Ellsworth Station

Estación Científica Ellsworth
Location map for Ellsworth Station
Coordinates:
Elevation 40 m (131 ft)
Population
 • Total 26 (Year-round)
  closed

The Ellsworth Station ( Spanish: Estación Científica Ellsworth ) was an Antarctic base established by the United States during the 1957 International Geophysical Year. The base was soon handed over to Argentina and subsequently abandoned and covered with ice in 1962.

Contents

History

Named after the American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth, the base was located on the western coast of the Weddell Sea over Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. The exact site was originally planned for Cape Adams, but when the terrain proved impractical due to huge ice cliffs, an alternate location in Gould Bay was selected.[1]

The station was built by naval personnel under the command of Captain Finn Ronne,[2] with the support of the icebreakers USS Staten Islands and USS Wyandot.[1] It was commissioned on February 11, 1957, and was handed over to Argentine Instituto Antártico Argentino on January 17, 1959. With the handover, the United States government gave the buildings, facilities, and all existing food supplies whilst Argentina committed to provide the logistical and administrative services necessary for the continued operation of the base. It was agreed that scientists of both countries would work together at the base in technical studies and scientific research.

During its operation a number of experiments and observations were carried out involving meteorology, radiation, measurement of carbon dioxide from the air, ionospheric observations of cosmic rays, and studies to the Filchner Ice Shelf.

On January 6, 1962 Captain Hermes Quijada of the Argentine Naval Aviation flew from this base to the South Pole. On December 30, 1962 the base closed; it was eventually covered by ice and disappeared.

Climate

Climate data for Ellsworth
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −6
(22)		 −13
(9)		 −19
(−3)		 −23
(−10)		 −24
(−11)		 −28
(−19)		 −29
(−21)		 −29
(−21)		 −27
(−16)		 −19
(−2)		 −12
(11)		 −6
(22)		 −19.6
(−3.3)
Average low °C (°F) −11
(12)		 −19
(−2)		 −27
(−16)		 −32
(−25)		 −32
(−26)		 −36
(−32)		 −37
(−35)		 −37
(−35)		 −34
(−30)		 −26
(−15)		 −18
(−1)		 −11
(13)		 −26.7
(−16)
Precipitation mm (inches) 8
(0.3)		 5
(0.2)		 8
(0.3)		 15
(0.6)		 5
(0.2)		 5
(0.2)		 5
(0.2)		 5
(0.2)		 8
(0.3)		 10
(0.4)		 13
(0.5)		 5
(0.2)		 91
(3.6)
Source: Weatherbase [3]

References

  1. ^ a b Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships p 610
  2. ^ Griffiths, Tom. Slicing the silence: voyaging to Antarctica. Sydney, Australia: UNSW Press. 2007. p 210
  3. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Ellsworth, Antarctica". Weatherbase. 2011. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=126098&refer=wikipedia.  Retrieved on November 24, 2011.

External links