Port-aux-Français
| Port-aux-Français | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 | |
  Port-aux-Français | |
| Coordinates: 49°21′S 70°13′E / 49.350°S 70.217°E | |
| Country | France |
| Territory | French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) |
| District | Kerguelen Islands |
Port-aux-Français is the capital settlement of the Kerguelen Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, in the south Indian Ocean. The port station is located on the Gulf of Morbihan, at 49°21′00″S 70°13′08″E / 49.35°S 70.219°E, a near antipode of Medicine Hat, Alberta and Havre, Montana. It has about 45 inhabitants in winter, which can rise to more than 120 in summer.
The station was selected because of its sheltered position which was suitable for a runway that was never built. From 1955 to 1957, and using Australian equipment, a French slaughterhouse company called Sidap constructed a sealing factory. The factory opened following the first marriage on the islands, that of Marc Pechenart and Martine Raulin on 16 December 1957. The factory closed in 1960, and the equipment was sent to Réunion in 2005.
Organisation
Port-aux-Français has a shallow seaport and a quay for unloading supply ships, including the Marion Dufresne. The station, in addition to logistics necessary to its operation, consists of scientific laboratories (biology, geophysics), technical installations (meteorology, telecommunications, satellite tracking, et cetera), and a small medical centre.
Tidal gauges
The base of Port-aux-Français is equipped with a recently installed marigraphic station, having 3 measuring devices:
- two tide gauges to measure pressure at sea bottom
- a radar measuring the sea level.
The two marigraphs and the radar send data to a local server, which relays them hourly to the Internet via the Argos satellite system.
Climate
Port-aux-Français has an ocean moderated tundra climate (Köppen climate classification ET) with cool conditions year round.[1] Temperatures (without windchill) tend to remain fairly stable throughout the year, rarely reaching over 18 °C (64 °F) or falling below −8 °C (18 °F).[2] The average temperature in February, the warmest month, is 7.5 °C (45.5 °F) with a maximum of 11.5 °C (52.7 °F) during the day and 4.3 °C (39.7 °F) during the night. In winter, August and July are the coldest months, averaging 4.8 to 5.0 °C (40.6 to 41.0 °F) during the day and −0.8 °C (30.6 °F) at night. Snowfall is possible in all months, even in summer though it is more common during the winter months than during the summer months. The climate is very windy, with wind speeds that can reach 80m/s.[3]
| Climate data for Port-aux-Français, Kerguelen Islands | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.6 (72.7) |
22.3 (72.1) |
21.0 (69.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
16.8 (62.2) |
14.5 (58.1) |
13.4 (56.1) |
14.4 (57.9) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.1 (66.4) |
21.3 (70.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
23.0 (73.4) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11.2 (52.2) |
11.5 (52.7) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.6 (43.9) |
5.0 (41) |
4.8 (40.6) |
5.0 (41) |
5.3 (41.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
8.4 (47.1) |
10.2 (50.4) |
7.9 (46.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.2 (45) |
7.5 (45.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.6 (42.1) |
3.7 (38.7) |
2.4 (36.3) |
2.0 (35.6) |
2.0 (35.6) |
2.2 (36) |
3.3 (37.9) |
4.7 (40.5) |
6.3 (43.3) |
4.5 (40.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 4.1 (39.4) |
4.3 (39.7) |
3.7 (38.7) |
2.6 (36.7) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−0.8 (30.6) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
1.6 (34.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
1.5 (34.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−5.0 (23) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 48.9 (1.925) |
45.5 (1.791) |
59.4 (2.339) |
67.0 (2.638) |
69.0 (2.717) |
56.2 (2.213) |
65.1 (2.563) |
66.7 (2.626) |
65.3 (2.571) |
54.6 (2.15) |
52.6 (2.071) |
57.6 (2.268) |
707.9 (27.87) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 16 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 223 |
| Avg. rainy days | 16 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 169 |
| Avg. snowy days | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 79 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 188 | 159 | 147 | 114 | 94 | 71 | 84 | 105 | 126 | 151 | 175 | 186 | 1,600 |
| Source #1: NOAA (normals 1961-1990)[3] | |||||||||||||
| Source #2: Weatherbase (record high and low)[4] (precipitation, snow, and rainy days)[2] | |||||||||||||
References
- ↑ Peel, M. C. and Finlayson, B. L. and McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Port Aux Francais, France". Weatherbase. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Climate Normals for Port Aux Francais 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Port-Aux-Francais, French Southern and Antarctic Lands". Weatherbase. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
Coordinates: 49°21′S 70°13′E / 49.350°S 70.217°E