Investigators from the National Science Foundation's Office of Inspector General are traveling to Antarctica in response to longstanding accusations of sexual harassment at American research stations, which the NSF director called a "systemic problem."

Special agents are expected to arrive at the McMurdo Station on Monday, the largest research center on the continent, where hundreds of scientists conduct field research. The visit is scheduled until November 17th.

"Our investigative team will visit McMurdo to prepare for our future presence in Antarctica and to meet with staff to explain our role," said Lisa Wunderhaar, the head of the NSF's Office of Inspector General, in a statement.

The trip comes over a year after the release of a damning report by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which oversees all American operations in Antarctica, describing a culture of harassment and assault within the US Antarctic program. In addition to McMurdo, the NSF also gathered information on sexual harassment at the South Pole Station, the Palmer Station, and other US research vessels in Antarctica.

Based on surveys of 880 current and former employees, 59% of women reported experiencing negative experiences of sexual harassment or assault during their program, and 95% of respondents said they knew someone who had been assaulted or harassed within the program.

"Every woman I knew there experienced an assault or harassment that happened on the ice," one of the survey participants told the report's authors. Another woman in the report referred to sexual violence and harassment as a "fact of life" in Antarctica. According to the report, several men also reported experiencing sexual harassment from both men and women.

The investigation also revealed that the widespread atmosphere of harassment and assault was compounded by fear of retaliation.

"People on the station are afraid, and it's fair that if they are subjected to harassment or assault and report it, they will be the ones sent home," one person told the report's authors. "When something happened on the ice, the first thing I heard was, 'Don't report it, or you'll go home and be blacklisted from the program.'"

The NSF commissioned the report in 2021 after several years of reports of sexual harassment. In 2018, three women accused Boston University geologist David Marchant of sexually harassing them during research expeditions to Antarctica when they were graduate students. He was later dismissed from the university, and in his statement at the time, he denied the allegations.

"For me, it was not surprising to hear some of the stories that we heard," said Roberta Marinelli, the director of the NSF's Office of Polar Programs, in an interview with NPR last year. "It is, of course, disappointing."

The US Antarctic Program sends over 3,000 people, including researchers and support staff, to the bottom of the world each year, with approximately one-third of them being women.

Over the past few months, the NSF's oversight agency has been remotely reviewing complaints from Antarctic workers. The upcoming visit is part of efforts to strengthen their presence on the ice, added Wunderhaar.

On Thursday, the NSF appointed Renee V. Ferranti as the new Special Assistant to the Director, tasked with preventing and responding to sexual violence and harassment. Ferranti previously served as the director of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program for the Peace Corps. She begins her tenure on Sunday.