First issued on September 14, 1918, “El País”, pubblished in Montevideo, is the major daily newspaper in Uruguay. It’s one of the country’s most widely read newspapers and is known for its coverage of both local and international news, as well as opinion pieces.
What follows, is a report of the work carried out in collaboration with the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute (IAU) and the Ministry of National Defense, with the addition of some WAP directory data.
«During the winter, eight Uruguayan soldiers live at Artigas Air Base (WAP URY-Ø1), facing the coldest and most inhospitable continent on the planet. More than 3,000 kilometers from Uruguay, these eight people’s mission is to keep one of the country’s two Scientific Bases operational: the Artigas Base (WAP URY-Ø1), the Ruperto Elichiribehety Base (WAP URY-NEW) and Uruguayan Ionospheric Refuge (WAP URY-NEW).
This stage of Antarctic life is called “wintering.” It lasts from approximately March to November, a time when the climate prevents scientific research and only people live there to keep the facility running».
What is the Antarctic winter like?
Temperatures in Antarctica can vary depending on the season, although the average monthly range is not usually that high. Thus, the temperature records kept by the Uruguayan Meteorological Institute (1986-2015) obtained from daily summaries by the NCDC (NOAA) show that in months like January or February the average temperature can be around 1.9°C, while in months like July or August it hovers around -6°C. El País traveled to Antarctica in February 2024, to learn firsthand how the Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base works, who travels there, why Uruguay is present there, and what life is like on this Continent.
See the full article at: https://elpais.uy/antartida
TNX and Credit: El Pais, Uruguay