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Esperanza Base Base Esperanza | |
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All year Antarctic base with civilian presence | |
 View of Esperanza Base, January 2016 | |
 Emblem | |
| Motto: Spanish:Permanencia, un acto de sacrificio ("Permanence, an act of sacrifice") | |
  Esperanza Base Location of Esperanza Base inAntarctica | |
| Coordinates:63°23′54″S56°59′46″W / 63.3983333°S 56.9961111°W /-63.3983333; -56.9961111 | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Region | |
| Location | |
| Administered by | Argentine Antarctic Institute (under the supervision of theArgentine National Antarctic Directorate) |
| Established | December 17, 1953 (1953-12-17) |
| Named after | Spanish:Base Esperanza ("Hope Base") |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 0.3744 ha (0.925 acres) |
| Elevation | 25 m (82 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 116 |
| • Winter | 56 |
| UN/LOCODE | AQ ESP |
| Type | All-year round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | List
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Esperanza Base (Spanish:Base Esperanza, 'Hope Base') is a permanent, all-year-roundArgentineresearch station inHope Bay,Trinity Peninsula (inGraham Land on theAntarctic Peninsula). It is the only civilian settlement on the Antarctic mainland (theChileanVilla Las Estrellas is on theSouth Shetland Islands). The base's motto isPermanencia, un acto de sacrificio ('Permanence, an act of sacrifice').
Built in 1953,[2][3][4] the base houses 56 inhabitants in winter, including 10 families and 2 school teachers. Provincial school #38PresidenteRaúl Ricardo Alfonsín (formerly namedJulio Argentino Roca) was founded in 1978 and acquired independent status in 1997. It maintains thefurthest South Scout troop. The base has an Argentine civil register office where births and weddings are recorded.[5] The base has tourist facilities that are visited by about 1,100 tourists each year.
The LRA 36Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabrielradio station started transmitting in 1979 and currently broadcasts on 15476 kHz shortwave and 96.7 MHz FM. It is one of the southernmost radio stations in the world and its range signal includes audio identification in multiple languages.[6] The host of "Panorama Nacional" Marcelo Ayala told at the beginning of 2024 about his life experience and broadcast by LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel.[7]
Awind generator was installed in 2008, mounted byINVAP.[8]
The 43 buildings of the station have a combined space of 3,744 square metres (40,300 sq ft) covered;[9] 18,000 litres (4,800 US gal) of fuel are used annually by the four generators to produce electricity for the station. Research projects include:glaciology,seismology,oceanography,coastal ecology,biology,geology, andlimnology.
In theHope Bay incident in 1952, this area was also the scene of the only shots fired in anger in Antarctica, when an Argentine shore party fired a machine gun over the heads of aFalkland Islands Dependencies Survey team unloading supplies from theJohn Biscoe to rebuild its damaged base. Following the Argentine show of force, the British team returned to theFalkland Islands. Shortly afterwards, Argentina issued a diplomatic apology, saying there had been a misunderstanding and the military commander on the ground had exceeded his authority. Despite this initial outward show of deference, the party was later welcomed back to Argentina with a hero's welcome. In the meantime, theJohn Biscoe had returned from the Falklands with a military escort and completed rebuilding the British base.[10] TheAntarctic Treaty of 1959 now treats the continent as a laboratory open to all, and provides that "no acts or activities ... shall constitute a basis for asserting, supporting or denying a claim to territorial sovereignty."[11]
The base was the birthplace ofEmilio Palma, the first person to be born in Antarctica. There have been at least ten other children born at the base.[12][13]
Like the rest of the Antarctic Peninsula, the base has a polar climate characterized by strong winds that descend downwards from theAntarctic ice sheet.[14] These winds can exceed 250 km/h (160 mph), leading toblowing snow and reduced visibility.[14] The climate is classified as a polartundra (ET) climate in theKöppen system.[15]
Mean monthly temperatures range from −10.8 °C (12.6 °F) in July, the coldest month, to 1.5 °C (34.7 °F) in January, the warmest month.[14] During summer (December–February), the average high is between 3.8 and 4.3 °C (38.8 and 39.7 °F) while the average low is between −2.0 and −1.2 °C (28.4 and 29.8 °F).[14] In winter, mean temperatures are around −10.2 °C (13.6 °F).[14] A temperature of 17.5 °C (63.5 °F) was recorded on 24 March 2015.[16] This reading was the highest temperature ever recorded on mainland Antarctica and its surrounding islands, until on 6 February 2020, a new high of 18.3 °C (64.9 °F) was recorded at the base, being the current record and considered by the World Meteorological Organization to be the highest temperature ever recorded for mainland Antarctica and its surrounding islands.[17][18] The lowest temperature ever recorded is −38.4 °C (−37.1 °F) on 18 July 1994.[19]
The temperature trend since 1948 is +0.0315 °C/yr (+0.0567 °F/yr) (annual), +0.0413 °C/yr (+0.0743 °F/yr) (winter) and +0.0300 °C/yr (+0.0540 °F/yr) (summer).
| Climate data for Esperanza (1991–2020, extremes 1945–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) | 18.3 (64.9) | 17.5 (63.5) | 17.1 (62.8) | 17.2 (63.0) | 13.3 (55.9) | 14.0 (57.2) | 13.0 (55.4) | 11.4 (52.5) | 17.0 (62.6) | 14.3 (57.7) | 14.6 (58.3) | 18.3 (64.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.3 (39.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | 1.4 (34.5) | −1.7 (28.9) | −3.2 (26.2) | −6.2 (20.8) | −6.4 (20.5) | −5.1 (22.8) | −2.6 (27.3) | −0.2 (31.6) | 2.3 (36.1) | 3.8 (38.8) | −0.8 (30.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.5 (34.7) | 0.9 (33.6) | −2.0 (28.4) | −5.5 (22.1) | −7.4 (18.7) | −10.4 (13.3) | −10.8 (12.6) | −9.5 (14.9) | −6.9 (19.6) | −4.1 (24.6) | −0.9 (30.4) | 0.8 (33.4) | −4.5 (23.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −1.2 (29.8) | −2.0 (28.4) | −5.2 (22.6) | −8.9 (16.0) | −11.2 (11.8) | −14.1 (6.6) | −15.0 (5.0) | −13.7 (7.3) | −10.9 (12.4) | −7.8 (18.0) | −3.9 (25.0) | −1.8 (28.8) | −8.0 (17.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.5 (16.7) | −13.2 (8.2) | −20.9 (−5.6) | −26.0 (−14.8) | −29.6 (−21.3) | −30.0 (−22.0) | −38.4 (−37.1) | −32.0 (−25.6) | −32.6 (−26.7) | −23.2 (−9.8) | −18.0 (−0.4) | −9.7 (14.5) | −38.4 (−37.1) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 56.2 (2.21) | 65.0 (2.56) | 75.5 (2.97) | 59.1 (2.33) | 54.4 (2.14) | 47.4 (1.87) | 54.1 (2.13) | 72.1 (2.84) | 62.2 (2.45) | 56.4 (2.22) | 65.0 (2.56) | 59.0 (2.32) | 726.4 (28.60) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 14 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 177 |
| Average snowy days | 13.6 | 12.1 | 14.8 | 16.0 | 15.4 | 14.8 | 15.2 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 16.6 | 15.5 | 14.1 | 178.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 82 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 80 | 80 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 167.4 | 130.0 | 93.0 | 63.0 | 27.9 | 6.0 | 18.6 | 52.7 | 87.0 | 130.2 | 159.0 | 186.0 | 1,120.8 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 5.4 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 3.1 |
| Source 1:Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (temperature/snowy days/sun 1991–2020, precipitation 1961–1990),[20][21][22][23] NOAA (precipitation 1961–1990)[24] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows),[19]Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity, 1982–1995)[25] | |||||||||||||
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| Location | Grunden Rock,Esperanza Base, Antarctic Treaty area,Trinity Peninsula, Antarctica |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 63°24′S57°00′W / 63.4°S 57°W /-63.4; -57 |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1952 |
| Construction | glass fiber (tower), concrete (foundation) |
| Automated | 1994 |
| Height | 6 m (20 ft) |
| Shape | cylinder |
| Markings | Red (tower) , Stripe (2, black, horizontal orientation) |
| Power source | solar power |
| Operator | Argentine Navy |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1994 |
| Focal height | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Range | 8.9 nmi (16.5 km; 10.2 mi), 6 nmi (11 km; 6.9 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 2s |
A group of items or structures of historic significance at, or close to, the base have been designated aHistoric Site or Monument (HSM 40), following a proposal by Argentina to theAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. These comprise abust ofGeneral San Martin, agrotto with a statue of theVirgin of Lujan, aflagpole erected in 1955, and acemetery with astele commemorating Argentine expedition members who died in the area.[26]
Refuge General Martín Güemes is the name given to two shelters in Antarctica. The first one is covered by ice, the second one is active. The refuge is Administered by theArgentine Army and depends onEsperanza Base, which is responsible for maintenance and care. The two refuges are located on theTabarin Peninsula on the eastern tip of theTrinity Peninsula on the Antarctic Peninsula 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Esperanza. The refuges pay homage toMartín Miguel de Güemes, a military man who served an outstanding role in the Argentine war of independence.
The first refuge63°29′00″S57°00′00″W / 63.483333°S 57°W /-63.483333; -57 was located on the north east coast of theDuse Bay of the Trinity Peninsula and opened on October 23, 1953.Jorge Edgar Leal [es], at that time head of the newly created Esperanza Base, participated in its construction, being one of the first refuges installed by the Army and the second in the continental Antarctica. The refuge was destroyed by the ice in 1960.
The second refuge63°30′14″S57°07′25″W / 63.503911°S 57.123603°W /-63.503911; -57.123603 is active and is located in the Tabarin Peninsula and was inaugurated on September 15, 1959. It has capacity for six people, food for a month, fuel, gas and a first aid kit.[27][circular reference]
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| Authority control databases: Grunden Rock Lighthouse |
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