Mirny station in Antarctica: coordinates, features

Antarctica is a southern and very cold continent, which causes growing interest in connection with the latest climate changes on the planet and the increasing shortage of fresh water. This is the mainland, which attracted researchers and pioneers. The very first Soviet station Mirnyi initiated the large-scale research of Antarctica by Soviet and Russian science. And although today there are five domestic polar stations on the mainland, the first continues to operate and serve as a base and support for polar explorers.

Destination - Mirny station (Antarctica)

On the eastern coast of Antarctica in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean, on the coast of the Davis Sea, in harsh conditions where the average monthly temperature is not a plus throughout the year, and 204 days a year the wind blows at a speed greater than 15 m / sec This polar station is located. The coordinates of Mirny station are 66 ° 33'30 "south latitude, 93 ° 00'02" east longitude. The station is located almost at the Arctic Circle, from December 10 to January 10 the sun does not go beyond the horizon, this is called the polar day. And instead of the polar night there's polar twilight all the time of the year.

Polar station "Mirny": history of creation

In January 1956 the diesel electric ship "Ob" came to the shore of the Davis Sea. Construction and scientific works were led by Mikhail Somov, an outstanding polar explorer and head of the first Russian wintering in Antarctica. The station was built on four outcrops of rock. All 86 crew members worked for 12 hours a day. Despite the deteriorating weather in February, the work did not stop. Already on February 13, 1956, on the platform of the Mirny station, the state flag of the USSR was raised and its solemn opening took place. The station included a radio center, an observatory, research pavilions, economic and residential buildings, a medical center and auxiliary annexes. A total of 21 buildings were built, most with central heating.

"Mirny" Observatory

Of all the existing on the glacial continent, this is the oldest. It is located at a height of 35 meters above sea level, to the west of the glacier Helen. From February 1956 to the present day, meteorological and actinometric observations are conducted here, regular launches of radiosondes are conducted. Since its inception, this is the main base of domestic Antarctic expeditions, where weather maps are compiled, earthquakes are recorded and ionospheric observations are being conducted. Only since 1971 Mirny station gave priority to Molodezhnaya station, which was converted to the Antarctic meteorological center.

The airfield of Mirny station

In 1990, the snow and ice aerodrome at the station became unsuitable for use due to numerous cracks. For several years geodetic searches of a new place were conducted. Since February 2016, the new airfield of the station has taken the first side. The American ski-wheel board Basler Turbo took 61 Russian Antarctic expeditions from the station, leaving 21 polar explorers for the winter. The importance of this event is primarily that air communication with the southern mainland is thousands of times cheaper than the sea one. And the restoration of the airfield at Mirny station expands the possibilities of researchers.

The modern scientific station in Antarctica Mirny

Today, the station has 15-20 people a year in the meteorological and synoptic group, whose task is to collect meteorological data and compile climate maps. But not only climate studies are staff at the station. It monitors fish stocks in the waters of the Southern Ocean, tracks the orbits of satellites, conducts geodesic and geophysical studies of the Earth's magnetosphere. But the most important thing is to monitor the ice situation and determine the possibilities of the movement of research vessels in this zone.

Historical meaning

The station was the gateway to the exploration of Antarctica by the USSR. In the same 1956, the sledge-caterpillar trek from Mirny reached the southern geomagnetic pole, where the Russian Vostok station is located today. The Mirny station today is a coastal zone with its own extra-class vessels and a powerful research base. The USSR's withdrawal to the southern continent at the height of the Cold War, strangely enough, led to the conclusion in 1959 of an unlimited treaty on Antarctica in Washington. The treaty implied the freedom of research and the ban on the militarization of the continent, the lack of sovereignty on the land by any country and the ban on testing weapons. So the Mirny station really became a peacemaker of the southern continent.

Interesting facts

• And today the best protection against the 80-degree frost is boots. Polar explorers, hibernating at stations in Antarctica, this fact is confirmed by numerous photographs.
• Polar explorers have never tamed penguins. Surprisingly, despite close proximity, these birds do not tame, although they are not afraid of man. It is proved that they like classical music - they come closer to listen to it. But rock does not like.
• Travel companies of the world offer tours at the station of Antarctica. Today, the southern mainland is visited by tourists from 200 to 1000 brave souls a year.
• Citizens of Russia can obtain citizenship of Antarctica. The G8 countries (Russia, the United States, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and France) signed an agreement under which the program of settling the southern continent will be launched in 2020. Selection is tough and specific, but every citizen has a chance to become a citizen of Antarctica.
• On the southern mainland, there are no permanent residents yet. In summer, at 40 research stations in Antarctica there are up to five thousand employees, and about a thousand people remain for the winter.

The station Mirny received its name in honor of one of the two sloops, which in January 1820, under the leadership of Thaddeus Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, opened the southern mainland and were the first to reach its shores. As a symbol of continuity in the development of the harsh continent, the station today continues to fulfill its role as a stronghold and connecting link of past discoveries and modernity and remains the curator of sea and land movements.