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Mirny Station Мирный | |
|---|---|
 Mirny Station in 2007 | |
  Mirny Station Location of Mirny Station inAntarctica | |
| Coordinates:66°33′11″S93°00′35″E / 66.553122°S 93.009724°E /-66.553122; 93.009724 | |
| Country |  Russia |
| Location in Antarctica | Australian Antarctic Territory |
| Administered by | Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute |
| Operational | 13 February 1956 (1956-02-13) |
| Named after | Mirny |
| Elevation | 35 m (115 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 50 |
| • Winter | 25 |
| UN/LOCODE | AQ MIR |
| Type | All-year round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | List
|
| Website | www.aari.nw.ru |
TheMirny Station (Russian:Мирный,lit. 'peaceful') is a RussianAntarctic science station.[2] It is located inQueen Mary Land,Antarctica, on the Antarctic coast of theDavis Sea.
The station is managed by theArctic and Antarctic Research Institute and was named after the support vesselMirny captained byMikhail Lazarev during theFirst Russian Antarctic Expedition, led byFabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen onVostok.
Mirny Station was damaged by a fire on Sunday 21 June 2020.[3]
The station was opened on February 13, 1956, by the1st Soviet Antarctic Expedition. It was originally used as main base for theVostok Station located 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) from the coast, this function is now served byProgress Station.[4] In summer, it hosts up to 50 people in 30 buildings,[1] in winter about 40-50 scientists and technicians. The average temperature at the location is −11 °C (12 °F), and on more than 200 days per year the wind is stronger than 15 metres per second (49 ft/s), with occasionalcyclones.
Main areas of research areglaciology,seismology,meteorology, observation ofpolar lights,cosmic radiation, andmarine biology.
Some 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) south of the station stands a metalstele with an inscribedplaque. It was erected on a sledge on the land transport route between coastal Mirny and inlandVostok Station. It commemorates Anatoly Shcheglov, a driver-mechanic who died while performing his duties. It has been designated aHistoric Site or Monument (HSM 8) following a proposal by Russia to theAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. Other similarly designated historic sites in the vicinity of Mirny are Ivan Khmara's Stone (HSM 7) and the Buromskiy Island Cemetery (HSM 9), both onBuromskiy Island 2.7 kilometres (1.7 mi) north of the station.[5]
Mirny Station has anice cap climate, since all months are below 0 °C (32 °F). Although, it is heavily influenced by the glacial nature of Antarctica's interior, it retains a strong maritime influence, resulting in high annual snowfall. Summers however, are sunny and dry, reflecting amediterranean precipitation pattern, in spite of its poleward latitude and cold temperatures. Summer sees highs approaching 2 °C (36 °F) on average, whereas winters are stable just below −15 °C (5 °F) means for several months. Due to its coastal location and the fact that summer temperatures sometimes rise above freezing, limited plant and animal life flourishes during summer (December, January, February).
| Climate data for Mirny Station | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) | −1.8 (28.8) | −6.9 (19.6) | −10.8 (12.6) | −12.3 (9.9) | −12.2 (10.0) | −13.3 (8.1) | −13.8 (7.2) | −13.2 (8.2) | −9.8 (14.4) | −3.7 (25.3) | 0.4 (32.7) | −8.0 (17.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.8 (28.8) | −5.3 (22.5) | −10.2 (13.6) | −13.9 (7.0) | −15.5 (4.1) | −15.4 (4.3) | −16.6 (2.1) | −17.0 (1.4) | −16.4 (2.5) | −13.4 (7.9) | −7.2 (19.0) | −2.6 (27.3) | −11.3 (11.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −4.6 (23.7) | −8.4 (16.9) | −13.0 (8.6) | −16.7 (1.9) | −18.5 (−1.3) | −18.3 (−0.9) | −19.6 (−3.3) | −20.2 (−4.4) | −19.3 (−2.7) | −16.6 (2.1) | −10.3 (13.5) | −5.5 (22.1) | −14.2 (6.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 14.8 (0.58) | 17.1 (0.67) | 31.2 (1.23) | 43.5 (1.71) | 57.3 (2.26) | 70.3 (2.77) | 71.7 (2.82) | 62.1 (2.44) | 57.9 (2.28) | 43.5 (1.71) | 34.0 (1.34) | 23.7 (0.93) | 527.1 (20.74) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 72.5 | 70.5 | 71.6 | 73.9 | 74.7 | 76.0 | 75.1 | 74.2 | 72.8 | 70.1 | 70.4 | 72.4 | 72.9 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 278.7 | 214.4 | 153.2 | 95.4 | 32.3 | 1.7 | 11.1 | 66.9 | 125.8 | 234.6 | 290.7 | 354.2 | 1,859 |
| Source: Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute[6] | |||||||||||||
