Braulio Aguilar And Javier Martin Participants participating for the first time were considered sent Weather forecaster in the mission of State Meteorological Agency (Aemet). Their work helps scientists safely conduct their research in Spanish bases and oceanographic ships. Aguilar tells Efe that the Aemet mission, which is part of the Spanish polar campaign promoted by the Ministry of Science through the CSIC, lasts four months during the Antarctic summer: two technicians and two meteorologists work for two months and two other specialists the following two months every area. The scientific aspect of Aemet aims to “Maintain climate data series in the three seasons, as well as maintaining equipment and carrying out checks so that they can provide data in winter; When the last one leaves, the stations automatically operate all year round.
“Javier and I came as weather forecasters. The weather forecast for the next day, for two days or for three, is very important because the operations of the entire base adapt to this forecast. The scientists move around the islands, they climb on snowmobiles across the glacier or visit a beach by dinghy to collect samples and you have to do it Ensuring the safety of these personnel and the optimization of time and resources,” he emphasizes. For Aguilar, it was “very important” that the two technicians and the two forecasters coincided and their stays overlapped: “Meeting him on the plane is not the same as living here and I can explain to you how everything works.
The forecast in Aemet is divided into groups Prediction and Monitoring (GPV) and each with their specialty. Martín and Aguilar are “aeronautical forecast specialists” and control “all airports from Girona to Alicante; the Mallorca GPV The specialized in maritime forecasts and that of Barcelona in notices from undesirable phenomena“explains the meteorologist. Aemet’s scientific mission is based on the collection, maintenance and study of the meteorological data obtained. In addition, there is an agreement on “meteorological coverage” for other Spanish scientific missions.
The life of a weather forecaster in Antarctica
Aguilar says he has his own there Room with shower, kitchenette, library, video library and table tennis table. “If there was a seven-star hotel, this would be it,” he says. He adds that this review also responds to the environment in which one can see “an iceberg in the bay or a beach full of ice debris,” although he admits, when his daughter asks him that he misses “things like flowers,” He assures that the lowest minimum, now that it is summer, is -5 degrees, although in winter there is no one left in the stations, it has reached -22.6.
“This is a group of islands and the one closest to South America, There is a small airfield with a dirt runway and people live all year round and even in 1990 a few children were born,” he says; The journey there and back is an “adventure” that can take “days” and “two planes and a boat have to fly to get to one roll of paper.” The Antarctic Treaty, a milestone for humanity. He recalls the problems that arose when the countries around Antarctica began to claim their property (Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Russia or China) and the “natural resources” that exist in the country lies under 3,000 meters of ice that was connected to the American continent and had forests.
“I came to Aemet via Antarctica”
“If there were forests, there would be oil, diamonds or something else, and every country wanted its piece until the Antarctic Treaty Agreement was reached. It is a milestone for humanity because the Madrid Agreement of 1991 established that Antarctica would only be used for scientific purposes and belonged to everyone,” he comments. Aguilar points out that both Javier Martín and he are taking part in the Aemet mission for the first time and that he would do it again “with his eyes closed”. “It is the dream of my life; I have been at Aemet for 30 years and have wanted to come for 30 years. I came to Aemet because of Antarctica,” he admits.
