Astrolabe Glacier is a glacier 10 kilometres (10 km) wide and 19 kilometres (10 nmi) long, flowing north-northeast from the continental ice and terminating at the coast in a prominent tongue at the east side of Géologie Archipelago . It was first sighted in 1840 by the French expedition under Captain Jules Dumont d'Urville , although no glaciers were noted on d'Urville's chart of this coast but a formidable icy dike with perpendicular flanks of 37.7 m high according to the joined plate, corresponding to the glacier tongue. The glacier was photographed from the air by U.S. Navy Operation Highjump in January 1947. It was charted by the French Antarctic Expedition , 1949–51, and named after d'Urville's flagship, the Astrolabe .
24-494: The Astrolabe Glacier Tongue ( 66°42′S 140°5′E / 66.700°S 140.083°E / -66.700; 140.083 ) is a prominent glacier tongue about 6 kilometres (3 nmi) wide and 7 kilometres (4 nmi) long, extending northeast from Astrolabe Glacier. Located in the Terre Adélie-George V Land section of East Antarctica, Astrolabe Glacier streams out from the interior of Antarctica to dump ice into
48-550: A main body of 24 square metres (the "barrack") which consisted of semicylindrical sections of sheet metal assembled end to end. This form was planned to best withstand the snow pressure accumulated on it. Horizontal galleries were connected to house scientific measurement devices, while a vertical air conduit opened a few metres above the snow level provided ventilation. Robert Guillard Station known as Cap Prud'Homme ( 66°41′28″S 139°53′44″E / 66.691104°S 139.895677°E / -66.691104; 139.895677 )
72-649: A shore length of about 350 kilometres (220 mi) and with its inland part extending as a sector of a circle about 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) toward the South Pole . Adélie Land has borders with the Australian Antarctic Territory both on the east and on the west, namely on Clarie Land (part of Wilkes Land ) in the west, and George V Land in the east. Additionally, it is the only territory claimed within French Southern and Antarctic Lands that
96-742: A team of up to 9 people; each convoy transports an average of 150 tons of payload. Part of the Pointe Géologie Archipelago in Adélie Land is protected by the Antarctic Specially Protected Area 120. In 2016, a study predicted that an Adélie penguin colony located in Cape Dennison in Commonwealth Bay might be subject to extinction. In 2010, a fallen glacier blocked the flow of a river and caused sea ice to overflow to
120-481: A temporary station, it was expanded and continually occupied. Like Base Marret, the station is located on Petrel Island, which is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the mainland. The station's research includes ecology , marine biology , glaciology , meteorology and more. In the documentary, March of the Penguins (2005), Dumont d'Urville Station was the main filming location. Charcot Station [ fr ]
144-534: A winter population of 11 in 1950–51 and 17 in 1951–52. A crew under Mario Marret built a temporary secondary base in January 1952: Base Marret on Petrel Island . Port Martin was destroyed by a fire during the night of 23–24 January 1952. All of the inhabitants were safely evacuated, and they overwintered at Base Marret. Only the ancillary buildings of Port Martin were not destroyed by the fire and they have remained mostly untouched since. The Dumont d'Urville Station
168-601: Is a French scientific station in Antarctica on Île des Pétrels, archipelago of Pointe-Géologie in Adélie Land . It is named after explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville , whose expedition landed on Débarquement Rock in the Dumoulin Islands at the northeast end of the archipelago on January 21, 1840. It is operated by the " French Polar Institute Paul-Émile Victor ", a joint operation of French public and para-public agencies. It
192-479: Is a year-round French research base located at 66°40′S 140°01′E / 66.667°S 140.017°E / -66.667; 140.017 . The station is 4,815 square metres (51,830 sq ft) large and houses a summer population of 120 and a winter population of around 30. It was built on 12 January 1956 for the International Geophysical Year of 1957–58. Initially intended to be
216-593: Is an Italian-French camp, opened in 1994, located on the coast of the Antarctic ice sheet , in Adélie Land, about five km (3.1 mi) from Petrel Island , where the French Dumont d'Urville Station is. All the supplies and equipment for the Italian-French Concordia Station are transported by a combined convoy of up to 7 Caterpillar tractors from Cap Prud'Homme, with Kässbohrer trailblazers and
240-414: Is not an island. Its total land area, mostly covered with glaciers , is estimated to be 432,000 square kilometres (167,000 sq mi). The coast of Adélie Land is known for its katabatic winds which push snow and sea ice away from the coast. In a 1915 Science Magazine volume, it was named the "stormiest spot on the face of earth". The coast of Adélie Land was discovered in January 1840 by
264-402: Is the administrative centre of Adélie Land. A pioneering French Antarctic research station, Port Martin , located 62 kilometres (39 mi) 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
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#1732851990651288-465: 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
312-608: 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. The laboratory in atmospheric chemistry of the base is used to analyse, among other things, sulfur compounds present in the atmosphere. Nowadays,
336-549: The French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville (1790–1842) who named it after his wife, Adèle . This is the basis of the French claim to this Antarctic land. The first French research station, Port Martin , was built in 1950. It was destroyed by a fire in 1952, and replaced by Dumont d'Urville Station in 1956. Charcot Station was a French inland base built which was occupied from 1957 to 1960. Cap Prud'Homme Camp, an Italian-French base, opened in 1994. Prud'Homme and Dumont d'Urville are
360-657: The continent of Antarctica . It stretches from a portion of the Southern Ocean coastline all the way inland to the South Pole . France has administered it as one of five districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands since 1955 and applied the Antarctic Treaty System rules since 1961. Article 4 of the Antarctic Treaty deals with territorial claims, and although it does not renounce or diminish any preexisting claims to sovereignty, it also does not prejudice
384-504: 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,
408-412: The only currently remaining active stations. The site of Port Martin was discovered during a French Antarctic Expedition under André-Frank Liotard [ es ; fr ] on 18 January 1950. Liotard, along with 11 men, established the station on 9 April 1950 at 66°49′04″S 141°23′39″E / 66.81778°S 141.39417°E / -66.81778; 141.39417 . Port Martin housed
432-487: The position of contracting parties in their recognition or non-recognition of territorial sovereignty. France has had a permanent station in Adélie Land since 9 April 1950. Adélie Land lies between 136° E (near Pourquoi Pas Point at 66°12′S 136°11′E / 66.200°S 136.183°E / -66.200; 136.183 ) and 142° E (near Point Alden at 66°48′S 142°02′E / 66.800°S 142.033°E / -66.800; 142.033 ), with
456-655: The rocky surface that Adélie penguin requires to nest. Before 2017, an estimated 18,000 pairs of Adélie penguin resided in the Adélie Land. However, in 2017, an insurgence of sea ice forced the penguins to travel further to reach the sea. Due to this, nearly all of the newborn penguins had died of starvation and exhaustion. The Dumont d'Urville Station is in proximity to Adélie penguins, emperor penguins , and seals. 75°00′S 139°00′E / 75.000°S 139.000°E / -75.000; 139.000 Dumont d%27Urville Station The Dumont d'Urville Station ( French : Base antarctique Dumont-d'Urville )
480-418: The sea. This Adélie Land location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a glacier in Antarctica or antarctic or sub-antarctic islands is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ad%C3%A9lie Land Adélie Land ( French : Terre Adélie [tɛʁ adeli] ) or Adélie Coast is a claimed territory of France located on
504-459: 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
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#1732851990651528-474: 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
552-414: Was a French inland base located on the Antarctic ice sheet at 320 kilometres (200 mi) from the coast and from Dumont d'Urville Station, at an elevation of about 2,400 metres (7,900 ft). The station, built for the International Geophysical Year of 1957–58, paid homage to Jean-Baptiste Charcot ), and was occupied from January 1957 through 1960 housing alone three men. The base was composed of
576-658: 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
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