The Galindez Island station complex was transferred to the Ukraine on 6 Feb 1996 and renamed Vernadsky. Personnel from Vernadsky now maintain Wordie House.
Position Lat. 65 °15 'S, Long. 64 °16 'W (Known as Argentine Islands until 15 Aug 1977)
Marina Point, Galindez Island, Argentine Islands
Purpose Geophysics, meteorology and ionospherics.
Occupied 7 Jan 1947 - 6 Feb 1996.
It was occupied continuously for a total of 49 years and 31 days by FIDS and BAS, the longest continuous occupation of any British station to date.
Buildings The original site was on Winter Island, previously the site of the British Graham Land Expedition (BGLE) hut of 1935-36 which was destroyed (possibly by a tsunami) in 1946. The main hut on Winter Island was named Wordie House after Sir James Wordie, member of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1914-16, Operation Tabarin Advisory Committee 1943-45 and FID Scientific Committee 1948. It was closed on 30 May 1954 when the station was transferred to Galindez Island. It was re-occupied in the winter of 1960 when personnel for Station T failed to reach Adelaide Island and were forced to winter there. New buildings were erected in Feb 1954 on Galindez Island. The main building was named Coronation House after the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
Field huts An Argentine refuge hut on Petermann Island was used periodically by BAS personnel from Faraday Station.
Memorials
1995 Ukraine started operation of Vernadsky antarctic research station. The station was transfered by Great Britain, former Faraday station.
First scientific expedition was headed by Dr. Milinevski from Astronomy and Space Physics Department of Kiev Shevchenko University.
Mean temperatures:
annual -4.5°C
summer -1°C to +2°C
winter -5°C to -20°C
Snow falls on about 250 days
Total annual sunshine about 840 hours average
Vernadsky is the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) former Faraday station that has been transferred free to Ukraine for Ukrainian Antarctic Center (UAC) at 7 February 1996.
Vernadsky (Faraday) is the oldest operational station in the Antarctic Peninsula area. The most recent major expansion to the living and working facilities occuring in 1979/80. The maximum sleeping accomodation is for 24 people. The usual compliment is 10 - 12 over winter.
Vernadsky is the first Ukrainian Antarctic station. It is operated in the field of Upper Atmosphere and Climate science. Data is collected and analysed in several scientific disciplines: ionospherics, magnetospherics, geomagnetism, meteorology, gliaciology and ozone research. Several of these data sets are longest continuous runs in Antarctic. According to the Memorandum of Understanding between UAC and BAS Ukrainian scientists will continue and supply BAS and by all science results of the long-term measurements of total ozone, magnetic, meteo and ionosonde data.
There are twelve peoples wintering the first "Ukrainian" season 1996/97: two geophysicists of the upper atmosphere physics (one of them is the Station Leader), two meteorologists, gliaciologist, diesel-mechanic, carpenter, cook, electrician, communication manager, doctor, traveler.
The Argentine Island archipelago is situated 4-5 miles west of the Peninsula. The nearby mainland offers spectacular views of Lemaire Channel and mountains rising to 2000 metres. The research mainly concentrated at the station. Travel opportunities are possible like summer boating trips visit bird and penguin colonies, and like winter ski-sledging trips to the mainland when the sea-ice is stable.
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