Marambio Station () is a permanent, all year-round Argentine Antarctica station named after Vice-Commodore , an Antarctic aviation pioneer. It is located in Marambio Island, Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula, some from the coastal civilian village of Esperanza.

At the time of its construction it was the first airfield in Antarctica and is still one of the most frequently used ones due to its suitability for wheeled landing, for which it is called "Antarctica's Entrance Door" (). It is also Argentina's most important station in the continent.

History

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 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. 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 .

thumb|left|Argentine [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|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.

Description

thumb|left|Main building

As of 2014, Marambio has 27 buildings with a total covered area exceeding .

thumb|[[Museum Patrulla Soberanía|"Patrulla Soberanía" museum, Marambio Station]]

The station also has CATV and public and internal mobile phone service.

Scientific activities

Scientific research at Marambio is planned and executed by specialized departments, usually during the summer campaigns:

  • Earth Sciences carries out paleontology, stratigraphy, sedimentology, petrography, cryology, and geodesy.
  • Atmospheric Sciences research include cosmic ray and ionospheric observations, and stratospheric ozone monitoring. The LAMBI Ozone Laboratory, managed by the Atmospheric Sciences station, started in 1994 to obtain ozone records by absorption. It is a joint program with the INTA (Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology)
  • In 2013, the Finnish Meteorological Institute in co-operation with the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional and with the Argentine Air Force started a new continuous atmospheric measurement program in Marambio. Observations cover greenhouse gases (mostly CH<sub>4</sub> and CO<sub>2</sub>) while investigating the physical, chemical and optical properties of aerosol particles and incoming and outgoing UV radiation. This scientific project made Marambio the most comprehensive atmospheric measurement station in the Antarctic continent.
  • The station has been chosen for the location of balloon launches of the French project Estrateole to study the ozone layer. The strong winds produce a wind chill that makes the temperatures feel colder.

Fog frequently occurs in the station.

|source 2 = Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)

|date=August 2010

See also

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

References

  • Fuerza Aerea Argentina – Base Marambio
  • Fundaciòn Marambio – Base Marambio
  • Dirección Nacional del Antártico