Almirante Brown Station Vicinity, Paradise Bay (ALMI)
64˚53’S, 62˚52’W Magnetic declination: 15.8˚E Inventory subarea: NW Inventory acronym: ALMI Site Sensitivity: LOW Location — History — Features Almirante Brown is the small Argentine station located in Paradise Bay. The old research station is located on a point of land with steep sea-cliffs at least 100 meters high on one side (adjacent to Paradise Bay), and the sheer face of a tide-water glacier on the other side, to the E. Several of the principal buildings are 10-30 meters above a small concrete pier, and damage from an extensive fire, more than a decade ago, is still evident. There are a few gentoo penguin nests on the bedrock below the ruins of the main, derelict station building. The rock around the station, along the coast, and near the buildings is massive porphyritic andesite, which is extensively mineralized with green epidote along cracks and in inclusions. Nunataks rise through the surrounding glaciers. The bay is well protected and deep. Glaciers on the S end of the bay calve regularly. The burnt remains of the old station have not been fully removed, but much trash and garbage has been removed in recent years. Landing Characteristics This is a favored location for zodiac tours into Paradise Bay, which is regularly full of ice and a prime locus for resting crabeater, Weddell, and occasional leopard seas. On the nearby cliffs overlooking the bay to the S of the station, two blue-eyed shags colonies can be easily viewed by zodiac; late in the summer, juvenile shags often follow and swim with the zodiacs. The only possible shore landing is at the station itself. The base is located on the Antarctic mainland and gives tourists an opportunity to set foot on the continent itself. The 30-50 meter slope behind the station is snow-covered for most of the spring and summer, and affords visitors a chance to hike upward for spectacular views of Paradise Bay, and then, to do some downhill snow sliding. Antarctic Site Inventory Effort Visits by Antarctic Site Inventory researchers, 1994-2003: 1. December 10, 1994 RN BH Livonia 2. December 15, 1994 RN Explorer 3. January 24, 1995 RN Explorer 4. November 19, 1995 BH W. Discoverer 5. November 19, 1995 RN LB Explorer 6. November 28, 1995 RN LB Explorer 7. December 2, 1995 SF W. Discoverer 8. December 13, 1995 BH W. Discoverer 9. December 16, 1995 LB Explorer 10. November 25, 1996 RN SF Explorer 11. December 4, 1996 RN SF W. Discoverer 12. February 18, 1997 RN Explorer 13. November 27, 1997 RN SF W. Discoverer 14. December 4, 1997 RN SF Explorer 15. January 13, 2000 SF Cal Star 16. December 14, 2000 RN Cal Star 17. December 13, 2001 RN SF CE Endeavour 18. December 24, 2001 JC LGC Endeavour 19. January 15, 2002 RP WT Endeavour 20. January 27, 2002 RD LS Endeavour 21. February 7, 2002 MM Endeavour 22. February 17, 2002 RN Endeavour 23. December 11, 2002 RN Endeavour 24. January 3, 2003 RP Endeavour 25. January 12, 2003 SF Endeavour 26. January 25, 2003 RD Endeavour 27. February 6, 2003 MM Endeavour 28. February 14, 2003 MB Endeavour Assessment and monitoring. Surveyed, censused, mapped, and photodocumented (terrestrial). Regular censusing of blue eyed shag colonies near the abandoned Almirante Brown station. Fauna — Flora — Censuses Penguins & flying birds. A few pairs of gentoo penguins nest underneath remnants of the burnt-out station, with snowy sheathbills often parading about, looking for spills of regurgitated food. The sheathbills also are seen commonly on the shag cliffs S of the station, and are presumed to be breeding. Blue-eyed shags, Antarctic terns, skuas, spp., and kelp gulls nest on the cliffs overlooking Paradise Bay, to the S of the station. The two large shag colonies S of the station are easily censused from a zodiac. Antarctic Site Inventory censuses: Blue-eyed shags (colony #1, near A. Brown Station) 72 N1 1994 Jan 76 N1 1994 Dec 60 N1 1995 Nov 57 N1 1995 Dec 56 N1 1996 Nov 53 N1 1996 Dec 46 N1 1997 Nov 46 N1 1997 Dec 43 N1 2000 Jan 81 C1 2000 Jan 37 N1 2001 Dec 41 N1 2000 Dec 45 N1 2002 Dec 86 C1 2003 Feb Blue-eyed shags (colony #2, near A. Brown Station) 18 N1 1994 Jan 24 N1 1994 Dec 16 N1 1995 Nov 14 N1 1995 Dec 10 N1 1996 Nov 6 N1 1997 Nov 8 N1 1997 Dec 6 N1 2000 Jan 11 C1 2000 Jan 7 N1 2000 Dec 7 N1 2001 Dec 18 N1 2002 Dec 40 C1 2003 Feb Blue-eyed shags (colony #1 + #2, near A. Brown Station) 90 N1 1994 Jan 100 N1 1994 Dec 76 N1 1995 Nov 71 N1 1995 Dec 66 N1 1996 Nov 52 N1 1997 Nov 54 N1 1997 Dec 49 N1 2000 Jan 92 C1 2000 Jan 48 N1 2000 Dec 44 N1 2001 Dec 63 N1 2002 Dec 114 C1 2003 Jan 126 C1 2003 Feb Seals. The station does not afford a good haul-out beach, but crabeater, Weddell, and occasionally leopard seals often are found resting on ice floes in the bay, or on ice ledges along the shoreline. Flora . Moss becomes exposed on the slopes and cliffs above the station as the summer progresses, as well as on the cliffs within and above the shag colonies S of the station. Crustose lichens Xanthoria , spp. and Caloplaca , spp. have been noted on the shag cliffs. Conservation Aspects Site sensitivities. None. Visitation Aspects Numbers of tourist zodiac landings and participating visitors, 1989-2003:
Proximate visitor sites . Waterboat Point and the Chilean Station, Gonzalez Videla. |
