Dumont d'Urville Station

File:Abri observatoire en Terre Adélie- Archives nationales- 20110210-143.jpg]]

A pioneering French Antarctic research station, Port Martin, located {{convert|62|km}} east of D'Urville, was destroyed by fire on the night of January 23, 1952, without death or injury. In 1952, a small base was built on Île des Pétrels to study a rookery of emperor penguins. This base was called Base Marret. As the main base Port Martin was a total loss, Base Marret was chosen as overwintering site for 1952/1953. The new main base, Dumont D'Urville station, was built on the same island and opened on January 12, 1956, to serve as the centre for French scientific research during the Antarctic International Geophysical Year 1957/1958. The station has remained in active use ever since.

The station allows 30-40 people to come ashore at one time. Ice and strong katabatic winds often prevent landings, either by boat or by helicopter. The station can accommodate about 30 winter-overs and 90 during the summer. The icebreaker ship L'Astrolabe carries supplies and personnel to the station from the port of Hobart, Tasmania. It does 5 round-trips between November and March.

The Academy Award-winning documentary film La Marche de l'empereur, released in English as March of the Penguins, was filmed in the region around this base.

One of the main interests of the base is the study of wildlife, notably the emperor penguins. In the summer, the rocks near the base serve as a refuge for the Adélie penguin, which comes here to reproduce. Skua, snow petrel, giant petrel, Cape petrel also spend the summer near the base. In the winter, only emperor penguins stay to reproduce. However, around August, giant petrels return to feed on emperor penguin chicks.

Some marine animals are equally present despite the negative temperature of the water. Among rare visitors to the archipelago, there are other species of penguins, orcas, and rorquals.

The base Dumont d'Urville is first and foremost a scientific base, even if nowadays the transportation of supplies to the Concordia Station (operated together with Italian researchers) represents an important part of the activity of the base. The French Southern and Atlantic Lands (TAAF) administration, the French Polar Institute Paul-Émile Victor (IPEV) and the French Navy jointly operate the icebreaker Astrolabe which is based out of Réunion. The vessel is used both to bring personnel and supplies to the Dumont d'Urville Station and for research and patrol duties.[http://navaltoday.com/2017/07/13/french-navy-receives-icebreaker-and-patrol-vessel-lastrolabe/ French Navy receives icebreaker and patrol vessel L'Astrolabe]. Naval Today, 13 July 2017. {{retrieved|accessdate=2017-07-16}}

The laboratory in atmospheric chemistry of the base is used to analyse, among other things, sulfur compounds present in the atmosphere.

Nowadays, the study of geophysics is less present in the base. Nonetheless, several tools are still in use, notably a tide gauge, a cosmic rays detector, a GPS to measure the dip of the Antarctica into the upper mantle, and a lidar, which allows the analysis of the ozone depletion and the ozone holes.

The proper functioning of the base and supplying Concordia requires significant logistics, especially in the summer. Technicians, including electricians, plumbers, mechanics for the electric plant and auto mechanics are essential for the proper functioning of the base all year round.

In the 1950s the station had a small narrow-gauge railway for transporting supplies from a landing jetty to the main base.{{cite web |url= https://archives-polaires.fr/idurl/1/10379 |title= Le chemin de fer à voie étroite destiné au transport des matériels de la zone de débarquement jusqu'à la base.|website=Archives Polaires Françaises |language=fr |trans-title=The narrow gauge railway intended for transporting materials from the landing zone to the base.}} This was the only recorded railway ever in Antarctica.

Dumont d'Urville Station has an ice cap (EF) climate with conditions milder than inland. This station experienced record warm temperatures and precipitation due to an unprecedented atmospheric river event in March 2022. Due to its mild ice cap climate, with summer temperatures often rising above freezing, some animal life, and a few plant species (moss and lichen) can grow in this location.

{{Weather box

|location = Dumont d'Urville Station (extremes 1950–present)

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan record high C = 9.7

|Feb record high C = 6.4

|Mar record high C = 4.9

|Apr record high C = 8.7

|May record high C = 0.0

|Jun record high C = 0.9

|Jul record high C = 0.5

|Aug record high C = 0.3

|Sep record high C = 0.3

|Oct record high C = 1.7

|Nov record high C = 4.7

|Dec record high C = 11.0

|year record high C = 11.0

|Jan high C = 1.0

|Feb high C = -2.1

|Mar high C = -6.4

|Apr high C = -10.0

|May high C = -12.6

|Jun high C = -14.6

|Jul high C = -14.0

|Aug high C = -14.5

|Sep high C = -13.6

|Oct high C = -10.3

|Nov high C = -4.1

|Dec high C = 0.4

|year high C = -8.4

|Jan mean C = -1.3

|Feb mean C = -4.5

|Mar mean C = -8.8

|Apr mean C = -12.4

|May mean C = -15.2

|Jun mean C = -17.3

|Jul mean C = -17.0

|Aug mean C = -17.4

|Sep mean C = -16.2

|Oct mean C = -13.2

|Nov mean C = -7.1

|Dec mean C = -2.2

|year mean C = -11.1

|Jan low C = -3.6

|Feb low C = -6.9

|Mar low C = -11.3

|Apr low C = -14.8

|May low C = -17.7

|Jun low C = -20.0

|Jul low C = -20.0

|Aug low C = -20.3

|Sep low C = -18.8

|Oct low C = -16.1

|Nov low C = -10.3

|Dec low C = -4.7

|year low C = -13.7

|Jan record low C = -10.8

|Feb record low C = -17.3

|Mar record low C = -25.0

|Apr record low C = -26.1

|May record low C = -32.5

|Jun record low C = -34.9

|Jul record low C = -34.4

|Aug record low C = -37.4

|Sep record low C = -36.1

|Oct record low C = -37.2

|Nov record low C = -21.0

|Dec record low C = -14.0

|year record low C = -37.4

|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 9

|Feb precipitation days = 7

|Mar precipitation days = 10

|Apr precipitation days = 8

|May precipitation days = 10

|Jun precipitation days = 7

|Jul precipitation days = 11

|Aug precipitation days = 11

|Sep precipitation days = 10

|Oct precipitation days = 8

|Nov precipitation days = 6

|Dec precipitation days = 6

|year precipitation days = 102

|Jan humidity = 67

|Feb humidity = 63

|Mar humidity = 65

|Apr humidity = 66

|May humidity = 65

|Jun humidity = 61

|Jul humidity = 65

|Aug humidity = 66

|Sep humidity = 63

|Oct humidity = 56

|Nov humidity = 54

|Dec humidity = 63

|year humidity = 63

|Jan sun = 282.1

|Feb sun = 206.2

|Mar sun = 155.0

|Apr sun = 105.0

|May sun = 40.3

|Jun sun = 12.0

|Jul sun = 15.5

|Aug sun = 68.2

|Sep sun = 150.0

|Oct sun = 251.1

|Nov sun = 315.0

|Dec sun = 359.6

|year sun = 1960.0

|Jand sun = 9.1

|Febd sun = 7.3

|Mard sun = 5.0

|Aprd sun = 3.5

|Mayd sun = 1.3

|Jund sun = 0.4

|Juld sun = 0.5

|Augd sun = 2.2

|Sepd sun = 5.0

|Octd sun = 8.1

|Novd sun = 10.5

|Decd sun = 11.6

|yeard sun = 5.4

|source 1 = Deutscher Wetterdienst

{{cite web

| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_896420_kt.pdf

| title = Klimatafel von Dumont d'Urville / Adélie-Land (Frankreich) / Antarktis

| work = Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world

| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst

| language = de

| access-date = 5 April 2017}}

|source 2 = Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)

{{cite web

| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=36

| title = Station Dumont d'Urville

| publisher = Météo Climat

| language = fr

| access-date = 5 April 2017}}

}}

NASA Tº D'Urvi 1950-2012.gif|Climate graph of 1950-2012 air average temperatures at D'Urville Station

Colonie de manchots Adélies.jpg|A colony of Adélie penguins

Dumont d Urville panoramque toit geophy.ogv|Panorama of the Dumont d'Urville Station in 2005

• List of Antarctic research stations
• List of Antarctic field camps
• List of airports in Antarctica
• Concordia Station

{{more citations needed|date=February 2018}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Dumont d'Urville Station}}

• {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.institut-polaire.fr/ Official website IPEV Institut Polaire Français Paul Emilie Victor]
• {{in lang|fr}} [http://terreadelie.sblanc.com Terre Adélie - Dumont d'Urville Station, site of Samuel Blanc]
• {{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20040406154039/http://www.ifremer.fr/ifrtp/pages/ddu.html Base Dumont d'Urville] site from Ifremer
• {{in lang|fr}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20031229014038/http://www.ifremer.fr/ifrtp/pages/astrolabe.html l'Astrolabe]
• [http://www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica/WinterDdU.html A winter at the station]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110216164744/https://www.comnap.aq/facilities/ COMNAP Antarctic Facilities]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110220115654/https://www.comnap.aq/publications/maps/comnap_map_edition5_a0_2009-07-24.pdf/view COMNAP Antarctic Facilities Map]

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Category:Outposts of Adélie Land

Category:Outposts of Antarctica

Category:1956 establishments in Antarctica

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