Marambio Base

The increased Antarctic activity that Argentina developed since 1940 created the need for an aviation runway operable throughout the year for wheeled units. The flight of Vice-Commodore Mario Luis Olezza to the South Pole, the newly built United States McMurdo Station and the frequent operations launched from the Matienzo Station showed the need to secure better transport and communications in the sector.[1]

The Argentine Air Force set about to find a suitable spot to construct an airport. On 25 November 1968, two helicopters operating from the icebreaker ARA 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]

Argentine Air Force DHC-2 Beaver in Antarctica

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, the 05/23-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 a de 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]

Argentine C-130 and control tower, Marambio Airport

The station was founded on 29 October 1969. That day a Fokker F-27 Friendship of the Argentine Air Force manned by Vice-Commodore Erwin Roberto Kern, left Rio Gallegos and landed directly in Marambio 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 their C-130 Hercules on Antarctica when the TC-61 commanded by Commodore Arturo Athos Gandolfi landed in Marambio, starting a long-standing and uninterrupted tradition of air-supplying the Antarctic Argentine stations from the mainland.[6] The Fokker F28 Fellowship presidential aircraft T-01 Patagonia 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 from Ushuaia has been announced for 2018.[7]

Main building

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; a Catholic chapel; laundry; kitchen; two freezing chambers; snow melter; satellite dish for television and internet; radio communications station; towing and personnel carrier vehicles (including tractors, trucks and forklifts); road maintenance tools and vehicles (several snow dozers, tracked loaders and graders); mechanical, carpentry, blacksmithing, turning, plumbing and electricity workshops; laboratory with substations for APT (Automatic Picture Transmission) satellite imagery receiver, ozone and uv light measurement, sounding balloon and radiosonde 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]

"Patrulla Soberanía" museum, Marambio Station

The station also has CATV 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 and x-ray, dentistry, coronary care and telemedicine facilities. Over 492,000 L (108,000 imp gal; 130,000 US gal) of Antarctic gasoil are used every year for transportation, and to feed the 1,000 kW main power plant with its three Caterpillar 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]

On 2010 the Argentine company CITEDEF designed and installed a wind generator on the station.

In spite of its relatively low latitude, Marambio Station is situated in an ice 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 a wind 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 a Zonda wind.[18] Its highest recorded temperature was 17.4 °C (63.3 °F) on 23 March 2015.[19] This was surpassed on February 9, 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 of stratus clouds.[18] Summer is the cloudiest season, averaging 24 cloudy days while winters are the least cloudiest, averaging 10 to 11 cloudy days.[18]

• List of Antarctic research stations
• List of Antarctic field camps
• List of airports in Antarctica

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marambio Station.

• Fuerza Aerea Argentina – Base Marambio (in Spanish)
• Fundaciòn Marambio – Base Marambio (in Spanish)
• Dirección Nacional del Antártico (in Spanish)
• Official website