Cámara Base Base Cámara Estación Cámara | |
|---|---|
Antarctic base | |
 Cámara Base overview | |
  Cámara Base Location within Antarctica | |
| Coordinates:62°35′41″S59°55′07″W / 62.594847°S 59.918558°W /-62.594847; -59.918558 | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Province | Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province |
| Department | Antártida Argentina |
| Region | South Shetland Islands |
| Location | Menguante Cove Half Moon Island |
| Founded | April 1, 1953 (1953-4-1) (1952–53 austral summer season) |
| Named after | Juan Ramón Cámara |
| Government | |
| • Type | Directorate |
| • Body | Dirección Nacional del Antártico |
| • Operator | Instituto Antártico Argentino |
| Elevation | 22 m (72 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 20 |
| • Winter | 0 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (ART) |
| Type | Seasonal |
| Period | Summer |
| Status | Operational |
| Facilities | List
|
Cámara Lighthouse   | |
| Construction | fiber glass tower[2] |
| Height | 9 m (30 ft), 12 m (39 ft) |
| Shape | cylindrical tower with balcony and light[2] |
| Markings | black tower with yellow horizontal bands[3] |
| Power source | solar power |
| Focal height | 18 m (59 ft) |
| Range | 6 nmi (11 km; 6.9 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 10s |
Cámara Base (Spanish:Base Cámara or sometimesEstación Cámara orTeniente Camara) is anArgentineAntarctic base and scientificresearch station named afterFrigate Lieutenant Naval Aviator Juan Ramón Cámara. It is located in the northern foothills ofLa Morenita Hill, atMenguante Cove inHalf Moon Island off the east coast ofLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands, Antarctica.
As of 2014[update] Cámara is one of 13 research bases in Antarctica operated by Argentina.[4] It was officially opened on April 1, 1953, and was in service until the summer of 1959–60, when it was closed. It was not reopened until 1988, to serve during the summer season only.[5]
During the austral summer campaign of 1952–1953 one of the main missions of the Argentine Antarctic Task Force, then commanded by thenShip-of-the-Line CaptainRodolfo N. Panzarini, was to establish a new naval detachment in the South Shetland Islands.[5]
The selected place was the small Half Moon Island next to Livingston Island, where it was inaugurated asDestacamento Naval Luna ("Luna Naval Detachment") on 1 April 1953 by the governor ofTierra del Fuego National Territory,Rear AdmiralCarlos Suárez Dóriga.[5]
Later it was renamed asDestacamento Naval Teniente de Fragata Cámara ("Frigate Lieutenant Cámara Naval Detachment"), in memory of the naval aviator Juan Ramón Cámara, who on 16 January 1955 perished in an on-duty accident onPotter Cove,King George Island.[5]
Cámara Base was closed after the austral summer season of 1959–60 and was reopened in December 1988, thereafter limited to summer-only campaigns.[5]
Cámara is located 1,173 km (729 mi) fromUshuaia, the nearest port city.
As of 2014[update] it is composed of 4 buildings. Facilities at the base include the main and emergency houses, a freezing chamber, a warehouse and a deposit.[5] It also has a 16 m2 (170 sq ft) infirmary attended by aparamedic.
Besides the permanent surface meteorological observations carried out at Cámara by theArgentine National Meteorological Service personnel, other research divisions also do extensive work at the base: in 1987–94 experts brought in by theArgentine Antarctic Institute studiedphysical oceanography andgeochronology; between 1992 and 1996 Biology worked on birds, while Environmental Management analyzed the impact of local tourism.[5]
The average annual temperature is −2.9 °C (26.8 °F). On 12 August 1954 it was recorded an absolute minimum of −30 °C (−22 °F).[5]
 | ||
| Authority control databases: Cámara Lighthouse |
|---|
