Marambio Station Estación Marambio | |
|---|---|
Antarctic Station | |
 Airfield control tower at Marambio | |
| Nickname: Spanish:Puerta de Entrada a la Antártida ("Antarctica's Entrance Door") | |
  Marambio Station Location within Antarctica | |
| Coordinates:64°14′28″S56°37′36″W / 64.241014°S 56.626753°W /-64.241014; -56.626753 | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Province | Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province |
| Department | Antártida Argentina |
| Region | Graham Land Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica |
| Location | Marambio Island |
| Founded | 29 October 1969 (1969–70 austral summer season) |
| Named after | Gustavo Argentino Marambio |
| Government | |
| • Type | Directorate |
| • Body | Dirección Nacional del Antártico |
| • Operator | Instituto Antártico Argentino |
| Area | |
| • Indoors | 2 ha (5 acres) |
| Elevation | 210 m (690 ft) |
| Population (2017)[2] | |
| • Summer | 165 |
| • Winter | 70 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (ART) |
| UN/LOCODE | AQ MRB |
| Type | All year-round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Active and operational |
| Activities | List
|
| Facilities | List
|
| Website | marambio |
Marambio Station (Spanish:Estación Marambio) is a permanent, all year-roundArgentine Antarctica station named afterVice-CommodoreGustavo Argentino Marambio [es], anAntarctic aviation pioneer. It is located inMarambio Island,Graham Land,Antarctic Peninsula, some 100 km (60 mi) from the coastal civilian village ofEsperanza.
At the time of its construction it was the first airfield inAntarctica and is still one of the most frequently used ones due to its suitability forwheeled landing, for which it is called "Antarctica's Entrance Door" (Spanish:Puerta de Entrada a la Antártida).[3] It is also Argentina's most important station in the continent.[3]
As of 2014, Marambio is one of 13 research stations in Antarctica operated by Argentina.[4]
The increasedAntarctic activity that Argentina developed since 1940 created the need for an aviation runway operable throughout the year for wheeled units. The flight of Vice-CommodoreMario Luis Olezza [es] to theSouth Pole, the newly built United StatesMcMurdo Station and the frequent operations launched from theMatienzo Station showed the need to secure better transport and communications in the sector.[1]
TheArgentine Air Force set about to find a suitable spot to construct an airport. On 25 November 1968, two helicopters operating from theicebreakerARA General San Martín descended on the Marambio Island as part of such survey. Their report favoring the place was decisive: it lacked large obstacles that could trouble aircraft maneuvering, and its long plateau was virtually free of ice.[1]
On 30 August 1969, an Air Force team led by Vice-Commodore Olezza occupied the island, carrying with them the elements needed for the construction of the projected landing track. When initially opened, the05/23-oriented runway had a length of 300 m (980 ft). It was the first one in the continent.[5] The task took three months of work and culminated when ade Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver, set with conventional wheels, took off from Matienzo Station and landed on the new airport. Before the end of October the runway had already reached 800 m (2,600 ft).[6]
The station was founded on 29 October 1969. That day, aFokker F-27 Friendship of the Argentine Air Force manned by Vice-CommodoreErwin Roberto Kern, leftRio Gallegos and landed directly inMarambio Airport, carrying on board civil and military authorities.[3] It was the first aircraft taking off in another continent and landing in Antarctica using conventional landing gear:[1] Antarctica was no longer an isolated place; from that day onwards, all domestic and foreign Antarctic stations got interconnected with the rest of the world throughout the year. It was the most important Antarctic event in the decade.[1]
By April 1970, the runway had reached 1,200 by 40 m (3,940 by 130 ft).[5] On 11 April 1970, the Argentine Air Force began landing theirC-130 Hercules on Antarctica when the TC-61 commanded byCommodoreArturo Athos Gandolfi landed in Marambio, starting a long-standing and uninterrupted tradition of air-supplying the Antarctic Argentine stations from the mainland.[6] TheFokker F28 Fellowship presidential aircraftT-01Patagonia was the first jet to land in Antarctica when it touched down at Marambio on 28 July 1973, 13:28 h.[5]
Commercial passenger traffic fromUshuaia has been announced for 2018.[7]
As of 2014, Marambio has 27 buildings with a total covered area exceeding 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft; 2.0 ha).[1][3] It can host a permanent staff of 60 people and a large complement of scientific personnel, reaching 165 people.[2][1]
Some of the facilities are: main, dining and recreation halls; emergency house with 28-bed capacity; personnel accommodation buildings; aircraft parking platform; flight deck; airline passenger terminal; flight ground support equipment; library; mail office; gym; aCatholic chapel; laundry; kitchen; two freezing chambers; snow melter; satellite dish for television and internet; radio communications station; towing and personnel carrier vehicles (includingtractors,trucks andforklifts); road maintenance tools and vehicles (severalsnow dozers,tracked loaders andgraders); mechanical, carpentry, blacksmithing, turning, plumbing and electricity workshops; laboratory with substations for APT (Automatic Picture Transmission) satellite imagery receiver,ozone anduv light measurement,sounding balloon andradiosonde setup and launching, a MBI International Meteorological Center, and others; several warehouses and deposits; fuel storage array;potable water and sewerage network; incinerator and waste disposal module, and firefighting system.[1][8]
The station also hasCATV and public and internal mobile phone service.[1]The 45 m2 (480 sq ft) medical suite is attended by one doctor and three paramedics, and has three beds andx-ray,dentistry,coronary care andtelemedicine facilities. Over 492,000 L (108,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal) of Antarcticgasoil are used every year for transportation, and to feed the 1,000 kW main power plant with its threeCaterpillar generators. The station also has a sewage treatment plant.[1] Most buildings are connected together by risen metal footpaths to isolate them from snow and ice.[1]
In 2010, the Argentine companyCITEDEF designed and installed awind generator on the station.
The station is supported byMarambio Airport.
The station is connected to the Argentine mainland and the world through a satellite downlink station with telephone, fax, TV and internet. They also have aDirecTV dish which provides their service to the whole station. Argentine mobile telephone companyClaro and SpanishMovistar have an antenna for local coverage. Within the station and between stations, radio is the most used mean of communication, mainly throughHF,Vox/Data, aeronauticVHF-AM andUHF-FM.
Internet access is provided bySpeedy Argentina, allowing the personnel in the station to be permanently connected to net services.Wireless LAN andWi-Fi cover the entire complex, becoming one of the southernmost spots in the world with a wireless network. Telephone service is provided byTelefónica de Argentina at low national rates.
In September 2006, aGSM mobile phone network was also added to the station, provided by the Argentine mobile operatorCTI Móvil (now Claro).[9]
Scientific research at Marambio is planned and executed by specialized departments, usually during the summer campaigns:
In addition Marambio is home to various ongoing scientific projects:
In spite of its relatively low latitude, Marambio Station is situated in anice cap climate, albeit much less severe than in Antarctica's interior.
Nonetheless, the climate is severe with mean temperatures that rarely rise above 0 °C (32 °F) and the presence of strong winds.[18] The strong winds produce awind chill that makes the temperatures feel colder.[18] In particular, gusts up to 220 km/h (140 mph) can occur during the winter months.[18] Due to the partial melting of snow in summer due to above freezing daytime temperatures, animals as well as limited plant life (moss, lichens, and worts) are able to thrive during the warmer months of December, January, and February.
Mean monthly temperatures range from −15.1 °C (4.8 °F) in June to −1.7 °C (28.9 °F) in December.[18] During summer, the average high is above freezing while the average low is −4.2 °C (24.4 °F).[18] However, temperatures can reach up to 15 °C (59.0 °F) or fall below −15 °C (5.0 °F) during summer.[18] In winter, the average high is −11 °C (12 °F) while the average low is −19 °C (−2 °F).[18] Occasionally, temperatures can reach above freezing during winter.[18] This occurs when warm air from the northeast (characterized by high cloud cover and fog) or from the northwest moves towards the peninsula.[18] As the warm air crosses the mountains in the peninsula, it warms as it descends, leading to warm and dry conditions in a manner similar to aZonda wind.[18] Its highest recorded temperature was 17.4 °C (63.3 °F) on 23 March 2015.[19] This was surpassed on 9 February 2020 when a temperature of 20.75 °C (69.3 °F) was recorded at the station.[20]
Fog frequently occurs in the station.[18] December and January are the foggiest months, averaging 16 to 19 days with fog while June to September are the least, averaging 9 to 11 days.[18] The station is characterized by high cloud cover throughout the year in the form ofstratus clouds.[18] Summer is the cloudiest season, averaging 24 cloudy days while winters are the least cloudiest, averaging 10 to 11 cloudy days.[18]
| Climate data for Marambio (1991–2020, extremes 1971–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 15.2 (59.4) | 15.8 (60.4) | 17.4 (63.3) | 12.3 (54.1) | 15.4 (59.7) | 8.4 (47.1) | 10.8 (51.4) | 8.5 (47.3) | 9.8 (49.6) | 11.7 (53.1) | 13.8 (56.8) | 16.5 (61.7) | 17.4 (63.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) | 1.0 (33.8) | −2.1 (28.2) | −6.1 (21.0) | −7.4 (18.7) | −10.7 (12.7) | −10.3 (13.5) | −9.3 (15.3) | −6.1 (21.0) | −3.6 (25.5) | −0.4 (31.3) | 1.3 (34.3) | −4.3 (24.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.8 (30.6) | −1.8 (28.8) | −5.5 (22.1) | −10.0 (14.0) | −11.9 (10.6) | −14.9 (5.2) | −14.9 (5.2) | −13.8 (7.2) | −10.6 (12.9) | −7.3 (18.9) | −3.4 (25.9) | −1.3 (29.7) | −8.0 (17.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) | −4.2 (24.4) | −8.6 (16.5) | −13.7 (7.3) | −16.1 (3.0) | −18.7 (−1.7) | −19.3 (−2.7) | −18.1 (−0.6) | −14.8 (5.4) | −11.0 (12.2) | −6.2 (20.8) | −3.7 (25.3) | −11.4 (11.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −9.5 (14.9) | −15.6 (3.9) | −24.6 (−12.3) | −31.5 (−24.7) | −34.5 (−30.1) | −37.6 (−35.7) | −36.8 (−34.2) | −38.3 (−36.9) | −34.0 (−29.2) | −26.8 (−16.2) | −21.3 (−6.3) | −11.2 (11.8) | −38.3 (−36.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 44.4 (1.75) | 55.1 (2.17) | 51.5 (2.03) | 26.1 (1.03) | 24.6 (0.97) | 13.9 (0.55) | 17.8 (0.70) | 17.6 (0.69) | 30.7 (1.21) | 18.1 (0.71) | 28.0 (1.10) | 35.0 (1.38) | 362.8 (14.29) |
| Average snowy days | 16.2 | 12.8 | 13.9 | 12.2 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 8.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 15.3 | 141.2 |
| Source 1:Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (precipitation 2001–2010)[21][22][23][24] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[19] | |||||||||||||
Sounding rocket launch location known to have been used for 7 launches from 1975 to 1982, reaching up to 400 kilometers altitude
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Authority control databases: Geographic |
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