)
, subdivision_type4 = Location
, subdivision_name4 =
Laurie Island
Laurie Island is the second largest of the South Orkney Islands. The island is claimed by both Argentina as part of Argentine Antarctica, and the United Kingdom as part of the British Antarctic Territory. However, under the Antarctic Treaty Sy ...
, established_title1 = Established
, established_date1 = 1903
, established_title2 = Founded
, established_date2 =
, elevation_m = 4
, elevation_footnotes =
, government_type = Directorate
, governing_body =
Dirección Nacional del Antártico
, leader_title = Operator
, total_type =
, unit_pref = metric
, population_total =
, blank_name_sec1 = Type
, blank_info_sec1 = All year-round
, blank1_name_sec1 = Period
, blank1_info_sec1 = Annual
, blank2_name_sec1 = Status
, blank2_info_sec1 = Operational
, blank_name_sec2 = Facilities
, timezone1 =
ART
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
, utc_offset1 = -3
Base Orcadas is an
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
scientific station in
Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
, and the oldest of the stations in Antarctica still in operation. It is located on
Laurie Island
Laurie Island is the second largest of the South Orkney Islands. The island is claimed by both Argentina as part of Argentine Antarctica, and the United Kingdom as part of the British Antarctic Territory. However, under the Antarctic Treaty Sy ...
, one of the
South Orkney Islands
The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula[Scottish National Antarctic Expedition
The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE), 1902–1904, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. Although overshadowed in terms of prestige by Robe ...]
in 1903 and transferred to the Argentine government in 1904, the base has been permanently populated since, being one of six Argentine permanent bases in Argentina's
claim to Antarctica, and the first permanently inhabited base in Antarctica.
The nearest Argentine port is
Ushuaia
Ushuaia ( , ) is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of nearly 75,000 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, Ushuaia claims the title of world's southern ...
, which is away. The base has 11 buildings and four main topics of research: continental glaciology, seismology, sea-ice-zone glaciology (since 1985) and meteorological observations (since 1903).
Orcadas was the only station on the islands for 40 years until the British established a small summer base,
Cape Geddes Station in Laurie Island in 1946, replaced by
Signy Research Station
Signy Research Station (originally Station H) is an Antarctic research base on Signy Island, run by the British Antarctic Survey.
History
Signy was first occupied in 1947 when a three-man meteorological station was established in Factory Cove ab ...
in
Signy Island
Signy Island is a small subantarctic island in the South Orkney Islands of Antarctica. It was named by the Norwegian whaler Petter Sørlle (1884–1933) after his wife, Signy Therese.
The island is about long and wide and rises to above sea ...
in 1947. It also had the first radiotelegraph in the continent in 1927. The 11 buildings of the station house up to 45 people during the summer, and an average of 14 during winter.
The scientific activities are carried out at the ''Laboratorio Antártico Mutidisciplinario en Base Orcadas'' (LABORC), the "Multidisciplinary Antarctic Laboratory at Base Orcadas".
History
![Base Orcadas - archivo 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Base_Orcadas_-_archivo_02.jpg)
In 1903 Dr
William S. Bruce
William Speirs Bruce (1 August 1867 – 28 October 1921) was a British naturalist, polar scientist and oceanographer who organized and led the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE, 1902–04) to the South Orkney Islands and the Wedde ...
's
Scottish National Antarctic Expedition
The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE), 1902–1904, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. Although overshadowed in terms of prestige by Robe ...
established ''Omond House'', a meteorological station on Laurie Island. During the expedition, however, the crew became stuck in the ice and, unable to sail off, were trapped in the station for the winter.
Bruce left the station in December of that year for
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to fix the ship and obtain supplies, leaving meteorologist
Robert C. Mossman in charge of the base to continue the observations.
Bruce offered to the Government of President
Julio Argentino Roca
Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the Generation ...
the transfer of the station and instruments for the sum of 5.000
peso
The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the Dollar sign, same sign, "$", as many currencies na ...
s, on the condition that the government committed itself to the continuation of the scientific mission.
He also offered to transport in his ship the appointed personnel back to the station.
Bruce had informed the British officer William Haggard of his intentions in December 1903. On 29 December, Haggard sent a note to the Argentine Foreign Minister, José Terry, ratifying the terms of Bruce's proposition.
[ Roca submitted the matter to the ''Oficina Meteorológica Nacional'' (National Office of Meteorology) who advised him to accept the offer. On January 2, 1904, the installations were accepted through a presidential decree.]
The ''Scotia'' sailed back for Laurie Island on 14 January 1904 carrying on board Luciano H. Valette, from the Office of Zoology of the Ministry of Agriculture, Edgard C. Szmula, employee of the National Meteorological Office, and Hugo Acuña, from the Ministry of Livestock, who was also designated Postal Chief of the Orkney Islands by the Director General of the National Postal and Telegraphs Office, Manuel García Fernández. Mossman was left in charge of the expedition, along with William Smith as cook.
In 1906, Argentina communicated to the international community the establishment of a permanent base on the South Orkney Islands. On August 26, Haggard sent a letter to Foreign Minister Manuel Montes de Oca reminding him that South Orkneys Islands were British. The British position was that Argentine personnel was granted permission only for the period of one year. Argentine government ignored the note, "considering it out of time".[
On March 30, 1927, naval ]non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
Emilio Baldoni established the first radio telegraph
Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using electrical cable, cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental t ...
link with Ushuaia. Up to that point, the Orcadas Base remained isolated from the rest of the world until the yearly relief arrived. The radio station (coded LRT in Argentina) allowed for a permanent communication link.
The station depended on the Ministry of Agriculture until Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
relieved the crew with navy personnel on March 3, 1951. Formal transfer occurred on December 23, 1952, when by presidential decree the base was put under the Service of Maritime Hydrography as ''Destacamento Naval Orcadas'' ("Orcadas naval Detachment").
Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, the station is located under a tundra climate
The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. undra climate https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra-climateThe Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019 It is classified as ET according to Köppen ...
(''ET''), very close to an ice cap climate
An ice cap climate is a polar climate where no mean monthly temperature exceeds . The climate covers areas in or near the high latitudes (65° latitude) to polar regions (70–90° north and south latitude), such as Antarctica, some of the northe ...
(''EF''). The base is influenced by the cold Antarctic Circumpolar Current
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is an ocean current that flows clockwise (as seen from the South Pole) from west to east around Antarctica. An alternative name for the ACC is the West Wind Drift. The ACC is the dominant circulation feat ...
that runs past the Weddell Sea
The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha ...
and the strong westerly winds, creating a colder climate than the coastal areas in the northwestern parts of the Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martín in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctic ...
. Weather conditions can vary widely from year to year and day to day since low pressure systems frequently pass through the islands, which influences the climate.[
Mean monthly temperatures range from in June to in February.][ In summer, the average high is while the average low is .][ During winter, the average high is while the average low is .][ Temperatures can occasionally rise above freezing during winter.][ When low pressure systems pass to the south of the base, they can result in exceptionally mild temperatures, with the highest temperature recorded being in 1987.][ However, when this occurs, the weather is stormy and cloudy with reduced visibility.][ In contrast, when low pressure systems pass to the north, it results in cold and dry conditions with good visibility, causing temperatures to fall to .][
Fog is a frequent occurrence in the base, averaging 110 days.][ This can vary from year to year with 1987 being the foggiest year when there were 252 days with fog to only 30 days with fog in 1963.][ Being located in the path of low pressure systems throughout the year, the base experiences high cloud cover, particularly in summer.][ December and January are the cloudiest months, averaging 29 cloudy days each month.][ Winters are less cloudy, averaging 20 cloudy days in June and July.][ Clear days are extremely rare and are only occur between May to October, averaging 1–3 days.][ As a result, the base only averages 483.0 hours of sunshine per year or 13.5% of possible sunshine (possibly the lowest on earth), ranging from a low of 9.3% in January to a high of 22.5% in August.][
December and January are the least windy months, averaging while August and September are the windiest months, averaging more than .][ The base is subjected to strong winds throughout the year, with each month averaging 20 days with strong winds (wind speeds above ).][ Occasionally, it can experience gusts above .][
The average annual precipitation is , which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.][ March is the wettest month while June is the driest month.][ Due to the cold climate and high humidity, snowfall occurs frequently throughout the year.][ Based on the 1961–1990 period, the base averages 227 days with snow, with February having the least days with snow (averaging 14 days with snow) and May having the most days with snow (averaging 22 days).][
]
Lighthouse
Orcadas Base is the site of the Destacamento Lighthouse, a navigation light mounted on a communications tower. It is maintained by the Argentine Navy.
See also
* Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica ( es, Antártida Argentina or Sector Antártico Argentino) is an area of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. It consists of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the ...
* List of Antarctic expeditions
This list of Antarctic expeditions is a chronological list of expeditions involving Antarctica. Although the existence of a southern continent had been hypothesized as early as the writings of Ptolemy in the 1st century AD, the South Pole was no ...
* List of lighthouses in Antarctica
This is a list of lighthouses in Antarctica.
Lighthouses
See also
* Lists of lighthouses and lightvessels
References
External links
*
{{Lighthouses
Antarctica
Lighthouses
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physica ...
* List of Antarctic research stations
* List of Antarctic field camps
Many Antarctic research stations support satellite field camps which are, in general, seasonal camps. The type of field camp can vary – some are permanent structures used during the annual Antarctic summer, whereas others are little more than te ...
References
External links
COMNAP Antarctic Facilities
COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map
Argentine Antarctic Stations
{{Lighthouse identifiers , qid2=Q106137589
Outposts of Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica
British Antarctic Territory
Laurie Island
Geography of the South Orkney Islands
1903 meteorology
1903 establishments in Antarctica
Lighthouses in Antarctica
Territorial claims in Antarctica