Since 1961 Antarctica has been governed by the Antarctic Treaty System which sets aside Antarctica as an area for peaceful scientific endeavors with no nation having territorial rights. Territorial claims have been tabled at this time. 29 nations have established over 80 research stations conducting actual scientific programs. Additional treaties have dealt with environmental responsibilities of operational stations.

The United States has three research stations on Antarctica. While we never actually saw any of them, several staff members from the Palmer Station came to our ship by boat and gave presentations on the research being carried out. Most of which are sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

We were able to view several of these stations during the cruise. Some of them are quite huge. No matter the size, the Antarctic landscape dwarfs them all. And…they all have huge populations of penguins as guests so they all have quite a unique smell.

Port Lockerby – British
As we approached the Port Lockerby bay, it was almost impossible to see the buildings of the research station. Once you get closer, you can see the red-colored buildings.

González Videla – Chilean

Argentina’s Stations