Without interruption since
1956, Americans have been studying the Antarctic and
its interactions with the rest of the planet. These
investigators and supporting personnel make up the
U.S. Antarctic Program, which carries forward the
Nation's goals of supporting the Antarctic Treaty,
fostering cooperative research with other nations,
protecting the Antarctic environment, and developing
measures to ensure only equitable and wise use of
resources. The program comprises research by
scientists selected from universities and other
research institutions and operations and support by a
contractor and other agencies of the U.S. Government.
The National Science Foundation (the U.S. Government
agency that promotes the progress of science) funds
and manages the program. Approximately, 3,000
Americans are involved each year.
The research has three
goals: to understand the region and its ecosystems;
to understand its effects on (and responses to)
global processes such as climate; and to use the
region as a platform to study the upper atmosphere
and space. Antarctica's remoteness and extreme
climate make field science more expensive than in
most places. Research is done in the Antarctic only
when it cannot be performed at more convenient
locations.
The program has three
year-round research stations. In summer (the period
of extensive sunlight and comparative warmth that
lasts roughly October through February) additional
camps are established for glaciologists, earth
scientists, biologists, and others. Large,
ski-equipped LC-130 airplanes, which only the United
States has, provide air logistics. Air National Guard
crews operate these planes. Helicopters, flown by
a contractor, provide close support for many
research teams. Tracked or wheeled vehicles provide
transport over land and snow; small boats are used in
coastal areas.
