Showa Station (Antarctica)

Showa Station (Japanese: 昭和基地, Hepburn: Shōwa Kichi), sometimes alternately spelled Syowa Station,[2] is a Japanese permanent research station on East Ongul Island in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Built in 1957, Showa Station is named for the era in the Japanese calendar during which it was established, the Shōwa period.

Showa
昭和基地
Antarctic base
Shōwa Kichi
Aerial photograph of Showa Station, December 2018.
Aerial photograph of Showa Station, December 2018.
Location of Showa Station in Antarctica
Location of Showa Station in Antarctica
Showa
Location of Showa Station in Antarctica
Coordinates: 69°00′15″S 39°34′55″E
Country Japan
Location in AntarcticaEast Ongul Island
Queen Maud Land
Antarctica
Administered byJapanese Antarctic Program
Established1957 (1957)
Elevation
[1]
29 m (95 ft)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Summer
170
 • Winter
40
Time zoneUTC+3 (SYOT)
TypeAll-year round
PeriodAnnual
StatusOperational
ActivitiesPANSY incoherent scatter radar
Facilities60 separate buildings
WebsiteNational Institute of Polar Research

Overview
Syowa Station sign in front of the main administration building, December 2018.

Showa Station serves as a research outpost for astronomy, meteorology, biology and earth sciences. It comprises over 60 separate buildings, large and small, including a 3-storey administration building, living quarters, power plant, sewage treatment facility, environmental science building, observatory, data processing facility, satellite building, ionospheric station, incinerator, earth science building, and radiosonde station. Also present are fuel tanks, water storage, solar panels, a heliport, water retention dam, and radio transmitter.

PANSY Incoherent Scatter Radar

Showa station is home to the Program of the Antarctic Syowa Mesosphere–Stratosphere–Troposphere/Incoherent Scatter (PANSY) incoherent scatter radar, which took its first measurements in 2017.[3]

Legacy

1957 Expedition

The station was founded by the inaugural Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in 1957. This expedition was airlifted out after a storm (by a nearby American ship that had a helicopter). However there was no space for the dogs to get on. The storm made deploying the second team impossible in February 1958. In January 1959, the third team returned to the station and found that, of the 15 sled dogs that had been left by the first team at the base, two, Taro and Jiro, had survived.

Historic monument

A cairn and plaque at the station commemorate Shin Fukushima, a member of the 4th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, who died in October 1960 while carrying out his duties. The cairn, which contains some of his ashes, was erected on 11 January 1961 by his colleagues. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 2) following a proposal by Japan to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.[4]

Climate

The climate is classified as an Ice cap climate (Köppen: EF), since there are no months where the average temperature exceeds 0.0 °C (32.0 °F).

Climate data for Showa Station (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1957−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.0
(50.0)		 8.0
(46.4)		 3.6
(38.5)		 0.5
(32.9)		 2.8
(37.0)		 −0.7
(30.7)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 −1.1
(30.0)		 2.6
(36.7)		 7.3
(45.1)		 9.4
(48.9)		 10.0
(50.0)
Average high °C (°F) 1.8
(35.2)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −10.6
(12.9)		 −11.9
(10.6)		 −14.3
(6.3)		 −15.2
(4.6)		 −15.0
(5.0)		 −10.5
(13.1)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 1.1
(34.0)		 −7.6
(18.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.8
(30.6)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 −6.8
(19.8)		 −10.4
(13.3)		 −13.5
(7.7)		 −15.2
(4.6)		 −17.6
(0.3)		 −18.8
(−1.8)		 −18.3
(−0.9)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 −6.3
(20.7)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 −10.5
(13.1)
Average low °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −9.7
(14.5)		 −13.4
(7.9)		 −16.9
(1.6)		 −18.7
(−1.7)		 −21.4
(−6.5)		 −22.8
(−9.0)		 −22.3
(−8.1)		 −17.1
(1.2)		 −9.9
(14.2)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −13.8
(7.2)
Record low °C (°F) −12.6
(9.3)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −25.2
(−13.4)		 −35.9
(−32.6)		 −40.5
(−40.9)		 −38.3
(−36.9)		 −42.7
(−44.9)		 −42.2
(−44.0)		 −45.3
(−49.5)		 −34.7
(−30.5)		 −25.0
(−13.0)		 −12.9
(8.8)		 −45.3
(−49.5)
Average relative humidity (%) 70 70 71 73 69 68 69 68 67 70 68 70 69
Mean monthly sunshine hours 346.7 186.9 118.4 59.8 22.4 0.0 6.2 65.0 144.4 194.1 320.5 414.2 1,894.4
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[5]

See also
Showa
Summary
Airport typePrivate
ServesSyowa
LocationEast Ongul Island
Time zone(+3)
Elevation AMSL95 ft / 29 m
Coordinates69°00′22″S 39°35′24″E
Map
Showa is located in Antarctica
Showa
Showa
Location of airfield in Antarctica
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 3,274 998 Snow

References
  1. Antarctic Station Catalogue (PDF) (catalogue). Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. August 2017. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-473-40409-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  2. "Showa Station (Syowa Station), East Ongul Island, Lützow-Holm Bay, Queen Maud Land (Dronning Maud Land), Eastern Antarctica, Antarctica". mindat.org. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
  3. Hashimoto, Taishi (September 2019). "PANSY Radar at Syowa Station, Antarctic". Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology. American Meteorological Society. 36 (9): 1881–1888. doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-18-0175.1. S2CID 199683788. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  4. "List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2012)" (PDF). Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  5. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  6. "Showa Skiway". Airport Nav Finder. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
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