The Vernadsky Research Base (Ukrainian: Академік
Вернадський) is a Ukrainian Antarctic
Station at Marina Point on Galindez Island
in the Argentine Islands, Antarctica.
It is named after Soviet and Ukrainian mineralogist
Vladimir Vernadsky (1863–1945).
== History ==
=== Station F ===
The station was established by the British
Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey as Station
F, or "Argentine Islands", on Winter Island
in 1947.
The main hut, built on the site of an earlier
British Graham Land Expedition hut, was named
"Wordie House" after Sir James Wordie, a member
of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition
who visited during its construction.Wordie
House has been restored and is designated
as Historic Site and Monument No. 62.
The base moved to the present site on adjacent
Galindez Island in May 1954 where the main
building was named "Coronation House".
The base was renamed Faraday Station in August
1977 in honour of British scientist Michael
Faraday.
=== Ukraine ===
Ukraine took over the operation of the base
in February 1996, which was sold by the UK
for a symbolic one pound.
The cost of disassembling the base with good
environmental practices and standards would
be too costly.
The National Antarctic Scientific Center of
Ukraine continues a programme of meteorology,
upper atmospheric physics, geomagnetism, ozone,
seismology, glaciology, ecology, biology and
physiology research.
== The building ==
The station consists of nine buildings standing
on rock foundations.
A 1961 extension at the east end of the hut
provided living quarters for 15 people.
Major alterations in 1980 updated the living
and working accommodation.
A two-storey extension provides sleeping accommodation
for 24 people, a clothing store, boiler room
and reverse osmosis plant on the ground floor.
Upstairs are a lounge, library, dining room,
gift store and kitchen.
The lounge is considered the southernmost
public bar in the world, where visitors could
purchase $3 shots of horilka (made on the
premises) up until 2016.
The old part of the building is now mostly
laboratories and work rooms, together with
the surgery and washrooms.
The generator shed was erected in 1978-79,
with the old one now used as a frozen food
store and a carpenter's workshop.
Other buildings include two non-magnetic buildings,
a balloon launching shed (now skidoo garage),
and a general store.
== Staff ==
During 2013-14, Vernadsky Station is staffed
by 12 Ukrainians who make up the XVIII Ukrainian
Antarctic Expedition.
== Climate ==
The climate of the base is classified as marine
subantarctic.
The climate is strongly influenced by the
surrounding Pacific Ocean, moderating winter
and summer temperatures.
Thus, winter temperatures rarely fall below
−20 °C (−4 °F) owing to the warmer waters
while in summer, the cool waters and snow
cover causes temperatures to rarely reach
above 0 °C (32 °F).
The mean annual temperature is −4 °C (25
°F) although within the last decade, temperatures
have risen with much of it in winter and autumn.Being
located in the west coast of the Antarctic
Peninsula, the climate is dominated by the
low pressure systems that develop over the
Pacific Ocean and move eastwards towards the
peninsula mountain range.
This process leads to frequent precipitation
and strong winds in the base.
Unpredictable and short snowfalls and snowstorms
occur often.
On average, the base receives 300 days with
snow per year.
Anticyclone weather patterns caused by high
pressure systems in the interior of Antarctica
or from the north are rare.
In the cases that they occur, when the weather
is influenced by the high pressure system
from the interior of the continent, cold air
masses from the south moves northwards.
This can occasionally lead to foggy conditions
and hoarfrost.
=== Statistics ===
=== Climate research ===
As one of the longest operating bases in Antarctica,
Vernadsky Station has been the subject of
scientific research studies on long-term temperature
trends that indicate global warming.
A study published in the April 2013 issue
of the International Journal of Climatology
examined the daily observed temperature at
the Faraday/Vernadsky station from 1947 to
2011.
It concluded that “Faraday/Vernadsky is
experiencing a significant warming trend of
about 0.6°C/decade (1.1°F) over the last
few decades.
Concurrently, the magnitude of extremely cold
temperatures has reduced.”
== Services ==
Vernadsky Station operates several services
for visiting tourists.
A post office accepts postcards at a cost
of US$2 each.
This is one of only a few post offices where
visitors may send mail from Antarctica.
Stamps for letters cost $6.
Mail will take several months to be delivered.
In addition to selling postage and accepting
outgoing mail, the post office sells commemorative
postcards and envelopes for $2 to $3 each.
== Gallery ==
== 
See also ==
List of Antarctic research stations
List of Antarctic field camps
Crime in Antarctica
