Summer is almost here but one Miami Lakes resident won’t be complaining about the heat.
Nicole McGrath, a lifelong resident and Hialeah Miami Lakes High School alumni, is working at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, where a nice day means temperatures hover around 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now in her ninth month of a yearlong contract, McGrath is part of the support staff wintering at McMurdo Station until the austral summer begins in October.
McMurdo Station is the largest of three research year-round stations within the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation. The program carries forward the nation’s goals of supporting a cutting-edge scientific presence in the Antarctic, fulfilling the nation’s obligations as a signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, fostering cooperative research with other nations, and protecting the Antarctic environment.
During the austral summer, the sun is above the horizon 24 hours a day and the continent comes alive with seals, penguins and other wildlife creatures.
The population hits its peak and scientists, along with support staff, race to conduct as much science as possible before the sun sets.
This past summer, McGrath worked as an air transportation specialist, moving cargo on and off the continent.
Her work even brought her to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, located at the geographic South Pole.
In March, McGrath and her fellow “winter-overs” said good-bye to the last flight of summer, staying behind to mind the station and do any needed repairs.
Only a few weeks later, the sun dipped below the horizon, not to be seen again until August.
After the sun disappeared, temperatures steadily dropped and wildlife sightings stopped altogether.
Even though getting around station requires regularly going outside, McGrath’s winter job in Operations Supply allows her to spend more time indoors.
This is good news since she’s already experienced temperatures in the negative sixties and it hasn’t hit the dead of winter yet.
Despite the darkness and the cold, the winter also brings many beautiful experiences.
Brightly colored auroras, also known as the Southern Lights, light up the night sky and the stars shine like nowhere else in the world.
Plus “winter-overs” form a tight-knit community since the station population stays around 150 people all season.
It doesn’t hurt that McGrath’s fiancé, who she met in Antarctica, is with her and they plan on getting married when they return home.
Besides her wedding and seeing her family, the things she looks forward to the most about going home include seeing trees, eating fresh food and walking outside in flip-flops.