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Antarctic base
Map with station at location marked "C"
Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme
, also Base Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, or shortly Bernardo O'Higgins, named after
Bernardo O'Higgins
, is a permanently staffed
Chilean
research station
in
Antarctica
and the capital of
Antartica
Commune. It lies at an
elevation
of 13 m, about 30 km south-west of
Prime Head
, the northernmost point of the
Antarctic Peninsula
, at
Cape Legoupil
.
History
[
edit
]
The base was established on 18 February 1948 by the
Chilean Antarctic Expedition
, and is one of the Antarctic bases with the longest times of continuous operation. The winter population is 24, and the peak population in the Antarctic summer is usually 52, although up to 60 persons can be accommodated.
[1]
The base is operated by the Chilean Army. It is also known as
Puerto Covadonga
after the
port
on which it is located.
[2]
The German Antarctic Receiving Station (GARS) was established at O'Higgins in 1991 by the
DLR
. It is a
satellite
ground station sited in Antarctica to enable reception of data from satellite-based sensors within the south polar region that might otherwise be lost. High
bandwidth
sensors such as
SAR
generate too much data to be stored on board the satellite for transmission to ground stations elsewhere. GARS was sited at O'Higgins because of the
geology
,
infrastructure
and
accessibility
of the base.
Three dozen
COVID-19
cases were reported on the research base on December 22, 2020. These are the first reported cases on the continent.
[3]
Historic site
[
edit
]
The O’Higgins Historic Site on Cape Legoupil comprises structures of historical significance:
- The original base was established on 18 February 1948 by the President of the Republic of Chile,
Gabriel Gonzalez Videla
, the first head of state in the world to visit Antarctica.
- The Capitan General Bernardo O ?Higgins Riquelme
Bust
was erected in 1948 opposite the base.
- A
plaque
was erected on 12 August 1957 in memory of Lieutenants Oscar Inostroza Contreras and Sergio Ponce Torrealba.
- The Virgen del Carmen Grotto, near the base, was built in the early 1970s to serve as a place of spiritual withdrawal for the staff of various Antarctic stations and expeditions.
It was designated a
Historic Site or Monument
(HSM 37), following a proposal by Chile to the
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting
.
[4]
Climate
[
edit
]
Bernardo O'Higgins Base experiences a borderline
polar
tundra climate
(
Koppen
ET
) that is extremely close to a polar
ice cap climate
(
Koppen
EF
). Average annual precipitation amounts to 771 mm (30.35 in), and is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year, typically peaking marginally during the austral spring. Temperatures are frigid all year round; the warmest month is January with an average monthly temperature of 1 °C (34 °F), while the coldest month is July with an average monthly temperature of ?9 °C (16 °F).
Climate data for Bernardo O'Higgins Base, elevation: 10 m or 33 ft, (1991?2020 normals, extremes 1953?present)
|
Month
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
Record high °C (°F)
|
10.9
(51.6)
|
8.5
(47.3)
|
8.3
(46.9)
|
6.2
(43.2)
|
7.2
(45.0)
|
5.9
(42.6)
|
3.8
(38.8)
|
3.5
(38.3)
|
4.4
(39.9)
|
6.6
(43.9)
|
9.2
(48.6)
|
9.0
(48.2)
|
10.9
(51.6)
|
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)
|
2.3
(36.1)
|
1.7
(35.1)
|
0.5
(32.9)
|
?1.5
(29.3)
|
?2.7
(27.1)
|
?4.8
(23.4)
|
?5.3
(22.5)
|
?4.9
(23.2)
|
?3.4
(25.9)
|
?1.9
(28.6)
|
?0.2
(31.6)
|
1.3
(34.3)
|
?1.6
(29.1)
|
Daily mean °C (°F)
|
0.9
(33.6)
|
0.5
(32.9)
|
?1.2
(29.8)
|
?3.3
(26.1)
|
?4.8
(23.4)
|
?7.1
(19.2)
|
?7.9
(17.8)
|
?7.4
(18.7)
|
?5.7
(21.7)
|
?3.7
(25.3)
|
?1.7
(28.9)
|
0.0
(32.0)
|
?3.5
(25.7)
|
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)
|
?0.6
(30.9)
|
?1.0
(30.2)
|
?2.9
(26.8)
|
?5.1
(22.8)
|
?6.9
(19.6)
|
?9.4
(15.1)
|
?10.3
(13.5)
|
?10.0
(14.0)
|
?7.9
(17.8)
|
?5.5
(22.1)
|
?3.1
(26.4)
|
?1.4
(29.5)
|
?5.4
(22.3)
|
Record low °C (°F)
|
?10.1
(13.8)
|
?14.0
(6.8)
|
?20.0
(?4.0)
|
?25.0
(?13.0)
|
?30.0
(?22.0)
|
?34.2
(?29.6)
|
?34.4
(?29.9)
|
?33.2
(?27.8)
|
?29.2
(?20.6)
|
?26.0
(?14.8)
|
?15.0
(5.0)
|
?10.6
(12.9)
|
?34.4
(?29.9)
|
Average
precipitation
mm (inches)
|
41.4
(1.63)
|
51.4
(2.02)
|
62.4
(2.46)
|
52.0
(2.05)
|
43.0
(1.69)
|
40.0
(1.57)
|
42.0
(1.65)
|
42.7
(1.68)
|
47.2
(1.86)
|
54.6
(2.15)
|
44.7
(1.76)
|
37.0
(1.46)
|
558.3
(21.98)
|
Average
relative humidity
(%)
|
83.3
|
85.8
|
86.2
|
84.6
|
86.2
|
85.8
|
86.3
|
85.6
|
86.2
|
84.8
|
83.5
|
83.2
|
85.1
|
Mean monthly
sunshine hours
|
84.0
|
72.5
|
58.3
|
36.1
|
16.0
|
5.7
|
10.2
|
35.9
|
46.8
|
82.6
|
101.1
|
105.4
|
601.1
|
Source: Direccion Meteorologica de Chile
[5]
[6]
[7]
|
See also
[
edit
]
Airport in General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme Station
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Base General Bernardo O'Higgins inauguration by the President of the Republic of Chile,
Gabriel Gonzalez Videla
, the first head of state in the world to visit Antarctica (1948).
GARS
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Summer
|
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- Argentina
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Chile
- China
- Czech Republic
- Ecuador
- Finland
- Germany
- Italy
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Pakistan
- Peru
- Poland
- Romania
- Russia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Turkey
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
|
|
Closed
|
---|
- Argentina
- Australia
- Belgium
- Chile
- France
- Germany
- India
- Italy
- Japan
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- South Africa
- Soviet Union
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Other
- Joint Stations
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