Byers Peninsula

Coordinates: 62°38′S 61°05′W / 62.633°S 61.083°W / -62.633; -61.083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Location of Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands
Lucifer Crags, with Hell Gates and Vardim Rocks in the middle ground, Long Rock in Morton Strait and Snow Island in the background, and Smith Island
seen on the horizon on the right

Byers Peninsula is a mainly ice-free peninsula forming the west end of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It occupies 60 km2 (23 sq mi),[1] borders Ivanov Beach to the northeast and is separated from Rotch Dome on the east by the ridge of Urvich Wall. The peninsula features more than 60 meltwater streams and as many lakes, notably Midge Lake, Limnopolar Lake and Basalt Lake.[2] Byers Peninsula has a regime of special environmental protection under the Antarctic Treaty System and requires a permit to enter.[3]

History

The feature was named by the

South Beaches, and built dwellings and shelter such as those still preserved at Sealer Hill and Lair Point.[2]

Antarctic Specially Protected Area

Map of Byers Peninsula featuring Antarctic Specially Protected Area ASPA 126 and its two restricted zones Ray Promontory and Ivanov Beach
South Beaches on Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, with Camp Byers (International Field Camp) in the foreground, and left to right Tsamblak Hill, Negro Hill and Dometa Point in the background

The peninsula has been designated an

sub-fossil whale bones in raised beaches. It also has the greatest concentration of historical sites in Antarctica, containing the remains of refuges, with their contemporary artefacts, and shipwrecks of early 19th century sealing expeditions.[4]

The eastern boundary of the protected area was shifted eastwards to 60º53'45"W in 2016 to include besides Byers Peninsula also all ice-free ground and ice sheet west of Clark Nunatak and Rowe Point, increasing the overall surface area of the protected territory to 84.7 km2 (32.7 sq mi).[5] Excepting Vardim Rocks, no offshore islets or rocks are protected. In particular, Rugged Island, Window Island and Astor Island are not protected.

Two restricted zones in the protected territory that are of scientific importance to Antarctic microbiology have been further designated with greater restriction placed on access with the aim of preventing microbial or other contamination by human activity: Ray Promontory in the west, and northwestern Rotch Dome, northern Urvich Wall Ridge and adjacent deglaciated ground on Ivanov Beach in the east.[5]

Important Bird Area

The protected territory ASPA 126 Byers Peninsula has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of Antarctic terns (1760 pairs) and kelp gulls (450 pairs). Other birds nesting on the peninsula include chinstrap and gentoo penguins, Wilson's and black-bellied storm petrels, Cape petrels, southern giant petrels, imperial shags, brown skuas and snowy sheathbills. Large numbers of southern elephant seals haul out during their breeding season.[6]

See also

Maps

Topographic map of Livingston Island

In fiction

Simon Beaufort

Byers Peninsula is part of the mise-en-scène in the Antarctica

Simon Beaufort in 2016.[7][8]

Notes

  1. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4
    )
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-954-07-3939-7
  3. ^ Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 126 Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands. Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine SCAR Bulletin 150, July 2003.
  4. ^ "Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands" (PDF). Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 126: Measure 1. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2002. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
  5. ^ a b Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 126 Byers Peninsula. Measure 4 (2016), ATCM XXXIX Final Report. Santiago, 2016.
  6. ^ Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island. BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International, 2019
  7. ISBN 978-0-7278-8639-2
  8. ^ The Killing Ship. Susanna Gregory Website, 2019

References

62°38′S 61°05′W / 62.633°S 61.083°W / -62.633; -61.083

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