Soyuz Station База Союз
Antarctic base
Soyuz Station Location of Soyus Station in Antarctica
Coordinates: 70°35′00″S 68°48′00″E / 70.583333°S 68.8°E / -70.583333; 68.8
Country	Soviet Union  Russia
Location in Antarctica	Mac. Robertson Land Prydz Bay Lars Christensen Coast Antarctica
Administered by	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Established	3 December 1982 (1982-12-03)
Elevation	360 m (1,180 ft)
Time zone	UTC+5
Type	Seasonal
Period	Summer
Status	Operational
Website	Antarctic Research and Investigation

Soyuz Station is a Russian (formerly Soviet) Antarctic research station, located on the shores of Beaver Lake, 260 km of Prydz Bay on the Lars Christensen Coast of the Mac Robertson Land in East Antarctica.

Location and climate

The station is located on the eastern shore of Beaver Lake, in the Amery Oasis, about 260 km from the coast of the Prydz Bay. Temperatures in the summer season vary from -25 to 3.5 °C,^[1] the wind blows at a speed of 5–9 m/s, reaches a maximum of 20–25 m/s (in gusts up to 30 m/s). The weather is most favorable for work in December and January, when snowstorms are the rarest.

History

The Soyuz station was opened on December 3, 1982, during the 28th Soviet Antarctic expedition as a support base for prospecting in the Prince Charles Mountains during the summer season.^[2][3] Scientists stationed in it conducted geological and geophysical research. Meteorological research was also regularly conducted there, mainly for the needs of aviation. The more accessible Družnaja 4 Station, located on the coast, provided logistical support for the Soyuz station. The station was closed on February 28, 1989, in connection with the changes accompanying the collapse of the USSR. Since 2007, it was planned to restore some work at the station,^[4] after some reconditioning work was done in summer 2006–2007.^[5] The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs website reported it as a summer base in 2014.^[6]