Stations

Antarctic
Arctic

Station

Camp

Shelter

Laboratory

Station

Camp

Shelter

Laboratory

Background

Facility Name	Rothera
Website	https://www.bas.ac.uk/polar-operations/sites-and-facilities/facility/rothera/
Location	Antarctic
Current status of facility	Open
Type	Station
Operating country	United Kingdom
INTERACT Status	None
First opened/Opening year	1975
Operational period	Year-Round

Introduction

Facility name and Operator	Rothera, British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
Location	Rothera research station is situated on Rothera Point – a rock and raised beach promontory at the southern extremity of the Wormald Ice Piedmont on the south-east of Adelaide Island to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Biodiversity and natural environment	Flora mainly limited to lichen. Breeding colonies of South polar skua, terns and Imperial Cormorants in the area. Large transitory populations of other bird species (petrels, gulls etc). Regular visits from Adélie penguins although no breeding colonies close by. Occasional sightings of Chinstrap and Emperor penguins. Regular sightings of Weddell, Crabeater, Fur, Elephant and Leopard seals. Regular sightings of Minke whale and Orca, occasionally Humpbacks.
History and Facilities	Station occupied continuously from 25 October 1975. Phased construction programme since that time. Runway and wharf constructed in 1991/92.
General research and databases	Marine and terrestrial biology, geology, glaciology, meteorology and upper atmospherics.
Human dimension	All human activity relates to scientific research or support of scientific research.
Access	4-5 hour flight from Falkland Islands/South America. 4-5 days ship passage from Falkland Islands/South America.

Operator

Facility operator/manager	British Antarctic Survey
Type of entity	Government
Institution managing/operating the facility	British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
Website (operator/manager)	http://www.bas.ac.uk/

Data Source

Partner Institution

Partnership

Location

Station code	CO2805
Geographical coordinates - Latitude	67° 34.1717' 0'' S
Geographical coordinates - Longitude	68° 7.4933' 0'' W
Region	Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Environmental Domain	A - Antarctic Peninsula northern geologic
Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Region	4 Central south Antarctic Peninsula
Altitude of facility (m)	16
Min. altitude within study area (m)	0
Distance to nearest transport facility (airstrip/helipad/dock - km)	0
Type of surface facility built on	Ice-free ground

Climate

Permafrost	Continuous
Climate zone	Coastal Antarctica
Precipitation type	Snow
Dominant wind direction	N
Mean annual temperature (°C)	-3.7
Mean temperature in January (°C)	0.7
Mean temperature in February (°C)	-0.6
Mean temperature in March (°C)	-2.1
Mean temperature in April (°C)	-1.4
Mean temperature in May (°C)	-3.5
Mean temperature in June (°C)	-5.6
Mean temperature in July (°C)	-6.7
Mean temperature in August (°C)	-8.5
Mean temperature in September (°C)	-6.6
Mean temperature in October (°C)	-5.5
Mean temperature in November (°C)	-3.9
Mean temperature in December (°C)	-0.9
Max. temperature (absolute) - º C	6.6
Min. temperature (absolute) - º C	-20.2
Snow free period	January; February

Features

Features in the facility area

Bluff; Coast; Crevasse; Ice cap or glacier; Low artificial light pollution; Low humidity; Melt streams; Mountain; Nunatak; Permanent snowpatches; Rock; Sea; Sea ice; Seal colonies; Snow

Disciplines

Main science disciplines

Atmospheric sciences; Climate studies; Ecology; Environmental sciences; Geology; Geophysics and seismology; Mapping; Marine biology; Microbiology; Oceanography

Human Activities

Human activity	Yes
History of human presence in the area	Station permanently occupied since 1975
Long term monitoring	Yes
Waste management	Yes
Hazard[ous] management	Yes
Fuel spill response capability	Yes

Infrastructure

Station code	CO2805
Area under roof (m2)	7200
Scientific laboratories (m2)	450
Type of scientific laboratories	Biology; Chemistry; Scientific diving
Logistics (m2)	3600
Number of beds	136
Showers	yes
Laundry facilities	yes
Power supply (type)	Fossil fuel; Renewable
Power supply (V)	240
Power supply (hours per day)	24
Hydroponics facilities	no

Staff Capacity

Number of staff on station (peak/summer season)	120
Number of scientists on station (peak/summer season)	40
Number of staff on station (off peak/winter season)	22
Number of scientists on station (off peak/winter season)	5
Max number of personnel at a time (staff, scientists and other)	136
Number of tourists (annual average)	200

Scientific Equipment

Medical Facilities

Medical facilities	Yes
Area of medical facility (m2)	31
Staff with relevant training	Medical doctor; Non-medical trained person
Beds	2
Capability	Basic; Dental
Equipment	Diagnostic x-ray; Hyperbaric Recompression Chamber; Telemedicine
Staff with basic medical training or doctor (summer)	100
Staff with basic medical training or doctor (winter)	22
Medical research capabilities	No
Medical screening requirements	Yes

Vehicles

Sea transportation	Three 6.0m rigid inflatable (console), one 4.8m rigid inflatable (tiller), one 6.4m HDPE workboat (console).
Land transportation	Thirty eight skidoos, three tractors, four loaders (forklift/bucket capability), one snowcat, one bulldozer, one crane, six utility vehicles, one ATV, pick-up truck (fire response).

Workshop facilities

Mechanical; Metal workshop; Wood workshop

Communications

Computer; E-mail; Fax; Internet; Printer; Satellite phone; Scanner; Telephone; VHF

Access

Air; Sea

Aircraft landing facilities

Number of airstrips	2
Length (m) of longest runway	900
Width (m) of longest runway	40
Description of airstrips	Rwy 18/36 Mag, Elev. 13', Wheel only
Airstrip surface	Snow
Helipad	No

Transport and freight

Transport to facility	Airplane; Ship
No. of ship visits per year	6
Period of ship visits per year	January; February; March; October; November; December
Ship landing facilities	Pier/Jetty
Other landing facilities	Skiway to northwest of station
Period of flight visits per year	January; February; March; October; November; December

Access To The Facility

Pictures

Rothera Research Station