7.3                                   Antarctic Peninsula Sector  

This section covers the Antarctic Peninsula Sector, including the South Orkney and South Shetland Island groups, the Filchner Ice Shelf and stations and other features that are on or about the Peninsula itself. For the purposes of the handbook these places have been grouped as shown below. The locations of many of these places are shown in Figure 7.3.1, which is a map of the Peninsula region and adjacent areas on the Antarctic continent while Figure 7.2.1.1.1 shows the proximity of the Antarctic Peninsula to South America via Drake Passage.

Signy and Laurie Islands, South Orkney Islands                                             See Section 7.3.1.

All–year round station:

·                         Orcadas                                                           (60º 44´ S, 44º 37´ W, 6 m AMSL).

Summer–only station:

·                         Signy                                                    (60º 45´ W, 45º 56´ W, 6 m AMSL).

King George Island, South Shetland Islands                                                   See Section 7.3.2.

All–year stations:

·                         Artigas                                                             (62o 11´ 04″ S, 58o 54´ 09″ W);

·                         Bellingshausen                                                (62o 12´ S, 58o 58´ W, 16 m AMSL);

·                         Commandante Ferraz                         (62o 05´ S, 58o 23´ 28″ W);

·                         Great Wall                                           (62o 13´ S, 58o 58´ W, 10 m AMSL);

·                         Jubany                                                             (62o 14´ 16″ S, 58o 39´ 52″ W, 4 m AMSL);

·                         King Sejong                                         (62° 13´ 24″ S, 58° 47´ 21″ W, 10 m AMSL);

·                         Henryk Arctowski                                (62o 09´ 34″ S, 58o 28´ 15″ W);

·                         Presidente Eduardo

Frei Montalva                                        (62° 18´ 48″ S, 58° 55´ 30″ W, 10 m AMSL).

Summer–only stations:

·                         Ardley                                                  (62° 12´ 24″ S, 58° 53´ 48″ W);

·                         Macchu Picchu                                    (62° 05´ 30″ S, 58° 28´ 16″ W, 10 m AMSL);

·                         Juan Carlos I                                       (62° 39´ 46″ S, 60° 23´ 20″ W).

Greenwich, Robert and Media Luna Islands, South Shetland Islands            See Section 7.3.3.

·                         Capitan Arturo Prat Station, Greenwich Island             (62o 30´ S, 59o 41´ W);

·                         Luis Risopatron Station, Robert Island            (62o 22´ S, 59o 40´ W, 40 m AMSL);

·                         Cámara Station, Media Luna Island   (62° 36´ S, 59° 54´ W, 22 m AMSL).

Deception Island, South Shetland Islands                                                                   See Section 7.3.4.

·                         Decepción Station                               (62º 59´ S, 60º 34´ W, 7 m AMSL).

Trinity Peninsula (northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula)                             See Section 7.3.5.

All–year stations:

·                         Marambio                                            (64o 14´ 42″ S, 56o 39´ 25″ W, 200 m AMSL);

·                         Esperanza                                            (63º 23´ 42″ S, 56º 59´ 46″ W, 25 m AMSL);

·                         General Bernardo O’Higgins             (63° 19´ S, 57° 04´ W, 12 m AMSL).

Summer–only stations:

·                         St Kliment Orchridiski                         (62° 38´ 6″ S, 60° 21´ 7″ W);

·                         Petrel                                                   (63° 28´ S, 56° 17´ W, 18 m AMSL);

·                         Primavera                                           (64º 09´ S, 60º 58´ W, 50 m AMSL).

 

        Key to Antarctic Peninsula Stations

           1  Esperanza (Argentina)

           2  Vice Commodore Marambio (Argentina)

           3  General San Martin (Argentina)

           4  Teniente Jubany (Argentina)

           5  Commondante Ferraz (Brazil)

           6  Captain. Arturo Prat (Chile)

           7  General Bernado O’Higgins (Chile)

           8  President Eduardo Frei Montalva (Chile)

           9  Great Wall (Peoples’ Republic of China)

          10 Henryk Arctowski  (Poland)

          11 King Selong (Republic of Korea)

          12 Bellingshausen (Russian Federation)

          13 Academik Vernadsky Ukraine)

          14 Artigas (Uraguay)

          15 Matienzo  (Argentina) and Palmer (USA)

          16 Yelcho (Chile)

          17 Almirante Brown (Argentine)

          18 President Gabriel Gonzales Vidiez ( Chile)

          19 Melchoir (Argentina)

          20 Primavera (Argentina)

          21 Petrel (Argentina)

          22 Fossil Bluff (UK)

  

Figure 7.3.1     A map showing locations on the Antarctic Peninsula and adjacent areas.

(Adapted from a map provided courtesy of the Australian Antarctic Division.)
The West–Central Section of the Peninsula (covers the low–lying area on the west–facing side of the Antarctic Peninsula)                                                                                           See Section 7.3.6.

All–year stations:

·                         Akademik Vernadasky             (65° 15´ S, 64° 16´ W, 7 m AMSL);

·                         Almirante Brown                                 (64º 54´ S, 62º 52´ W, 10 m AMSL);

·                         Palmer                                                 (64° 46´ S, 64° 05´ W, 8 m AMSL);

·                         Matienzo                                                          (64° 50´ S, 60° 07´ W, 32 m AMSL);

·                         Melchior                                                          (64° 20´ S, 62° 59´ W, 7 m AMSL);

·                         Yelcho                                                  (64° 52´ S, 63° 35´ W, 10 m AMSL).

Summer–only station:

·                         Presidente Gabriel Gonzalez

Vidiez Station                                         (64° 49´ 12″ S, 62° 51´ 48″ W).

Marguerite Bay/Adelaide Island (western side of the Antarctic Peninsula at a location of approximately 67º S, 68º W)                                                                                                See Section 7.3.7.

All–year stations:

·                         Rothera                                                            (67° 34´ 19″ S, 68° 7´ 37″ W, 16 m AMSL);

·                         San Martin                                           (68º 07´ 47″ S, 67º 06´ 12″ W, 5 m AMSL).

Summer–only station:

·                         Teniente Luis Carvajal                        (67° 45´ S, 68° 54´ W).

Fossil Bluff, King George VI Sound                                                                See Section 7.3.8.

Summer–only forward field station:

·                         Fossil Bluff                                          (71° 18´ S, 68° 18´ W).

Ski Hi/Ski Blu (near the Sky–Hi Nunataks at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula)      

                                                                                                                                                See Section 7.3.9.

Summer–only forward field stations/blue–ice runway:

·                         Sky–Blu blue–ice runway                    (74° 51´ 8″ S, 71° 33´ 36″ W);

·                         Sky–Hi is a depot in the same general area.

The Larsen Ice Shelf (eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula)                       See Section 7.3.10.

·                         There are no staffed stations on the Larsen Ice Shelf so the only forecasting requirement is for flights to the area in connection with research activities or those for maintenance of the AWS at 66º 58´ S, 60º 33´ W.

7.3.1        Signy Island and Laurie Island, South Orkney Islands  

7.3.1.1       Orography and the local environment.

The South Orkney Island archipelago is located close to the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula 60° 43' S, 45° 36' W (see Figure 7.3.1 Figure 7.2.1.1.1). The largest island in the group is Coronation Island and this has mountains rising to 1,278 m (~4,200 ft). Signy Island is situated a little to the south of Coronation Island and most of the rest of the islands are to the east of Coronation. The island group has two staffed stations. The Argentine station Orcadas, on Laurie Island, has been permanently occupied since 1902 and has the longest continuous meteorological record in Antarctica. The British station on Signy Island has been occupied since the 1940s and is now a summer–only station.

7.3.1.2       Operational requirements and activities relevant to the forecasting process

The South Orkney group does not have any facilities for aircraft to land. The islands are on the whole too steep for an airstrip and the icecaps are too small and crevassed for an aircraft to safely land. Ships regularly call at the islands to visit and supply the two stations. The biggest problem faced by ships visiting the islands is the presence of sea ice, on at least one occasion this has meant that a station was not visited at the end of the summer season and people were left for the winter.

Forecasts for the Signy area are issued by the forecaster at Rothera Station when BAS ships are in the area. Forecasts for Orcadas are issued by the Argentine meteorological services.