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Where does McMurdo Station get its water?
The station gets its fresh water through the desalinization of the sea water in the neighboring bay via a method called reverse osmosis. And McMurdo has its own waste-water treatment facility.
What sound is part of Ross Sea?
McMurdo Sound
McMurdo Sound and its ice-clogged waters extends about 55 kilometres (34 mi) long and wide. The sound connects the Ross Sea to the north with the Ross Ice Shelf cavity to the south via Haskell Strait.
Can you live in McMurdo?
Most of McMurdo life, however, takes place on solid ground on Ross Island. McMurdo Station was founded in 1956 and is the largest research station in Antarctica. In the summer it houses around 1,000 people, and can support up to ~1,250. In the winter the population dwindles to just a couple hundred.
Can tourists visit McMurdo?
Granted, McMurdo Station is a long way to go for a drink, yet a visit is one of the highlights for many of our guests on cruises to Antarctica. Renowned for attracting an utterly diverse bunch of people, McMurdo is arguably one of the most fascinating towns you could visit.
How big is the McMurdo Sound in miles?
McMurdo Sound is an icy body of windswept water bordered on the north by the Ross Sea, on the south by the McMurdo Ice Shelf, and with both a width and length of around 55 km (34 miles).
How is the McMurdo Sound connected to the Ross Sea?
The sound connects the Ross Sea to the north with the Ross Ice Shelf cavity to the south via Haskell Strait. The strait is largely covered by the McMurdo Ice Shelf. The Royal Society Range rises from sea level to 4,205 metres (13,796 ft) on the western shoreline.
Why is the McMurdo Sound important to Antarctica?
McMurdo Sound provides an important component in Antarctica’s global effects upon climate. A key factor is the polar winds that can drive the sound’s pack ice into the Ross Sea summer or winter. Frigid katabatic winds rake subsequent exposed water, causing sea ice to form.
What kind of animals live in the McMurdo Sound?
The few tourists who reach the McMurdo Sound find spectacular scenery with wildlife to be seen, including killer whales, seals, Adélie penguins, and emperor penguins . Cold circumpolar currents of the Southern Ocean reduce the flow of warm South Pacific or South Atlantic waters reaching McMurdo Sound and other Antarctic coastal waters.