The Malvinas, Antarctic and South Atlantic Foreign Minister, Guillermo Carmona, visited Marambio at the start of the pre-summer Antarctic campaign and emphasized that the commitment to science in Antarctica “presents a formidable logistical challenge.” It preserves Argentina year after year” and “grants prestige to our foreign policy” and “starring role within the framework of the Antarctic Treaty System”.
The official traveled with the National Director of Antarctica (DNA), Patricia Ortozar, and Chancellor Patricio Violini, with a delegation of scientists from the Argentine Antarctic Institute (IAA) of the Department of State and military personnel and logistics to the Marambio base, the State Department said today in a statement that Argentina is One of the six permanent bases Argentina has on the White Continent.
“The commitment to science in Antarctica is a formidable logistical challenge that Argentina maintains year after year, an effort we greatly appreciate as it gives niche to our foreign policy and our leading role within the Antarctic Treaty System,” Carmona said.
Likewise, he stressed the importance of renewing “a strong commitment to maintain an active presence in a place that is part of the national territory and where the State of Argentina says it is located in a sovereign territory,” the press release said.
The visit, which took place last Thursday as part of preparations for the start of the annual Antarctic Expedition that takes place between November and May, began in El Palomar with a flight of the Argentine Air Force Hercules to the city. Río Gallegos, and continued with the second direct transfer to Base Marambio, where the crew was received by the Chief of Joint Base Marambio in Antarctica, Vice Commodore Ernesto Rafael Lynch.
Carmona, the first official in the current government administration to set foot in Antarctica due to the logistical difficulties posed by the pandemic, toured the base facilities, and was at the Omega Warehouse with the head of DNA logistics, Gennaro Mamani, as they analyzed programming for the upcoming summer campaign in the Antarctic.
He also visited the Lampi Laboratory of the Iraqi Antiquities Authority, in charge of scientific reference Juan Cruz Scatorchio and assistant Romina Lucana, where they reviewed the electronic monitoring of sensors designated for various scientific research programs.
The preparatory campaign is the beginning of the scientific work of some groups between August and September to November of each year, before the start of the Antarctic summer campaign, and includes scientific and technical activities that are carried out in Marambio and the State Department summoned the bases of Esperanza and Carlini, such as biological observation and technical tasks.
Both the preparatory campaign and the campaign are being carried out with logistical support from the Joint Antarctic Command (Cocoantar) of the Department of Defense.
Likewise, he emphasized that some projects planned to begin in the pre-campaign period and continue during the Antarctic Summer Campaign at the IAA laboratories located at the Marambio base, in the Antarctic Interdisciplinary Laboratory, the Cosmic Ray Laboratory and “La Remota Shelter”, in Physiology Organs in Antarctica, micro-paleontology, glacial geomorphology and geology, paleogeography, climate change, mass and glacier dynamics in the Antarctic Peninsula.
In this way, scientific sampling, environmental data monitoring and, from the social sciences, studies of the historical heritage of Cerro Nevado are carried out.
A significant part of these projects are carried out in international cooperation with various countries, including Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, the United States, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as with many national institutions.
The State Department stated that the Marambio base was established on October 29, 1969 and is one of the six permanent bases Argentina has in Antarctica.
The Argentine presence on the White Continent, continuously, continuously and permanently, dates back to 1904 from the takeover by the staff of the Argentine Meteorological Observatory on Lurie Island, south of Orkney. (blameable)
