Palmer is a center for Antarctic marine studies; bird, plant, microbiology, arthropod research are the primary activities at the moment, as well as the "LTER" (Long Term Environmental Research) project, looking at the marine environment here over a period of many years.

There are usually about 45 people at Palmer Station during the Antarctic summer (which is now) and about half that number in the winter months. The weather is considerably milder than at the other US Antarctic stations, as it is further north, just outside the Antarctic Circle, and because it is surrounded by water, which helps keep the temperatures up. It does have a lot of precipitation, both rain and snow. The Marr Piedmont glacier sits nearly in the station's backyard, and thunderous sounds are often heard as the glacier "calves" chunks of ice into Aurthur Harbor.