# Signy Research Station

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Antarctic base in British Antarctic Territory

Signy Research Station Antarctic base Signy Research Station in 2006 Signy Research Station Location of Signy Research Station in Antarctica Coordinates: 60°42′30″S 45°35′42″W / 60.708333°S 45.595°W / -60.708333; -45.595 Country United Kingdom British Overseas Territory British Antarctic Territory Location in Antarctica Signy Island Administered by British Antarctic Survey Established 18 March 1947 Elevation [1] 16 ft (5 m) Population (2017)[1] • Summer 14 • Winter 0 UN/LOCODE AQ SGN Type Seasonal Period Summer Status Operational Activities List Climatology Limnology Microbiology Sedimentology Website www.antarctica.ac.uk

**Signy Research Station** (originally **Station H**)[2] is an Antarctic research base on [Signy Island](/source/Signy_Island), run by the [British Antarctic Survey](/source/British_Antarctic_Survey).

## History

Signy was first occupied in 1947 when a three-man meteorological station was established in [Factory Cove](/source/Factory_Cove) above the old whaling station.[3][2] It was the second research base on the [South Orkney Islands](/source/South_Orkney_Islands) (after the [Argentine](/source/Argentina) [Orcadas Base](/source/Orcadas_Base) in 1903). In 1955, a new hut, Tønsberg House was built on the site of the whaling station. In 1963, it was turned into a laboratory for biological research. In 1967, [transplant experiments](/source/Transplant_experiment) with plants led to the introduction of two non-native invertebrates; the flightless midge Eretmoptera murphyi and the [enchytraeid](/source/Enchytraeidae) worm Christensenidrilus blocki.[4][5] Initially operated year-round, since 1995/6 the station has been open from November to April each year (southern hemisphere summer).

## Facilities

Today, the base has four buildings with capacity for 8 people.[1][3] The main building, Sørlle House (named after the whaling captain [Petter Sørlle](/source/Petter_S%C3%B8rlle), who himself named Signy Island), provides living accommodation and laboratories. The other buildings are for storage and provision of power and water services. There are also four small huts around the island.

A light railway was constructed in 1963 for unloading stores and large items of machinery. When built, this was the [southernmost railway](/source/List_of_southernmost_items#Transportation) in existence. It was later extended up a hill to reach the fuel tanks.[6][7]

## Research

Marine and terrestrial biology is carried out at Signy, particularly looking at the [effects of climate change](/source/Effects_of_climate_change) on the southern ocean ecosystems. Three species of penguin ([Adélie](/source/Ad%C3%A9lie_penguin), [chinstrap](/source/Chinstrap_penguin) and [gentoo](/source/Gentoo_penguin)) are monitored at the base.[3]

To continue an original time series of visual sea ice observations after the station became summer-only, an automated sea ice camera now operates all year around,[8] providing a continuous record of sea ice extent near the station for over 50 years.

## Climate

Signy Research Station has a [tundra climate](/source/Tundra_climate) (*ET* according to the [Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification)), because all twelve months have a mean temperature under 10 °C (50 °F). Signy Research Station has very long, cold winters (although they are mild for Antarctic standards) and short, cool summers. It has only three months with the average temperature above freezing point. The temperature is consistently cold year-round, with August, the coldest month, having a mean of −10.3 °C (13.5 °F) and an average low of −15.6 °C (3.9 °F). February is the warmest month, with a mean of 3.9 °C (39.0 °F) and an average high of 6.4 °C (43.5 °F). Records were kept for a few years mostly around the late 1980s. The highest temperature ever recorded was 19.8 °C (67.6 °F) on 30 January 1982, which is the highest temperature recorded anywhere south of [60°S](/source/60th_parallel_south),[9] and the lowest recorded temperature was −27.8 °C (−18.0 °F) in June.[*[year needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers)*]

Climate data for Signy Research Station, 6 m asl (1971–2000 normals) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 19.8 (67.6) 16.2 (61.2) 13.3 (55.9) 4.6 (40.3) 4.9 (40.8) 3.9 (39.0) 7.4 (45.3) 3.3 (37.9) 4.7 (40.5) 6.6 (43.9) 6.6 (43.9) 3.6 (38.5) 19.8 (67.6) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.1 (43.0) 6.4 (43.5) 6.3 (43.3) 0.7 (33.3) 0.2 (32.4) −2.0 (28.4) −4.6 (23.7) −5.0 (23.0) 0.9 (33.6) 1.1 (34.0) 2.0 (35.6) 1.6 (34.9) 1.1 (34.1) Daily mean °C (°F) 1.2 (34.2) 3.9 (39.0) 3.1 (37.6) −1.8 (28.8) −2.1 (28.2) −6.9 (19.6) −7.4 (18.7) −10.3 (13.5) −2.9 (26.8) −1.6 (29.1) −0.8 (30.6) −0.1 (31.8) −2.1 (28.2) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −0.7 (30.7) 1.4 (34.5) −0.2 (31.6) −4.3 (24.3) −4.4 (24.1) −11.7 (10.9) −10.1 (13.8) −15.6 (3.9) −6.6 (20.1) −4.2 (24.4) −3.5 (25.7) −1.9 (28.6) −5.1 (22.7) Record low °C (°F) −1.5 (29.3) 1.0 (33.8) −4.4 (24.1) −8.8 (16.2) −11.8 (10.8) −27.8 (−18.0) −27.7 (−17.9) −25.4 (−13.7) −13.9 (7.0) −8.7 (16.3) −9.0 (15.8) −3.8 (25.2) −27.8 (−18.0) Average precipitation mm (inches) 33.7 (1.33) — 72.6 (2.86) 6.6 (0.26) 10.3 (0.41) 2.6 (0.10) 5.7 (0.22) 4.7 (0.19) 140.0 (5.51) — — 14.1 (0.56) — Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 11.63 — 26.57 — 5.17 — — 1.82 10.00 — — 5.64 — Source 1: Météo climat stats[10] Source 2: Météo Climat[11]

## See also

- [List of Antarctic research stations](/source/Research_stations_in_Antarctica#List_of_research_stations)

- [List of Antarctic field camps](/source/Antarctic_field_camps)

- [Crime in Antarctica](/source/Crime_in_Antarctica)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-comnap-catalogue_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-comnap-catalogue_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-comnap-catalogue_1-2) [Antarctic Station Catalogue](https://www.comnap.aq/s/COMNAP_Antarctic_Station_Catalogue.pdf) (PDF) (catalogue). [Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs](/source/Council_of_Managers_of_National_Antarctic_Programs). August 2017. p. 143. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-473-40409-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-473-40409-3). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221022102847/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61073506e9b0073c7eaaf464/t/611497cc1ece1b43f0eeca8a/1628739608968/COMNAP_Antarctic_Station_Catalogue.pdf) (PDF) from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bas-SIG_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bas-SIG_2-1) ["History of Signy (Station H) - British Antarctic Survey"](https://www.bas.ac.uk/about/about-bas/history/british-research-stations-and-refuges/signy-h/). Retrieved 2019-05-13.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-BAS_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-BAS_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-BAS_3-2) ["Signy Research Station"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080918231143/http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/signy/index.php). [British Antarctic Survey](/source/British_Antarctic_Survey). Archived from [the original](http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/signy/index.php) on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Spatial distribution, habitat preference and colonization status of two alien terrestrial invertebrate species in Antarctica](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antarctic-science/article/abs/spatial-distribution-habitat-preference-and-colonization-status-of-two-alien-terrestrial-invertebrate-species-in-antarctica/227D7BCC218AF21AF0CFB2286F970594)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [An insect introduction to the maritime Antarctic](https://www.bas.ac.uk/data/our-data/publication/an-insect-introduction-to-the-maritime-antarctic/)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Rootes_6-0)** David Rootes (1988). *A concise account of Signy Base 'H'*. British Antarctic Survey. p. 17. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [085665129X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/085665129X).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Martin Coombs. ["Big whales, small engines!"](http://www.railwaysofthefarsouth.co.uk/11cwhaling.html). Railways of the Far South. Retrieved 2022-01-03.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Signy Sea Ice Camera"](https://web.archive.org/web/20101112033120/http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/engineering/signy_ice_camera.php). [British Antarctic Survey](/source/British_Antarctic_Survey). Archived from [the original](http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/engineering/signy_ice_camera.php) on 12 November 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["WMO Region VII (Antarctic: all land/ice south of 60°S): Highest Temperature"](https://wmo.asu.edu/content/antarctica-highest-temperature). Retrieved 5 April 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Moyennes 1981-2010 Antarctique"](http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/listenormale-1981-2010-1-p9.php) (in French). Retrieved 11 November 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Météo Climat stats for Ile Signy"](http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=2155). Météo Climat. Retrieved 11 November 2019.

## External links

- [Official website British Antarctic Survey](http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/)

- [BAS Signy Research Station](https://web.archive.org/web/20080918231143/http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/living_and_working/research_stations/signy/index.php)

- [BAS Signy Research Station Images](https://web.archive.org/web/20071006213627/http://www.antarctica.ac.uk/images/in_pictures/signy.php) at [BAS](/source/British_Antarctic_Survey)

- [COMNAP Antarctic Facilities](https://web.archive.org/web/20080424075823/https://www.comnap.aq/facilities)

- [COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map](https://web.archive.org/web/20110220115654/https://www.comnap.aq/publications/maps/comnap_map_edition5_a0_2009-07-24.pdf/view)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Signy Station](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signy_Station).

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Signy Research Station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signy_Research_Station) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signy_Research_Station?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.