| Instituto Antártico Argentino | |
 | |
 IAA building in Villa Lynch, GBA | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 17, 1951; 74 years ago (1951-04-17) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Argentina |
| Headquarters | San Martín,GBA |
| Parent agency | Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship |
| Website | cancilleria.gob.ar/iaa |
TheInstituto Antártico Argentino (English:Argentine Antarctic Institute, abbrevriatedIAA) is theArgentine federal agency in charge of orientating, controlling, addressing and performing scientific and technical research and studies in theAntarctic.[1] It is under the supervision of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and Worship.
Known asArgentine Antarctica (Spanish:Antártida Argentina) the country claimed a sector as part of itsnational territory consisting of theAntarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to theSouth Pole, is delimited by the25° West and74° West meridians and the60° South parallel.[2] Administratively, Argentine Antarctica is adepartment of theprovince ofTierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands.
This sector overlaps withChilean andBritish claims but, under theAntarctic Treaty System, there are no attempts by Argentina or any other country to actually enforce territorial claims in Antarctica.
José María Sobral, who is considered in Argentina the father of theArgentine Antarctica and a national hero, began exploration at the end of 1901. In 1903, theArgentine Navy corvetteARAUruguay commanded by Captain de Corbeta (Lieutenant commander)Julián Irízar successfully rescued theSwedish expedition team ofOtto Nordenskjöld. In 1904 the Argentine permanent presence in Antarctica began with the opening ofOrcadas Base onLaurie Island. Argentina was the only nation to have an Antarctic base for 40 years until the British built a base on the same islands.
On April 1, 1940, the first radio communication byradio hams was made betweenOrcadas Base (LSX) andBuenos Aires (LU 7 ET).
On February 7, 1942, an amphibiousStearman aircraft embarked on the ARA1 de Mayo cargo ship made the first Argentine flight over Antarctica.
On December 13, 1947, anArgentine Naval AviationDouglas DC-4 piloted byComodoro Gregorio Portillo flew over theAntarctic Circle in a 15 hours and 30 minutes flight.
On 17 April 1951,Hernán Pujato founds theInstituto Antartico Argentino, by Decree Nº 7338. In 1953 theSan Martín Base started operations, andJubany base opened two years later.
In 1958 the United States handed over theEllsworth Station located in theWeddell Sea.In 1965 theArgentine military conducted a land military manoeuvre known asOperación 90 in order to reach theSouth Pole.
In the winter of 1968 at the request by the British embassy inBuenos Aires, an Argentine NavyDouglas DC-4 successfully delivered medical supplies to the British base EFE where one of its members, James K. Portwirie, was through a medical emergency. However, after a few days, Portwirie's situation worsened, making a rescue necessary. AnArgentine Air Force aircraft attempted to reach the base but crashed without casualties. On August 9, in the middle of the Antarctic winter, theArgentine Navyicebreaker ARAGeneral San Martín was sent to rescue Portwirie. The operation was successful, gaining the thanks of theBritish Antarctic Survey: ‘‘an internal campaign like this was never attempted before in Antarctic History‘‘.[3]
Marambio Base was founded in 1969, currently the most important Argentine base on the Antarctica. In 1975 theEsperanza Base was built, and in 1979 theGeneral Belgrano II.In 1978, the first Antarctic baby,Emilio Palma, was born in theFortín Sargento Cabral at theEsperanza Base.
In 2002, the Argentine Navy mounted an internal operation sending the icebreakerARAAlmirante Irizar to rescue the trapped supply vesselMagdalena Oldendorff. Even though Irízar failed to break theOldendorff free, she managed to move it to a safe position and re-supply the ship with food, medicines and medical personnel until the ice melted and the ship could return to open sea.
In 2003, under the Decree Nº 207/2003 issued by the Executive Power of Argentina, the Instituto Antártico Argentino became a part of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs.
On the 2009 summer campaign, theArgentine Air Force operated theTeniente Matienzo Base only with women for three months[4][5] although there was an emergency link available with theBell 212s helicopters stationed atMarambio Base
On 2010 awind turbine designed and built by Argentine government companyCITEDEF was installed on Marambio Base[6]
On 2011, three heavy lift helicopters were deployed in theBase Marambio: twoMil Mi 17 helicopters (bought in the same year), and the remainingChinook from theArgentine Air Force.
According to the principles of its creation, the Instituto Antártico Argentino participates with its scientific, technical and administrative staff, in a wide range of national and international programmes for a better understanding of the Antarctic. Scientists are trained and deployed onArgentine bases for researching on different fields of science, includingAtmosphere,Biology,Oceanography,Weather,Chemistry,Ozone Layer,Global warming andCO2.
IAA research projects cover different areas:
To carry out these objectives, the Institute trains and prepares specialists who can perform in these areas.
Research areas are decided on the basis of Antarctic issues that are discussed in international forums. Among the topics to which the research is devoted are: global
warming, the thinning of the ozone layer and the study of how it is affected by the use of some gases such as CO2, fluorides, and bromides.
The IAA has a structure divided into six areas:
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