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Table of contents: |
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Where does our water come from?At McMurdo Station, fresh water is created by a desalinization plant using a process known as reverse osmosis.Most of the station has plumbing, but the location of the greenhouse is such that plumbing is difficult to install. Therefore, a water truck fills its tank at the water plant then drives up to the greenhouse to pump it into a two hundred fifty gallon tank. Water is received twice a week in order to fill the needs of the plants. At the South Pole, the greenhouse is located in the main building. It receives its water from the main water supply, which is which is created by running hot water into the ice which then melts more ice into water. A small reservoir (or bulb) of water is created, and then pumped to the station where it is treated and distributed. Smaller buildings have snow melters for turning ice into water. |
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Is the greenhouse made of glass?In the Antarctic, environments are extreme! There are four months of total daylight and four months of total darkness. In between are the transition months, where the sun is either beginning to set or rise. If the greenhouse were made of glass, which has a very low insulation value, the plants would either freeze in the winter or wilt in the summer. Indoor temperature would be impossible to control due to such extreme outside temperatures and winds. Plus, many plants do not prefer 24 hours of daylight, and none of them can survive in its absence. Therefore, all of the greenhouses are inside sealed building, and sunlight is provided in the form of artificial lighting. The two basic lighting systems are the High Pressure Sodium (for flowering and fruiting) and Metal Halide (for leaf growth), although at McMurdo, new SonAgro lights, which contain all the needed spectrums of light in one bulb, are being installed. The new South Pole growth facility uses a jacketed lamp, which is type of wet light system where water is pumped into a jacket surrounding the light. The water keeps the light cool by removing heat created by the bulb. |
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How is the greenhouse heated?At McMurdo Station, the greenhouse is heated a few ways. During the day, the artificial lighting gives off enough heat to provide the plants with optimum daytime growing temperatures. Circulating fans help distribute warm air, and a few intake and exhaust fans provide cool air and more consistent airflow between rooms. At night, an electric furnace and small wall-mounted space heaters provide needed warmth. At the South Pole, the growth facility is located inside the new station, Heat is generated by the main station and is pumped into the chamber. Cooling is taken care of by fans. |
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Where does our electricity come from?Both stations have fuel power plants that generate all the electricity needed for the base. In the case of McMurdo, the fuel is brought in via cargo vessel once a year. For the South Pole Station, planes fly to the base with a full-tank of fuel, then much of it is siphoned from the plane into holding tanks. The planes are left with only enough fuel to make the return flight to McMurdo Station. |
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How do we get needed supplies?There are two ways McMurdo Station receives supplies: by plane or large cargo vessel. In January, a coast guard cutter known as the Polar Star, cuts a path through the ice shelf to McMurdo Station. The following month, a large cargo vessel follows this path to the base. In its belly are most of the supplies required for the year. Supplies needed before the arrival of the vessel can be flown into McMurdo during the summer months. The South Pole station receives all its cargo via air transport, which is based out of McMurdo Station. Supplies can arrive on either vessel or airplane, and are then forwarded by the New York 109th Air Guard via C-130 ski planes to the South Pole Station. |
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What are the sizes of the greenhouses and how much can they produce?The McMurdo Station greenhouse is a three-room building, totaling approximately 649 square feet. It can produce over 300 lbs of produce monthly during peak periods. The new South Pole greenhouse is much smaller, and as it has just come under production this last year, total production is not yet known. |
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Who takes care of the greenhouses?At the South Pole Station, volunteers oversee the greenhouse. At McMurdo Station, there is one greenhouse technician who takes care of the plants and works in the galley. |
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