People from CU Boulder have gone to Antarctica each year for 30 years. McMurdo Station is 1 of 28 locations in the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. Scientists study large-scale changes in each place.

Some CU researchers stay at McMurdo Station, a “town” of around 850 people. Others camp near the places they study, 45 minutes away by helicopter in the Dry Valleys.

Once a year, a cargo ship drops off supplies at McMurdo Station, including much of the research equipment. People and smaller shipments arrive on cargo airplanes.