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[[File:McMurdo.jpg|300px|left]]
[[File:Antarctic krill.jpg |250px|left]]
'''[[McMurdo Station]]''' is a United States Antarctic research center on the south tip of [[Ross Island]], which is in the New Zealand-claimed [[Ross Dependency]] on the shore of McMurdo Sound in [[Antarctica]]. It is operated by the United States through the United States Antarctic Program, a branch of the National Science Foundation. The station is the largest community in Antarctica, capable of supporting up to 1,258 residents, and serves as one of three United States Antarctic science facilities. All personnel and cargo going to or coming from [[Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station]] first pass through McMurdo.
'''[[Antarctic krill]]''' is a species of [[krill]] found in the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] waters of the [[Southern Ocean]]. It is a small, swimming crustacean that lives in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000–30,000 individual animals per cubic meter. It feeds directly on minute phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that the phytoplankton originally derived from the sun in order to sustain their open ocean life cycle.


The station owes its designation to nearby McMurdo Sound, named after Lieutenant Archibald McMurdo of HMS ''Terror'', which first charted the area in 1841 under the command of British explorer [[James Clark Ross]]. British explorer [[Robert Falcon Scott]] first established a base close to this spot in 1902 and built Discovery Hut, still standing adjacent to the harbor at Hut Point. The volcanic rock of the site is the southernmost bare ground accessible by ship in the Antarctic. The United States officially opened its first station at McMurdo on 16 February 1956. Founders initially called the station Naval Air Facility McMurdo. On 28 November 1957, [[Admiral George J. Dufek]] was present with a U.S. congressional delegation during a change of command ceremony.
It grows to a length of 6 cm, weighs up to 2 grams, and can live for up to six years. It is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and is, in terms of biomass, probably the most abundant animal species on the planet. In 2019, the Antarctic krill was featured on a [[Stamps of Westarctica|stamp of Westarctica]] to celebrate its role as a vital part of the Antarctic ecosystem.


'''([[McMurdo Station|Full Article...]])'''
'''([[Antarctic krill|Full Article...]])'''

Latest revision as of 22:23, 1 January 2026

Antarctic krill.jpg

Antarctic krill is a species of krill found in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. It is a small, swimming crustacean that lives in large schools, called swarms, sometimes reaching densities of 10,000–30,000 individual animals per cubic meter. It feeds directly on minute phytoplankton, thereby using the primary production energy that the phytoplankton originally derived from the sun in order to sustain their open ocean life cycle.

It grows to a length of 6 cm, weighs up to 2 grams, and can live for up to six years. It is a key species in the Antarctic ecosystem and is, in terms of biomass, probably the most abundant animal species on the planet. In 2019, the Antarctic krill was featured on a stamp of Westarctica to celebrate its role as a vital part of the Antarctic ecosystem.

(Full Article...)