Syowa Station (Antarctica)

Syowa
昭和基地
Antarctic base
Shōwa Kichi
An aerial photograph of Syowa Station, December 2018.
An aerial photograph of Syowa Station, December 2018.
Location of Syowa Station in Antarctica
Location of Syowa Station in Antarctica
Syowa
Location of Syowa Station in Antarctica
Coordinates: 69°00′15″S 39°34′55″E / 69.004122°S 39.581836°E / -69.004122; 39.581836
Country Japan
Location in AntarcticaEast Ongul Island
Queen Maud Land
Antarctica
Administered byJapanese Antarctic Program
Established1957 (1957)
Elevation
29 m (95 ft)
Population
 (2017)
 • Summer
170
 • Winter
40
Time zoneUTC+3 (SYOT)
UN/LOCODEAQ SYW
TypeAll-year round
PeriodAnnual
StatusOperational
ActivitiesPANSY incoherent scatter radar
Facilities60 separate buildings
WebsiteNational Institute of Polar Research

Syowa Station (Japanese: 昭和基地, Hepburn: Shōwa Kichi) is a Japanese permanent research station on East Ongul Island in Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Built in 1957, Syowa Station is named for the era in the Japanese calendar during which it was established, the Shōwa period.

Overview

Sign in front of the main administration building, 2018

Syowa Station serves as a research outpost for astronomy, meteorology, biology and earth sciences. It comprises over 60 separate buildings, large and small, including a 3-storey administration building, living quarters, power plant, sewage treatment facility, environmental science building, observatory, data processing facility, satellite building, ionospheric station, incinerator, earth science building, and radiosonde station. Also present are fuel tanks, water storage, solar panels, a heliport, water retention dam, and radio transmitter.

PANSY Incoherent Scatter Radar

Syowa station is home to the Program of the Antarctic Syowa Mesosphere–Stratosphere–Troposphere/Incoherent Scatter (PANSY) incoherent scatter radar, which took its first measurements in 2017.

Legacy

1957 Expedition

The station was founded by the inaugural Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition in 1957. In February 1958, the Japanese research vessel Sōya was scheduled to deploy the second team, but couldn't get near the station due to severe weather conditions. The first expedition was then rescued by a helicopter from Sōya, but they had to leave the sled dogs behind. In January 1959, the third team returned back and found that, of the 15 dogs that had been left by the first team at the base, two, Taro and Jiro, had survived.

Historic monument

A cairn and plaque at the station commemorate Shin Fukushima, a member of the 4th Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, who died in October 1960 while carrying out his duties. The cairn, which contains some of his ashes, was erected on 11 January 1961 by his colleagues. It has been designated a Historic Site or Monument (HSM 2) following a proposal by Japan to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.

Climate

A 3D model of Syowa Station.

The climate is classified as an Ice cap climate (Köppen: EF), since there are no months where the average temperature exceeds 0.0 °C (32.0 °F).

Climate data for Syowa Station (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1957−present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.0
(50.0)		 8.0
(46.4)		 3.6
(38.5)		 0.5
(32.9)		 2.8
(37.0)		 −0.7
(30.7)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 −1.1
(30.0)		 2.6
(36.7)		 7.3
(45.1)		 9.4
(48.9)		 10.0
(50.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 1.8
(35.2)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 −4.5
(23.9)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −10.6
(12.9)		 −11.9
(10.6)		 −14.3
(6.3)		 −15.2
(4.6)		 −15.0
(5.0)		 −10.5
(13.1)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 1.1
(34.0)		 −7.6
(18.3)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.8
(30.6)		 −2.9
(26.8)		 −6.8
(19.8)		 −10.4
(13.3)		 −13.5
(7.7)		 −15.2
(4.6)		 −17.6
(0.3)		 −18.8
(−1.8)		 −18.3
(−0.9)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 −6.3
(20.7)		 −1.5
(29.3)		 −10.5
(13.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.7
(25.3)		 −5.6
(21.9)		 −9.7
(14.5)		 −13.4
(7.9)		 −16.9
(1.6)		 −18.7
(−1.7)		 −21.4
(−6.5)		 −22.8
(−9.0)		 −22.3
(−8.1)		 −17.1
(1.2)		 −9.9
(14.2)		 −4.6
(23.7)		 −13.8
(7.2)
Record low °C (°F) −12.6
(9.3)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −25.2
(−13.4)		 −35.9
(−32.6)		 −40.5
(−40.9)		 −38.3
(−36.9)		 −42.7
(−44.9)		 −42.2
(−44.0)		 −45.3
(−49.5)		 −34.7
(−30.5)		 −25.0
(−13.0)		 −12.9
(8.8)		 −45.3
(−49.5)
Average relative humidity (%) 70 70 71 73 69 68 69 68 67 70 68 70 69
Mean monthly sunshine hours 346.7 186.9 118.4 59.8 22.4 0.0 6.2 65.0 144.4 194.1 320.5 414.2 1,894.4
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency

Works

See also

Syowa
Summary
Airport typePrivate
ServesSyowa
LocationEast Ongul Island
Time zone(+3)
Elevation AMSL95 ft (29 m)
Coordinates69°00′22″S 39°35′24″E / 69.006167°S 39.590000°E / -69.006167; 39.590000
Map
Syowa is located in Antarctica
Syowa
Syowa
Location of airfield in Antarctica
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
17/35 3,274 998 Snow

References

  1. 1 2 Antarctic Station Catalogue (PDF) (catalogue). Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs. August 2017. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-473-40409-3. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Syowa Station, East Ongul Island, Lützow-Holm Bay, Queen Maud Land (Dronning Maud Land), Eastern Antarctica, Antarctica". mindat.org. Retrieved June 29, 2007.
  3. ↑ Hashimoto, Taishi (September 2019). "PANSY Radar at Syowa Station, Antarctic". Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology. 36 (9). American Meteorological Society: 1881–1888. doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-18-0175.1. S2CID 199683788. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  4. ↑ Hackett, Bob; Kingsepp, Sander; Cundall, Peter (2017). "IJN SOYA". combinedfleet.com. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  5. ↑ "List of Historic Sites and Monuments approved by the ATCM (2012)" (PDF). Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
  6. ↑ 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Syowa Skiway". Airport Nav Finder. Retrieved October 17, 2018.

Notes

  1. ↑ The official spelling seen on the NIPR English website and on-site signage uses Nihon-shiki romanization, though the facility is also referred to in English language journals and news sources as Showa Station.