O'Higgins Station | |
|---|---|
| Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme | |
 The Chilean base Bernardo O'Higgins Station | |
  O'Higgins Station Location of O'Higgins Station inAntarctica | |
| Coordinates:63°19′15″S57°53′59″W / 63.320951°S 57.899781°W /-63.320951; -57.899781 | |
| Country |  Chile |
| Location in Antarctica | Cape Legoupil Trinity Peninsula |
| Administered by |  Chilean Army |
| Established | 18 February 1948 (1948-02-18) |
| Named after | Bernardo O'Higgins |
| Elevation | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 52 |
| • Winter | 24 |
| UN/LOCODE | AQ OHG |
| Type | All-year round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | List
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Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, also Base Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, or shortly Bernardo O'Higgins, named afterBernardo O'Higgins, is a permanently staffedChileanresearch station inAntarctica and the capital ofAntártica Commune. It lies at anelevation of 13 m, about 30 km south-west ofPrime Head, the northernmost point of theAntarctic Peninsula, atCape Legoupil.
The base was established on 18 February 1948 by theChilean Antarctic Expedition, and is one of the Antarctic bases with the longest times of continuous operation. The winter population is 24, and the peak population in the Antarctic summer is usually 52, although up to 60 persons can be accommodated.[1] The base is operated by the Chilean Army. It is also known asPuerto Covadonga after theport on which it is located.[2]
TheGerman Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS) was established at O'Higgins in 1991 by theDLR. It is asatellite ground station sited in Antarctica to enable reception of data from satellite-based sensors within the south polar region that might otherwise be lost. Highbandwidth sensors such asSAR generate too much data to be stored on board the satellite for transmission to ground stations elsewhere. GARS was sited at O'Higgins because of thegeology,infrastructure andaccessibility of the base.
Three dozenCOVID-19 cases were reported on the research base on December 22, 2020. These are the first reported cases on the continent.[3]
The O’Higgins Historic Site on Cape Legoupil comprises structures of historical significance:
It was designated aHistoric Site or Monument (HSM 37), following a proposal by Chile to theAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.[4]
Bernardo O'Higgins Base experiences a borderlinepolartundra climate (KöppenET) that is extremely close to a polarice cap climate (KöppenEF). Average annual precipitation amounts to 771 mm (30.35 in), and is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year, typically peaking marginally during the austral spring. Temperatures are frigid all year round; the warmest month is January with an average monthly temperature of 1 °C (34 °F), while the coldest month is July with an average monthly temperature of −9 °C (16 °F).
| Climate data for Bernardo O'Higgins Base, elevation: 10 m or 33 ft, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1953–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 10.9 (51.6) | 8.5 (47.3) | 8.3 (46.9) | 6.2 (43.2) | 7.2 (45.0) | 5.9 (42.6) | 3.8 (38.8) | 3.5 (38.3) | 4.4 (39.9) | 6.6 (43.9) | 9.2 (48.6) | 9.0 (48.2) | 10.9 (51.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 1.7 (35.1) | 0.5 (32.9) | −1.5 (29.3) | −2.7 (27.1) | −4.8 (23.4) | −5.3 (22.5) | −4.9 (23.2) | −3.4 (25.9) | −1.9 (28.6) | −0.2 (31.6) | 1.3 (34.3) | −1.6 (29.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.9 (33.6) | 0.5 (32.9) | −1.2 (29.8) | −3.3 (26.1) | −4.8 (23.4) | −7.1 (19.2) | −7.9 (17.8) | −7.4 (18.7) | −5.7 (21.7) | −3.7 (25.3) | −1.7 (28.9) | 0.0 (32.0) | −3.5 (25.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.6 (30.9) | −1.0 (30.2) | −2.9 (26.8) | −5.1 (22.8) | −6.9 (19.6) | −9.4 (15.1) | −10.3 (13.5) | −10.0 (14.0) | −7.9 (17.8) | −5.5 (22.1) | −3.1 (26.4) | −1.4 (29.5) | −5.4 (22.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −10.1 (13.8) | −14.0 (6.8) | −20.0 (−4.0) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −30.0 (−22.0) | −34.2 (−29.6) | −34.4 (−29.9) | −33.2 (−27.8) | −29.2 (−20.6) | −26.0 (−14.8) | −15.0 (5.0) | −10.6 (12.9) | −34.4 (−29.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 41.4 (1.63) | 51.4 (2.02) | 62.4 (2.46) | 52.0 (2.05) | 43.0 (1.69) | 40.0 (1.57) | 42.0 (1.65) | 42.7 (1.68) | 47.2 (1.86) | 54.6 (2.15) | 44.7 (1.76) | 37.0 (1.46) | 558.3 (21.98) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 83.3 | 85.8 | 86.2 | 84.6 | 86.2 | 85.8 | 86.3 | 85.6 | 86.2 | 84.8 | 83.5 | 83.2 | 85.1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 84.0 | 72.5 | 58.3 | 36.1 | 16.0 | 5.7 | 10.2 | 35.9 | 46.8 | 82.6 | 101.1 | 105.4 | 601.1 |
| Source: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile[5][6][7] | |||||||||||||
O'Higgins Skiway | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
| Location | General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme Station | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 648 ft / 198 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 63°20′34″S57°49′23″W / 63.342759°S 57.823152°W /-63.342759; -57.823152 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  O'Higgins Skiway Location of airfield in Antarctica | |||||||||||
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