San Martín Base Base San Martín | |
|---|---|
Antarctic base | |
 San Martín in 2008 austral winter | |
| Motto: Spanish:Hombres de voluntad, luchan y vencen desde 1951 ("Willing men, fight and win since 1951") | |
  San Martín Base Location within Antarctica | |
| Coordinates:68°07′48″S67°06′05″W / 68.130043°S 67.101311°W /-68.130043; -67.101311 | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Province | Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province |
| Department | Antártida Argentina |
| Region | Marguerite Bay Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica |
| Location | Barry Island |
| Established | 21 March 1951 (1951-03-21) |
| Named after | José de San Martín |
| Government | |
| • Type | Directorate |
| • Body | Dirección Nacional del Antártico |
| • Operator | Instituto Antártico Argentino |
| Area | |
• Total | 18 ha (44 acres) |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 19 |
| • Winter | 21 |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (ART) |
| UN/LOCODE | AQ SMT |
| Type | All year-round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | List
|
| Facilities | List
|
San Martín Base (Spanish:Base San Martín) is a permanent, all year-roundArgentineAntarctic base and scientificresearch station named after GeneralJosé de San Martín, theLibertador of Argentina,Chile andPeru. It is located onBarry Island,Marguerite Bay,Antarctic Peninsula.
At the time of its foundation in 1951, it was the first human settlement south of theAntarctic Circle.[2][A] As of 2014[update] it is Argentina's westernmost permanent base.[2]
As of 2014[update] San Martín is one of 13 research bases in Antarctica operated by Argentina.[4]
The increased Antarctic activity that Argentina developed since 1940, along with the longstanding national interest to exercise effective sovereignty over one of the most remote areas of Antarctica created the need for a scientific station located south of the Antarctic Circle.[2]
In order to transport the personnel and materials to Marguerite Bay, where the new settlement was to be built, theArgentine Navy hired theSanta Micaela. Commanded byOverseas Captain Santiago Farrell, it was a cargo ship belonging to the Argentine shipping companyPérez Companc S. A.[2] TheSanta Micaela left the port ofBuenos Aires on 12 February 1951, and on 8 March it anchored at Marguerite Bay. The last part of the trip it was escorted by the Argentine NavytugARASanavirón.[2]
Over twelve working days the crew built the two-story main house with double wooden walls, a main deposit, an emergency house, five metal warehouses for supplies, housing for the dog packs, a power generator and the four towers for the 25 metres (82 feet) high rhombic antenna.[2]
San Martín was inaugurated on 21 March 1951, in the presence of theSanta Micaela and ARASanavirón crews and the base personnel led by thenColonelHernán Pujato.[2]
Since then, the meteorological station within the base provides detailed weather records and develops forecasts indispensable for the navigation of the sea waters adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula.[2]
In March 1952 theARABahía Aguirre anchored at Marguerite Bay bringing a relief crew through aSikorsky S-51 helicopter transfer, the first of its kind performed by theArgentine Armed Forces in Antarctica.[2]
On 30 June 1952 a fire, exacerbated by the ongoingblizzard, devoured the main house and two food stores, the power plant and the radio station. With rationed food and fuel, activities continued normally, carrying on with the explorations schedule as originally planned.[2]During the 1952–53 season, thick ice blocked the way of relief ships, which aggravated the situation for the twenty base inhabitants. On 26 March 1953 theArgentine Air ForceAvro Lincoln nicknamedCruz del Surairdropped food and other priceless items.[2]
Personnel at San Martín Base conducted several exploration expeditions to the northern and southern boundaries of the bay. They also crossed the Antarctic Peninsula mountain range, reaching theMobiloil Inlet on theWeddell Sea.[2]
In 1960 the base was closed; it was reactivated as permanent on 21 March 1976.[2]
On 14 June 1962 an expedition led by thenFirst LieutenantGustavo Adolfo Giró Tapper leftEsperanza looking for a passage that would link the village with San Martín. Usingsnowcats and sleigh dogs they exploredDuse Bay,Prince Gustav Channel,Cape Longing,Foca Nunataks,Ameghino Peninsula,Jason Island,Cape Robinson andCarreta Bay, where they had to leave the snow cats and continue with sleds to cross the cordillera.[2] After reaching San Martín, they traveled back to Esperanza, where they arrived on 25 August. During the trip the party overcame numerous obstacles and withstood temperatures below −43 °C (−45 °F) andkatabatic winds of 220 km/h (140 mph).[2] This feat is considered even now as the most important ever made in the area.[2]
Some unused installations of the base, a cross, a flagpole and a monolith erected in 1951, have been designated asHistoric Site or Monument, following a proposal by Argentina to theAntarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.[5]
Marguerite Bay opens on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Wide and deep, the bay is closed betweenBelgrano andAlexander I islands, and theFallieres Coast, making its access very difficult for most of the year due to the thick ice-covered waters.[2]
In this zone, rarely visited because of the difficulties and hazards for navigation, there are several groups of islands, islets, rocks and reefs that draw a network of channels andfjords, usually frozen. Some of the most important islands are thePourquoi Pas,Herradura,Caballete andMillerand, all of them next to theDebenham archipelago, where San Martín was built.[2]
As of 2014[update] San Martín is composed of 14 buildings spanning a total area of 18 ha (180,000 m2; 1,900,000 sq ft).[6]The base has several dependencies and facilities, namely: main house; airstrip; heliport; infirmary; chapel; main and auxiliary power plants; vehicle fleet (a number ofski-doos, and a fewsnow tracks andATVs) and park, laboratory, mechanical and carpentry workshops, and several deposits.[6][2]The all-year capable airstrip is located on nearbyUspallata Glacier;[6] during winter the deeply frozen sea is also used to land light aircraft.[6]The 20 m2 (220 sq ft) infirmary and basicoperating suite is attended by a doctor and a nurse; it has one bed,x-ray andodontological facilities.[6]
San Martín is responsible for the maintenance of several Argentine-built refuges in the area:17 de Agosto,El Plumerillo,Paso de los Andes,Chacabuco,Yapeyú,Maipo andNogal de Saldán.[2]
The LASAN laboratory (LAboratorio SAN Martín), managed by theArgentine Antarctic Institute, carries out active scientific research in the areas ofgeomagnetism,riometry, meteorology,ionospheric surveying through high altitudeweather balloons,phytoplanktonbiology, satellitegeodesy,glaciology, etc.[2]
An ongoing bilateral agreement between Argentina andGermany has prompted cooperation onglacier movement observations.[2]
Ona Refuge | |
|---|---|
Refuge | |
 Interactive map of Ona Refuge | |
| Country | Argentina |
| Location in Antarctic Peninsula | Barry Island Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica |
| Administered by | Tierra del Fuego Province |
| Established | 1995 (1995) |
| Type | Seasonal |
| Status | Operational |
Refuge Ona (68°06′02″S67°01′30″W / 68.1005°S 67.024972°W /-68.1005; -67.024972) is an Argentine Antarctic refuge installed and operated by the government of theTierra del Fuego Province. The refuge was opened in 1995 and it is located 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) from the San Martín Base on the glaciers of theFallières Coast.
The construction of the refuge was part of the scientific project, called Perito Moreno, carried out under an agreement signed between theInstituto Antártico Argentino and theUniversity of Freiburg in Germany. The researchers carry out studies on the displacement of glaciers and the dynamics of the snow layers. The shelter has a capacity for four people, food for 30 days, fuel, gas and first aid kit.[7]
The San Martín base has apolar climate that is moderated by its coastline position, hence having a 1.6 °C (34.9 °F) mean for the mildest month. The most significant feature in the area's climate is the violent wind, with speeds well in excess of 200 km/h (120 mph), which significantly increases thechill factor; such strong winds often blow for five or six days in a row, making it impossible to stay outdoors and turning any simple external work into a very dangerous task.[2]
The temperature is variable: on average it reaches −37 °C (−35 °F) in winter and 8 °C (46 °F) in summer. The sea freezes between the months of June to November, its average thickness being about 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in). The average annual snowfall is 500 mm (20 in); some rains have been recorded in recent years.[2]
| Climate data for San Martín (1991–2020, extremes 1976–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.7 (56.7) | 14.3 (57.7) | 12.5 (54.5) | 9.8 (49.6) | 9.8 (49.6) | 7.9 (46.2) | 9.7 (49.5) | 14.0 (57.2) | 8.0 (46.4) | 9.4 (48.9) | 11.1 (52.0) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.3 (57.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 3.5 (38.3) | 1.7 (35.1) | −0.5 (31.1) | −2.0 (28.4) | −5.5 (22.1) | −7.3 (18.9) | −6.7 (19.9) | −4.8 (23.4) | −1.6 (29.1) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.5 (38.3) | −1.1 (30.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) | 1.0 (33.8) | −0.8 (30.6) | −2.9 (26.8) | −4.8 (23.4) | −8.9 (16.0) | −11.5 (11.3) | −11.2 (11.8) | −9.0 (15.8) | −5.3 (22.5) | −1.8 (28.8) | 0.8 (33.4) | −4.4 (24.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) | −1.3 (29.7) | −3.5 (25.7) | −5.5 (22.1) | −7.8 (18.0) | −13.0 (8.6) | −16.1 (3.0) | −16.3 (2.7) | −14.1 (6.6) | −9.6 (14.7) | −5.4 (22.3) | −2.0 (28.4) | −7.9 (17.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −10.7 (12.7) | −12.0 (10.4) | −21.0 (−5.8) | −24.0 (−11.2) | −31.0 (−23.8) | −37.5 (−35.5) | −42.0 (−43.6) | −47.0 (−52.6) | −41.0 (−41.8) | −35.4 (−31.7) | −23.6 (−10.5) | −15.0 (5.0) | −47.0 (−52.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 13.8 (0.54) | 46.5 (1.83) | 48.3 (1.90) | 33.1 (1.30) | 34.4 (1.35) | 28.0 (1.10) | 39.4 (1.55) | 36.4 (1.43) | 40.9 (1.61) | 32.2 (1.27) | 30.4 (1.20) | 27.0 (1.06) | 410.4 (16.16) |
| Average snowy days | 9.4 | 10.7 | 13.7 | 13.1 | 14.6 | 12.3 | 13.9 | 13.8 | 15.5 | 15.1 | 12.2 | 9.9 | 154.1 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 158.1 | 79.1 | 58.9 | 36.0 | 3.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 18.6 | 51.0 | 74.4 | 126.0 | 179.8 | 785.0 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 5.1 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 4.2 | 5.8 | 2.1 |
| Source 1:Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (precipitation 2001–2010)[8][9][10][11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[12] | |||||||||||||
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