M. Gould, named for renowned geology professor Dr. Laurence Gould, was
designed to serve this dual role and was brought into service in 1997. The hull is constructed of strengthened steel that allows year-round operation in Antarctica
under most ice conditions. The fully equipped Gould supports science ranging from geology and geophysics to biology and chemistry.
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NOTE: The camera image is often obscured due to harsh and unpredictable weather conditions. A guy wire supporting
the tower upon which the Palmer Station camera is mounted can be seen in most images.
Located on Anvers Island near the Antarctic Peninsula, Palmer Station (64° 46’S, 64° 03’W) is named for
Nathaniel B. Palmer, who in 1820 on a sealing expedition in his 47-foot (14-meter) ship the Hero
became the first American to record sighting Antarctica. The original station was built in 1965. In 1967, the
U.S. Navy began construction of the current larger and more permanent station approximately a mile east
of the original site. The first building at the new station, the biology laboratory, opened its doors to science
in 1970. Today, two main buildings and several smaller structures make up Palmer Station and provide
housing and research facilities for scientists and support personnel. Of the three U.S. Antarctic stations,
Palmer is the only one that is accessed routinely during the winter.
With ice cliffs rising above Arthur Harbor and the station, the Marr Ice Piedmont covers Anvers Island. The
highest mountains on the island are Mt. Francais (9,055 feet/2,760 meters) and Mt. Agamemnon (8,438 feet/2,572 meters).
Additional Links and Resources
Average temperatures are 36° F (2° C) in austral summer and 14° F (-10° C) in austral winter. The station
frequently experiences high winds, sometimes reaching 70 knots or more. Average annual precipitation is
13 feet (4 meters) of snow and 30 in (76 cm) of rain. Palmer Station lies outside the Antarctic Circle, so in
the middle of austral winter there are five hours of light during each day. Conversely, the austral summer
brings long days of 19 hours of light and 5 of twilight. These changes in light influence seasonal cycles of
temperature, weather, sea ice formation, and the organisms that live in this area.
The station supports science year-round and accommodates about 20 people in the winter and up to 44 in the
austral summer. There are dormitory bedrooms, communal bathrooms, and a cafeteria-style kitchen. Everyone
helps clean, and many participate in weekly science lectures and social events.
To find out more about life at U.S. Antarctic research stations, see the
Around the Continent
section of The Antarctic Sun
.