Scott Base
| Scott Base | |
|---|---|
| Antarctic base | |
Aerial photograph of Scott Base looking towards Observation Hill.
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 Scott Base
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| Coordinates: 77°51′S 166°45′E / 77.850°S 166.750°ECoordinates: 77°51′S 166°45′E / 77.850°S 166.750°E | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
|
| Location in Antarctica | Ross Island, Ross Dependency |
| Administered by | Antarctica New Zealand |
| Established | 20 January 1957 |
| Named for | Captain Robert Falcon Scott, RN |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total |
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| Time zone | NZST (UTC+12) |
| • Summer (DST) | NZDST (UTC+13) |
| Type | All year-round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Website | antarcticanz |
The Scott Base is a New Zealand Antarctic research facility located at Pram Point on Ross Island near Mount Erebus in New Zealand's Ross Dependency territorial claim. The research facility was named in honour of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, RN, leader of two British expeditions to the Ross Sea area of Antarctica. The base was set up as support to field research and the centre for research into earth sciences, and now conducts research in many fields, operated by Antarctica New Zealand.
By road, the base is 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) from the larger U.S. McMurdo Station.
Scott Base was originally constructed in support of the UK inspired and privately managed Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition (TAE). The New Zealand government provided support for the TAE and also for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) project of 1957, five of whose members were attached to the Expedition. In February 1956, 10 months before the TAE and IGY parties were due to head to the Antarctic, Frank Ponder, an architect at the NZ Ministry of Works, was given the task of designing the base. Ponder's design consisted of six main buildings and three smaller scientific labs. The main buildings were to be placed at least 7 metres apart because of fire risk but were linked to one another by a covered way of galvanised iron. Three New Zealand observers were also given the task of selecting the site for a base went to McMurdo Sound with the United States “Operation Deep Freeze I” in the summer of 1955. After evaluating possible sites, a location near Butter Point was chosen. This was later changed to Pram Point as it provided better access for offloading supplies from the Expedition ship HMNZS Endeavour and also allowed for the operation of the critical RNZAF Antarctic Flight on a nearby ice runway. The base looks out over what is now known as Haskell Strait. Scott Base passed over to NZ Government ownership via the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), on March 5, 1958, at the conclusion of the TAE.
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