Riley McMurdo — McMurdo Station Guide | riley-mcmurdo.net
Summer and winter seasons, the 1,100-to-200 population swing and daily logistics.
Life at 77°50.89' S is organised around two seasons. In summer the station becomes a busy base for field science and resupply, with the population reaching up to 1,100 in a peak week. In winter it contracts to about 200 people who keep systems running through the dark months.
The annual mean temperature of -18°C (-0.4°F) and recorded extremes from -50°C (-58°F) to +8°C (46.4°F) shape daily routines, from clothing and building access to flight scheduling and equipment maintenance.
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Snow accumulation can reach 1.5 metres per year, yet the station is typically snow-free in summer. That contrast defines the annual maintenance cycle: winter drifting and cold, summer clearing and outdoor work.
Daily logistics run through the harbour, two airfields and helicopter pads. About 2,300 people pass through each year, and the galley serves 147,956 meals annually, numbers that reflect a constant flow of arrivals, departures and field deployments.
Mount Erebus, about 25 miles away, is a constant horizon reference, and McMurdo Sound lies alongside the station on Hut Point Peninsula, Ross Island.
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