Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva
Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva is the most important Antarctic base of Chile. It is located at Fildes Peninsula, an ice-free area, in front of Fildes Bay, at the west end of King George Island, South Shetland Islands. Situated alongside the Escudero Station and only 200 metres (660 ft) from the Russian Bellingshausen Station, it is at an altitude of 10 metres (33 ft) above sea-level. The base is located in the Chilean commune of Antártica, which is the Antarctic territory claimed by Chile[1] (Antártica Chilena Province, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region).
Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Aerodrome | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | airstrip | ||||||||||
| Serves | Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva | ||||||||||
| Location | King George Island South Shetland Islands Antarctica | ||||||||||
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Also nearby are the bases of Great Wall (China), General Artigas Station (Uruguay), King Sejong Station (Republic of Korea), Carlini Base (Argentina), Commandante Ferraz (Brazil), Henryk Arctowski (Poland) and Machu Picchu Base (Peru). Further away is Captain Arturo Prat Base, also Chilean, 50 km to the west.
Description
It has a 1,300-metre (4,300 ft)-long airstrip (Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Aerodrome, ICAO Code SCRM),[2] with 50 intercontinental and 150 intracontinental flights each season, serving as a means of transport to many nearby bases. It also includes the Villa Las Estrellas residential area that has a hospital, a school, a bank, a small supermarket, etc. The maximum population during summer is of 150 people, and the average during winter is of about 80 people.[3]
It began to operate in 1969 as Centro Meteorológico Eduardo Frei. When the installations were expanded, it was renamed as Base Teniente Rodolfo Marsh, with the meteorology center keeping its original name. During the 1990s, all of the installations came to be named Base Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, with the airstrip retaining the name Teniente Rodolfo Marsh.[4]
Climate
Like the coastal areas of Antarctic Peninsula and the subantarctic islands south of the 60º parallel, the area has a tundra climate, that could be considerably borderline "maritime-influenced polar climate", thanks to temperatures that rarely drop below −15 °C (5 °F) in winter (which is commonplace in most of Antarctica), and temperatures that could soar a few digits above freezing for most parts of the year. The base's area and its vicinity (the entire island, actually) experiences a rather heavy precipitation, with an average precipitation rate of 405 millimetres (15.9 in) yearly,[5] which makes it unusual on the Antarctic continent, as the continent is significantly drier than the islands are to the north.[6]
| Climate data for Base Frei (1991–2020, extremes 1970–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) |
9.2 (48.6) |
8.4 (47.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
4.9 (40.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
3.4 (38.1) |
5.1 (41.2) |
3.9 (39.0) |
4.4 (39.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
8.2 (46.8) |
11.0 (51.8) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
2.6 (36.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−4.3 (24.3) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) |
1.4 (34.5) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−2.8 (27.0) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−7.4 (18.7) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −5.1 (22.8) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
−15.7 (3.7) |
−23.6 (−10.5) |
−24.2 (−11.6) |
−28.5 (−19.3) |
−28.7 (−19.7) |
−23.0 (−9.4) |
−16.0 (3.2) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−28.7 (−19.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 43.6 (1.72) |
48.9 (1.93) |
54.2 (2.13) |
44.8 (1.76) |
42.5 (1.67) |
49.2 (1.94) |
47.3 (1.86) |
51.4 (2.02) |
57.0 (2.24) |
61.2 (2.41) |
42.5 (1.67) |
31.9 (1.26) |
574.5 (22.62) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 11.4 | 11.7 | 13.6 | 11.8 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 11.3 | 11.7 | 13.0 | 12.4 | 9.9 | 139.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 90.2 | 89.7 | 89.3 | 89.1 | 89.0 | 88.5 | 89.1 | 89.1 | 89.7 | 89.8 | 89.9 | 89.1 | 89.4 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 76.9 | 62.1 | 48.2 | 24.3 | 10.3 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 20.1 | 38.3 | 74.1 | 84.7 | 91.0 | 522.6 |
| Source 1: Dirección Meteorológica de Chile[7][8][9][10][11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (precipitation days 1991–2020)[12] | |||||||||||||
See also
| Location | Ardley Island, King George Island, Chile |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 62°12′03″S 58°57′37″W |
| Tower | |
| Foundation | concrete base |
| Construction | fiberglass tower |
| Height | 3 metres (9.8 ft)[13] |
| Shape | cylindrical tower with side panels[14] |
| Markings | white tower and panels with red horizontal band |
| Power source | solar power  |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 5 metres (16 ft)[13] |
| Range | 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi)[13] |
| Characteristic | Fl W 5s.[13] |
References
- Antarctica
- Great Circle Mapper. "SCRM - Airport". Gc.kls2.com. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- Antarctic Station Catalogue (PDF) (catalogue). Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. August 2017. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-473-40409-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- "Chilean "EDUARDO FREI" Antarctic Base". Shades Stamp Shop Ltd. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2007.
- Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva - permanent station of Chile, Antarctica - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for the whole year - Gaisma
- Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva - permanent station of Chile, Antarctica - Sunrise, sunset, dawn and dusk times for the whole year - Gaisma
- "Datos Normales y Promedios Históricos Promedios de 30 años o menos" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- "Climatología de Estaciones Chilenas de la Península Antártica" (PDF) (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- "Temperaturas Medias y Extremas en 30 Años-Entre los años: 1991 al 2020-Nombre estación: C.M.A. Eduardo Frei Montalva, Antártica" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- Cerda, Jorge; Zamora, Monica (2007). "CLIMATOLOGÍA DE LA PENINSULA ANTARTICA Y DE LA BASE PRESIDENTE EDUARDO FREI MONTALVA" (PDF). Climatologica Antartica (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- "Temperatura Histórica de la estación C.M.A. Eduardo Frei Montalva, Antártica (950001)" (in Spanish). Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- "Eduardo Frei Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- List of Lights, Pub. 111: The West Coasts of North and South America (Excluding Continental U.S.A. and Hawaii), Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the Islands of the North and South Pacific Oceans (PDF). List of Lights. United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. 2017.
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Antarctica". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
External links
- Official website Chilean Antarctic Institute
- (in Spanish) Webcam Teniente Martin airport Archived 2011-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
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