News Item
Palmer Station Pier Reconstruction Milestone Announced
National Science Foundation
For more information, go to:
https://future.usap.gov/palmer-pier-upgrade/
For questions, contact:
Wilson Sauthoff
Email: wsauthof [at] nsf.gov
The National Science Foundation (NSF) will make a major upgrade to the pier at the U.S. Antarctic Program's Palmer Station, located on Anvers Island on the Antarctic peninsula. NSF's Office of Polar Programs (OPP) is currently in the process of finalizing the plans and designs needed to prepare for construction in the coming months.
The 50-year-old pier has exceeded its design life. As a result, maintenance demands have increased. Numerous independent reports and studies over the past decade ¬– including a 2012 blue ribbon panel study on the logistics needed to support cutting-edge science in the coming decades – recommended rebuilding the pier.
A new pier will reduce maintenance and eliminate the risk of pier failure that could disrupt operations. A design was developed and reviewed in the spring 2017; that preliminary design will form the basis for final design and construction plans. As plans and schedules for the project develop, the U.S. Antarctic Program will share them on its website, as well as through other outlets.
The Palmer Station pier supports resupply operations for the station and berthing for the research vessels that operate around the peninsula and in the Southern Ocean. Maintaining a vigorous and robust science program at Palmer while rebuilding the pier is a priority.
For more information, go to:
https://future.usap.gov/palmer-pier-upgrade/
For questions, contact:
Wilson Sauthoff
Email: wsauthof [at] nsf.gov