| Cámara Base | |||||||||||
| Native Name: | Base Cámara | ||||||||||
| Native Name Lang: | es | ||||||||||
| Other Name: | Estación Cámara | ||||||||||
| Settlement Type: | Antarctic base | ||||||||||
| Blank Emblem Alt: | Official Cámara emblem | ||||||||||
| Flag Border: | no | ||||||||||
| Pushpin Map: | Antarctica | ||||||||||
| Pushpin Map Alt: | Location within Antarctica | ||||||||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within Antarctica | ||||||||||
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 300 | ||||||||||
| Pushpin Relief: | yes | ||||||||||
| Coordinates: | -62.5948°N -59.9186°W | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Name: |  | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Province | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and South Atlantic Islands Province | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Department | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Antártida Argentina | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Type3: | Region | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Name3: | South Shetland Islands | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Type4: | Location | ||||||||||
| Subdivision Name4: | Menguante Cove Half Moon Island | ||||||||||
| Established Title: | Settled | ||||||||||
| Established Title1: | Established | ||||||||||
| Established Title2: | Founded | ||||||||||
| Established Date2: | (1952–53 austral summer season) | ||||||||||
| Extinct Title: | Closed | ||||||||||
| Named For: | Juan Ramón Cámara | ||||||||||
| Elevation M: | 22 | ||||||||||
| Government Type: | Directorate | ||||||||||
| Governing Body: | Dirección Nacional del Antártico | ||||||||||
| Leader Title: | Operator | ||||||||||
| Leader Name: | Instituto Antártico Argentino | ||||||||||
| Unit Pref: | metric | ||||||||||
| Population As Of: | 2017 | ||||||||||
| Population Footnotes: | [1] | ||||||||||
| Population Blank1 Title: | Summer | ||||||||||
| Population Blank1: | 20 | ||||||||||
| Population Blank2 Title: | Winter | ||||||||||
| Population Blank2: | 0 | ||||||||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Type | ||||||||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | Seasonal | ||||||||||
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Period | ||||||||||
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Summer | ||||||||||
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | Status | ||||||||||
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Operational | ||||||||||
| Blank Name Sec2: | Activities | ||||||||||
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Facilities | ||||||||||
| Timezone1: | ART | ||||||||||
| Utc Offset1: | -3 | ||||||||||
| Module: |
| ||||||||||
Cámara Base (Spanish; Castilian: Base Cámara or sometimes Estación Cámara or Teniente Camara) is an Argentine Antarctic base and scientific research station named after Frigate Lieutenant Naval Aviator Juan Ramón Cámara. It is located in the northern foothills of La Morenita Hill, at Menguante Cove in Half Moon Island off the east coast of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica.
Cámara is one of 13 research bases in Antarctica operated by Argentina.[3] It was officially opened on April 1, 1953, and was in service until the summer of 1959–60, when it was closed. It was not reopened until 1988, to serve during the summer season only.[4]
During the austral summer campaign of 1952–1953 one of the main missions of the Argentine Antarctic Task Force, then commanded by then Ship-of-the-Line Captain Rodolfo N. Panzarini, was to establish a new naval detachment in the South Shetland Islands.[4]
The selected place was the small Half Moon Island next to Livingston Island, where it was inaugurated as Destacamento Naval Luna ("Luna Naval Detachment") on 1 April 1953 by the governor of Tierra del Fuego National Territory, Rear Admiral Carlos Suárez Dóriga.[4]
Later it was renamed as Destacamento Naval Teniente de Fragata Cámara ("Frigate Lieutenant Cámara Naval Detachment"), in memory of the naval aviator Juan Ramón Cámara, who on 16 January 1955 perished in an on-duty accident on Potter Cove, King George Island.[4]
Cámara Base was closed after the austral summer season of 1959–60 and was reopened in December 1988, thereafter limited to summer-only campaigns.[4]
Cámara is located 1173km (729miles) from Ushuaia, the nearest port city.
it is composed of 4 buildings. Facilities at the base include the main and emergency houses, a freezing chamber, a warehouse and a deposit.[4] It also has a 16m2 infirmary attended by a paramedic.
Besides the permanent surface meteorological observations carried out at Cámara by the Argentine National Meteorological Service personnel, other research divisions also do extensive work at the base: in 1987–94 experts brought in by the Argentine Antarctic Institute studied physical oceanography and geochronology; between 1992 and 1996 Biology worked on birds, while Environmental Management analyzed the impact of local tourism.[4]
The average annual temperature is -2.9C. On 12 August 1954 it was recorded an absolute minimum of -30C.[4]