Beaufort Island is an isolated
island in the Ross Sea about 13 miles (21 km) north of Ross
Island. It is about 7 square miles (18 sq km) in area
rising steeply to 2,530 feet (771m) made entirely of basalt
which is characteristic for the area (Ross Island itself includes
the active volcano of Mount Erebus).
Beaufort Island is designated as an "Antarctic Specially
Protected area" an ASPA. This means that a permit is
required to land on the island and any activities carried
out there must be conducted according to a management plan.
It has yet to be extensively surveyed, due to the difficulty
of accessing it, human visitors have been rare. It has had
far fewer opportunities than anywhere else in the Ross Sea
region for the introduction of non-endemic biological
material. It is this low level of human impact that has
largely led to it being designated an ASPA.
There are larger areas of
vegetation (moss banks) than anywhere in the region and the
island has the most southerly found regions of red snow
algae. A northerly facing aspect protected from cold
southerly winds by high ice cliffs make it a relatively mild
climate. A stable substratum (basalt) and a steady supply of
water in the warmer months from ice cliffs and snow banks
make it particularly favourable for the growth of
vegetation.
Picture courtesy of Mike Usher
- Mike went on a Ross Sea expedition on board the Kapitan Khlebnikov
in 2005.
You can purchase a selection of Mike's pictures
here
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