Belgrano II Base Base Belgrano II | |
|---|---|
Antarctic base | |
 View of Belgrano II, austral summer of 2007 | |
  Belgrano II Base Location within Antarctica | |
| Coordinates:77°52′25″S34°37′39″W / 77.873696°S 34.627588°W /-77.873696; -34.627588 | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Province | Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province |
| Department | Antártida Argentina |
| Region | Confin Coast Coats Land |
| Location | Bertrab Nunatak |
| Established | February 5, 1979 (1979-02-05) (1978–79 austral summer season) |
| Named after | Manuel Belgrano |
| Government | |
| • Type | Directorate |
| • Body | Dirección Nacional del Antártico |
| • Operator | Instituto Antártico Argentino |
| Area | |
• Total | 6 ha (15 acres) |
| Elevation | 256 m (840 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 24 |
| • Winter | 19 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (ART) |
| UN/LOCODE | AQ BEL |
| Type | All year-round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | List
|
| Facilities | List
|
Belgrano II Base (Spanish:Base Belgrano II) is a permanent, all year-roundArgentineAntarctic base and scientificresearch station named after GeneralManuel Belgrano, one of theLibertadores and the creator of theArgentine Flag. It is located onBertrab Nunatak on theConfín Coast,Coats Land.
As of 2022[update] it is Argentina's southernmost permanent base, the world's third furthest south permanent base, and the world's southernmost base built on solid rock, which makes it particularly suited for geological research.
As of 2022[update] Belgrano II is one of 13 research stations in Antarctica operated by Argentina.[2]
In 1955, thenBrigade GeneralHernán Pujato founded the first Belgrano Base (Belgrano I), which remained for years as Argentina's southernmost settlement.[3]
After 25 years of continuous activity, Belgrano I was closed due to the fast deterioration of the ice barrier it was sitting on; new, often hidden cracks and crevices endangered the on-duty personnel and material. In order to continue the scientific programs and keep Argentine presence in the area, and after careful studies on alternative locations done by theArgentine Army, it was decided to lay the new facilities on solid land. Amid the vast expanse of ice that covers the region, only two small masses of granite emerge: theMoltke and Bertrabnunataks, both first sighted and named by Filchner's expedition in 1912.[3]Belgrano II was founded on 5 February 1979 over the latter, ahectare of permanently ice-free land. Also and despite being farther south and higher than Belgrano I, the climate was significantly milder.[3]
The unloading of the materials—equipment, tools and instruments, food and fuel—was conducted from theicebreakerARAGeneral San Martín.[3]
The new housing facilities were a vast improvement over the previous base ones: since 1955, the men who wintered in the old Belgrano I Base were living inside tunnels dug in the ice, ice that was always moving slowly towards the sea and, as finally happened, would become a tabulariceberg drifting through theSouthern Ocean.[3]
In its area of influence two Argentine-built refuges existed since long before: theSargento Ayudante Cisterna y elAviso ARA Comandante Zapiola shelters had been set up in January 1976.[3]
In addition to new instruments brought from the mainland, Belgrano II received all its scientific equipment transferred from Belgrano I. The LABEL laboratory (LAboratory BELgrano) was rebuilt demanding considerable effort. A new facility, theJosé Luis Sersic polar astronomical observatory and a satellite dish antenna for data transmission were also set up.[3]
On the morning of 10 September 2005 the main house was completely destroyed as a result of a fire caused by a heater malfunction.[4] Personnel had to be distributed to other buildings and new food and clothes had to be brought from the mainland andairdropped as the fire had destroyed all the wintering elements. The construction of emergency facilities to solve the housing problem started in early 2006, This new building was planned in two stages with the first one (bathrooms, kitchen and bedrooms) being finished in 2006–07 and the second one (living room), in 2007–08. During the 2008–09 campaign the construction of a new main house began. It was completed during the 2009–10 campaign and was inaugurated on 25 May 2010. The new house has a covered area of about 500 m2 (5,400 sq ft) with more comfort and space for recreation: it is located on what was once the former home destroyed by fire.
During the repairs of the Argentine Navy icebreakerARAAlmirante Irízar which is normally used to supply the base, theArgentine Air Force took over the task with airdrops byKC-130 Hercules aircraft in a non-stop flight fromUshuaia inTierra del Fuego.
A cross was erected in 1955 some 1,300 m (4,300 ft) north-east of Belgrano I and subsequently moved to Belgrano II in 1979. This has been designated aHistoric Site or Monument, following a proposal by Argentina to theAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.[5]
Belgrano II is about 1,300 km (810 mi) from theSouth Pole and 2,500 km (1,600 mi) from Ushuaia, the nearest port city. As of 2014[update] it is Argentina's southernmost permanent base, and the third further south permanent base in the planet.[3]It is also the world's southmost base built on solid rock, which gives it unique advantages for seismological and geological research.[3]
As a result of its latitude, the summer day and winter night are four months long and the night sky often displays theaurora australis.[3]
As of 2014[update] Belgrano II is composed of a dozen buildings stationed on the nunatak rock,[6] spanning a total area of 6 ha (60,000 m2; 650,000 sq ft).Structures are mostly of composite panels covered by metal orfiberglass filled withpolyurethane foam to provide adequatethermal insulation to resist low temperatures. Some of the facilities at the base are: main and personnel houses; emergency house/infirmary; airstrip; heliport; chapel; museum; radio station; meteorological station; power plant; vehicle fleet (severalTucker Sno-Cats andYamaha VK-541ski-doos); atmospheric research station; mechanical, carpentry and electricity workshop; general equipment and spare parts warehouses; and foodstuff deposits (also called GUM).[6][3]The all-year capable airstrip is located on aglacier 2 km (1.2 mi) southwest of the base.[6]The one-bed infirmary is 21 m2 (230 sq ft), attended by a doctor and a nurse. It hasx-ray andodontological facilities.[6]Dug in the nearby ice, Belgrano II'sCatholicChapel of Our Lady of the Snows is the world's southernmostChristian church—in fact, it's the southernmost worship place of any religion.
The general tasks of the base personnel are primarily of scientific research, survey and exploration, also providing support for foreign scientific efforts.Other common duties are shelter maintenance, search and rescue, medical, communications and weather forecast support to expeditions, bases, ships and aircraft, both local and foreign.[3]
The following research programs are run at LABEL:[3]
Although maintained by theArgentine Armed Forces, as all Argentine bases on Antarctica, it is operated by the civilian agencyArgentine Antarctic Institute. As of 2010[update], the base has a 19 men crew two of whom are Air Force meteorologists, three areArgentine National Antarctic Directorate civilian researchers and the rest isArgentine Army personnel in charge of operating the base.
The Belgrano II base has a coastal-influencedice cap climate.
The area is a passage ofweather fronts directed towards the north: although they do not precipitate, they do produce strong winds exceeding 200 km/h (120 mph) which radically increase thechill factor.[3]
Mean monthly temperatures range from −20.4 °C (−4.7 °F) in July, the coldest month to −2.4 °C (27.7 °F) in January, the warmest month.[7] During summer, the average high is −1.2 °C (29.8 °F) while the average low is −7.7 °C (18.1 °F).[7] In winter, the average high and low are −15.9 °C (3.4 °F) and −23.6 °C (−10.5 °F) respectively.[7] During the polar night, a lot of aurorae can be observed.[3]
Snowfall occurs throughout the year; on average, there are 143 days with snow.[7] January to April are the snowiest periods of the year with each month receiving 13 to 14 days with snow.[7]
| Climate data for Belgrano II (1991–2020, extremes 1956–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) | 10.1 (50.2) | 7.9 (46.2) | 1.5 (34.7) | −1.0 (30.2) | 1.0 (33.8) | −2.9 (26.8) | −2.5 (27.5) | −1.4 (29.5) | 4.4 (39.9) | 7.0 (44.6) | 12.1 (53.8) | 12.1 (53.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 0.7 (33.3) | −3.5 (25.7) | −9.1 (15.6) | −13.2 (8.2) | −14.1 (6.6) | −15.7 (3.7) | −17.5 (0.5) | −17.1 (1.2) | −14.9 (5.2) | −10.2 (13.6) | −3.2 (26.2) | 0.8 (33.4) | −9.8 (14.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) | −7.1 (19.2) | −12.3 (9.9) | −16.4 (2.5) | −17.5 (0.5) | −18.9 (−2.0) | −20.9 (−5.6) | −20.7 (−5.3) | −18.4 (−1.1) | −14.1 (6.6) | −7.0 (19.4) | −2.7 (27.1) | −13.2 (8.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6.1 (21.0) | −11.1 (12.0) | −16.5 (2.3) | −20.5 (−4.9) | −21.6 (−6.9) | −23.0 (−9.4) | −25.0 (−13.0) | −24.9 (−12.8) | −22.8 (−9.0) | −18.8 (−1.8) | −11.5 (11.3) | −6.8 (19.8) | −17.4 (0.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −20.0 (−4.0) | −29.5 (−21.1) | −37.8 (−36.0) | −40.2 (−40.4) | −58.9 (−74.0) | −46.1 (−51.0) | −52.8 (−63.0) | −51.1 (−60.0) | −52.2 (−62.0) | −38.9 (−38.0) | −36.1 (−33.0) | −19.0 (−2.2) | −58.9 (−74.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 26.2 (1.03) | 27.4 (1.08) | 32.5 (1.28) | 16.8 (0.66) | 22.5 (0.89) | 25.0 (0.98) | 27.8 (1.09) | 26.9 (1.06) | 39.0 (1.54) | 20.2 (0.80) | 18.2 (0.72) | 17.0 (0.67) | 299.5 (11.79) |
| Average snowy days | 12.8 | 11.0 | 12.8 | 10.6 | 10.5 | 9.8 | 10.5 | 9.2 | 10.7 | 9.6 | 10.0 | 10.7 | 127.9 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 70 | 69 | 68 | 63 | 60 | 56 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 62 | 67 | 70 | 65 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 229.4 | 172.3 | 114.7 | 30.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.1 | 66.0 | 173.6 | 252.0 | 282.1 | 1,323.2 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 7.4 | 6.1 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 5.6 | 8.4 | 9.1 | 3.6 |
| Source 1:Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (precipitation 2001–2010)[8][9][10][11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1982–1995),[12] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[13][14] | |||||||||||||
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