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Comments from David Silva (Cy-Fair): Definitely, this must be an amazing experience and the pictures already say enough! Beautiful view! I wonder how you ended up there, and what exactly your goal is during this time. Did you apply for it? Somebody requested you? It seems to me that pretty much scientific experiments are all that goes on over there. How is the social life? One of my friends did a presentation about the Antarctica Treaty and I was wondering how they make sure to enforce it. Do you see patrolling or any sort of supervision concerning the treaty requirements? Thanks, David Silva Cy-Fair Answers: David, Thanks for the good questions! The view is amazing, and it is a great experience, I am quite lucky to get a chance to come down here. To answer some of your questions: 1) I did apply to come down here. A group of us got together and proposed to NSF (the National Science Foundation) to conduct a study of the atmospheric chemistry of Antarctica. This project is a continuation of a project to look at what was happening at the South Pole. We are trying to better understand the chemical reactions happening above the snow and how this impacts the chemical record in the ice cores collected here. You are correct, the only approved reason to come to Antarctica is to do scientific research. This idea was summarized by Admiral Byrd, in the plaque shown on the left. No one owns Antarctica and it is governed by a the Antarctic Treat. Antarctica is one of the few places on Earth where there has been never been war, where the environment is fully protected, and where scientific research has priority. A land which the Antarctic Treaty parties call a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science. The social life is pretty good. McMurdo is a small town (about 1000 people), and in addition to hanging out in the dining hall (galley) to talk to people, there are a bunch of other recreational and social activites. McMurdo has a small 2-lane bowling alley, a sports gym with a weight room and a larger area for either volleyball, basketball, aerobics, indoor hockey, and my favorite - indoor soccer. Another building has a ceramics room, a sweing room, ajnd a bouldering cave. Their is also a library and three social clubs: Gallagher's (a non-smoking club with a "burger bar"), The Coffee House (also non-smoking is an internet cafe that also shows movies), and The Southern Exposure for the smoking crowd. The station also has a store to purchase souvenirs, toiletries, snacks, film, batteries, phone cards, etc. Near the store is a Wells Fargo ATM so you can get more money to by those Antarctica souvinirs. Below is more about the Antarctic Treaty: Signed in 1959, the Antarctic Treaty came into force on 23 June 1961 after ratification by the twelve countries then active in Antarctic science. Today the treaty has more than 43 parties, representing more than 2/3 of the world's human population. The Treaty covers the area south of 60°S latitude. Its objectives are simple yet unique in international relations. They are: to demilitarize Antarctica, to establish it as a zone free of nuclear tests and the disposal of radioactive waste, and to ensure that it is used for peaceful purposes only; to promote international scientific cooperation in Antarctica; to set aside disputes over territorial sovereignty. The treaty remains in force indefinitely. The Treaty parties meet each year. They have adopted over 200 recommendations and negotiated five separate international agreements. These, together with the original Treaty provide the rules which govern activities in Antarctica. Collectively they are known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS). At McMurdo Station, the Senior NSF is in charge of enforcing the Treaty on station. Several members of NSF are on the Treaty Board of Govenors. Any member of the Treaty Board has the right to perform on-site no-warning inspections as provided by the Treaty. Originally, these inspections were a means of enforcing the demilitarization measures of the Treaty, now they have become important means of encouraging adherence to the strict environmental measures. Here at McMurdo Station, every person is informed about the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty as soon as they arrive. This is something that they take very seriously here.