Palmer Station | |
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Location of Palmer Station in Antarctica | |
Coordinates: 64°46′27″S 64°03′10″W / 64.774230°S 64.052718°W | |
Country | United States |
Location in Antarctica | Anvers Island Graham Land |
Administered by | United States Antarctic Program via the National Science Foundation |
Established | 20 March 1968 |
Named for | Nathaniel B. Palmer |
Elevation | 30 ft (10 m) |
Population (2017)[1] | |
• Summer | 44 |
• Winter | 13 |
Time zone | UTC-3 (CLT) |
UN/LOCODE | AQ PLM |
Type | Year-round |
Period | Annual |
Status | Operational |
Activities | List
|
Website | www.nsf.gov |
Palmer Station is a United States research station in Antarctica located on Anvers island (aka Antwerp Island), the only U.S. station on the continent located north of the Antarctic Circle. Initial construction of the station finished in 1968. The station, like the other U.S. Antarctic stations, is operated by the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) of the National Science Foundation. The base is much smaller than the others, with about 40 staff, and is focused on marine and biology research such as seabirds and plankton.
The base is about as distant from the equator as Fairbanks, Alaska in the northern hemisphere, whereas Palmer is in the southern hemisphere.