Antarctic Lifestyles and Employment Opportunities

Do you know what Dallas, USA and the South Pole have in common? Believe it or not, they both see 100 degree temperatures in July. Granted, the South Pole sees temperatures of 100 degrees below zero, not above. This means that a person could freeze in just a matter of seconds.

Twenty-eight brave people live at the South Pole for six months each year, sacrificing sunlight, most communication with the rest of the world, and the possibility of escaping the area. This group's purpose is to maintain the U.S. polar base and to manage telescopes and other scientific instrumentation at the research station. Present day communications and technology are altering that purpose.

Astronomers in North America can remotely operate the telescope in the observatories of the South Pole. That marked the first time another continent controlled equipment at the South Pole. It is hoped that in the future astronomers will be able to control the telescopes at the South Pole from other continents on a regular basis.

This would be much preferrable to the current requirement of braving the coldest, driest and windiest environment known to the Earth. It can be hard to breathe when you're living at the elevation Antarctica maintaines. The high elevations make it impossible for anything but cold-adapted plants and animals to survive. Some common plants and animals include penguins, seals, and various forms of algae and tundra vegetation.

The people who accept the challenge of working through a winter in Antarctica are referred to as "winter-overs." They have the privileges of a large variety of videos, a small exercise room, computers, a pool table and fabulous food. Interestingly, they are well-known to be very silent about any occurrences between February, the time that the station battens down for winter, and October, when a military transport arrives to return them to civilization.

One challenge faced by this crew is that the research program at the South Pole has continually grown and the research station is facing a great challenge in having a steady and consistent electrical supply. There are only three oil-burning generators to power the computers, lights, telescopes, lasers, and other electrical powered devices. This causes winter-overs to have to deal with insufficient power, in conjunction with cramped quarters and cold buildings.

Various traditions are used by winter-overs to help pass the time. In order to be part of the "300 Club," there needs to be temperatures less than 100 degrees below zero. The members heat the sauna up to 200 degrees. Then the winter-overs in the "300 Club" race out into the minus 100 degree temperatures and then back inside.

They also look forward to the annual airdrop. This happens in June when the U.S. Air National Guard use a military transport plane to drop pallets of food, mail, and supplies to the people at the South Pole. The winter-overs anxiously bring their treasures into the station with the help of heavy equipment. This is the closest winter-overs are able to come to any physical contact with the world outside the South Pole.

During their stay in Antarctica, they will not travel over a mile from the pole or even see a tree. However, every worker will be given one week's vacation at McMurdo, which the primary U.S. Antarctic base. While on this vacation the winter-overs typically camp out in the wonderful 25-degree weather, sun bake on rocky beaches, and wear t-shirts and jeans.

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