Palmer Station Timeline

1995-present

Winter 1996

Manager: Janet Phillips, population up to 32 (photos)

Dump cleanup activity in late fall

Internet access achieved for 6 hours/day via LES-9 at 38 kb/s (5/6), a significant improvement from 1.2 kb/s over ATS-3, but no web browsing yet

CAF roof replaced

Science library moved from GWR to grantee office next to Lab 9 to make room for women's bathroom in GWR

Keeling air sampling project arrives (September) and sets up equipment in T-5

A quick medevac--Alison Parker, researcher aboard Polar Duke, is diagnosed at Palmer with appendicitis--picked up by a BAS Twin Otter on 12/11, flown to Rothera, then to PA, successful surgery the next day

Automated weather data collection system established (not the present one)

"Live from Antarctica 2" film crew visits station (the website is still an excellent educational resource)

Winter 1997

Manager: Ronnie Baltz; population 32 (list and photos)

New Beckman centrifuge gets sent back for repairs a second time.

USGS installs DGPS (differential GPS) base station in T-5, the first "real-time DGPS system" in Antarctica

The GPS receiver antenna, near Hero Inlet about 300 feet from T-5, where the equipment and transmitter antenna were instaled. This equipment has been used with roving GPS stations to accurately locate survey and sample collection points in the local area. Here's a photo from another angle (1998 USGS photos by Larry Hothem).

Polar Duke makes last USAP cruise (97-5) to Palmer; last departure from the station is 5/6...

as the Laurence M. Gould is under construction

The LMG under construction at the North American Shibuilding yard in LaRose, Louisiana in April. The vessel was built in pieces...some of the completed sections of the superstructure were lying around outside nearby.

Here's another photo of me taking a photo (with thanks to Al Oxton).

Remote alarm sensing system installed to (hopefully) replace the night watch

Power plant switchgear and distribution system upgraded to match generator capacity and station power demand. This required many full-station power outages and portable generator hookups to critical projects

Summer 1997-98

R/V Laurence M. Gould dedicated in Louisiana (10/9)

The NSF-chartered research vessel Laurence M. Gould (LMG), named for the second in command to Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his first antarctic expedition (1929-1930), was dedicated in a ceremony near New Orleans on 9 October 1997. Photo credit: Teresa McLain, USAP (photo and caption: Antarctic Journal, October 1997). The The LMG was originally scheduled to open Palmer Station for this season, but various delays pushed her delivery date back, so science and logistics support to Palmer Station were provied by the NPPalmer, tourist cruise ships, and the R/V Abel J. The first LMG arrival at Palmer was in January 1998.

Seawater intake pumps rebuilt

Survey of Marr Glacier conducted--determining that it had retreated an average of 10 meters per year since a 1995 survey.

Winter 1998

Manager: Ronnie Baltz; population 21 (list and photos)

Asbestos abatement team spends 12 days on station removing floor tiles from berthing, the pantry, ET room, medical and Labs 6-8--requiring extensive preparation to move equipment and supplies out of the way...and later put things back

90+ knot winds blow down the VLF antenna (4/1)

Fortunately this occurred while the Stanford rep was on site. An all-hands effort was required to raise the replacement antenna (Stanford photo by Mike Johnson). Of course, maintenance of the antenna base, guy wires, and cables/supports, as the glacier moves and melts, is a continuing task.

Sprinkler system piping installed in upper floors of Biolab and in aquarium building

Biostores moved downstairs to machine shop area in preparation for main floor remodel...

...which added offices, library and an exit door/stair at the end of the hall

Pullman berths in Biolab replaced with standard bunk beds

Seawater lines from pumphouse reworked with new heat trace

Summer 1998-99

Active cathodic protection system installed on pier sheetpiling

Fraser Island (2-1/2 miles northwest of Palmer in Wylie Bay) named for Bill who has been studying birds and other area wildlife since the early 1980s

Winter 1999

Manager: Chris Cunning; population 20 (list and photos)

Biolab main floor remodel continued with asbestos abatement and new partitions, shelves, racks, and carpet for the comms and weather station equipment

Followed by the major rearrangement and renovation of the first floor of GWR

Deck side of boat shop dive locker enclosed for gear storage and laundry area

Diving/blasting project conducted to remove ship-endangering rocks next to the pier

Summer 1999-2000

Composer/naturalist Doug Quin shows up for major media/multimedia event marking the new millennium... Antarctica 2000

CTBT group makes initial site survey

One of two main seawater intake lines repaired; 2 backup lines installed

Winter 2000

Manager: Bob Farrell; population 27 (list and photos)

This year's winter project--upgrading the second floor of GWR, moving gym, TV room and bar to the end of the building, adding soundproofing and completely reconstructing the berthing area

Both NSF research vessels make a rare joint port call at Palmer Station (June)

At left, the Laurence M. Gould, with the Nathaniel B. Palmer, seen here on 8 June 2000. The pier is, of course, the same Hero-sized one, built in 1966-67, and the NBP is too large to be able to tie up...

Photo by Zenobia Evans, from the USAP photo library.

Summer 2000-01

Medical relocated to new spaces in GWR (these had been built during the 1999 winter, but used as temporary lounge space during the upstairs remodel

0600 UT (middle of the night) weather obs discontinued

GWR "sun deck" completed

Old X-ray room converted to equipment storage

Winter 2001

Manager: Pam Hill; population 20 (list and photos)

GSAR team called out to rescue folks from the LMG who ventured into a crevassed area; two people fell in, one requiring rescue (April). No serious injury

Stanford VLF rep removes old Ampex mag tape drives; replaced with digital storage and CD burners along with the betamax tapes

Aquarium seawater supply piping/valving replaced

Tom Leipart, RPSC painter, age 36, who had spent the first part of the winter on station, fell down a flight of stairs aboard the LMG in Puunta Arenas (9/1) and suffered a fatal head injury

Winter projects--sandblasting and painting the foundation beams beneath Biolab, and sheetrocking of GWR garage and general supply

Summer 2001-02

Automated weather system "PALMOS" installed and functional (but manual 3x/daily synoptic observations continue)

Winter 2002

Manager: Joe Pettit; population 32 (photo)

Earth station building constructed, along with a 26.4-foot radome housing a 16' antenna

Turned on in September and commissioned in October, the antenna initially looked at the Intelsat 706 satellite, providing 24-hour internet access at 384 kilobits per second, instead of the previous 6-hour window at 56k. Videoconferencing and VOIP phone service is also available. This photo is from Skip Withrow, who helped put this all together. Here's the rest of his photos...

Major reconstruction of Biolab lab space, including conversion of machine shop area into new science area

Summer 2002-03

Winter 2003

Manager: Rocky Ness; population 17 (photo)

More winter lab HVAC work--duct sealing, more new ductwork, quieter fume hood fans, DDC controls and balancing

Summer 2003-04

Automated PALMOS data collection system used for synoptic weather observations of record

Third and final phase of old dump cleanup completed

The 3-man team sorted and removed about 154 tons of trash from two different dump sites, leaving only rock and a hole in the ground (more photos and the rest of the stories)

Last vestige of glacier between Arthur Harbor and Loudwater Cove collapses, creating (perhaps) Norsel Island. Glenn Grant has an excellent collecton of pictures on his site

Winter 2004

New flooring/shelving installed in dry goods storage area

Summer 2004-05

Winter 2005

Manager: Jim Slaughter, population 38/20 (photo)

Woods Hole (WHOI) establishes a webcam in preparation for the planned Polar Remote Interactive Marine Observatory (PRIMO) project

Nothing really dramatic here, what you see is the associated instrumentation to monitor and tramsmit temperature, salinity, conductivity and fluorescence, this is hooked up to the seawater system in the aquarium. The camera itself (and other instrumentation) is located in T5; the camera shows various views of Hero Inlet and nearby antennas/cables (and, of course, darkness at night). Actually, the camera is watching for icebergs near potential sites for a remote underwater observatory (PRIMO) that will be installed about 2 nautical miles south of Palmer Station, at a depth of 425 feet. The instrumentation was installed by a survey team that visited Palmer Station in April and May and mapped the ocean floor looking for potential survey sites and cable routes (press release about mapping project--Polie Kris Perry participated in the offshore survey). The webcam site is here; if the picture is black you might want to check out an archived image from May 2005 here.

New International Monitoring Station (IMS) building erected

The new triangular 1440-square foot building will replace CAF and T5 and provide expanded equipment space for the DOE/DHS air sampling project. This view from mid-May was taken from GWR (more information and photos)