Litchfield Island

Litchfield Island
Geography
Location in Antarctica
Location	Antarctica
Coordinates	64°46′S 64°06′W / 64.767°S 64.100°W / -64.767; -64.100Coordinates: 64°46′S 64°06′W / 64.767°S 64.100°W / -64.767; -64.100
Archipelago	Palmer Archipelago
Length	0.8 km (0.5 mi)
Highest elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Country
None
Demographics
Population	Uninhabited
Additional information
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System

Litchfield Island is a rocky island 0.9 kilometres (0.5 nmi) long and rising to 50 m (164 ft), lying in Arthur Harbour, 0.9 kilometres (0.5 nmi) south of Norsel Point, off the south-west coast of Anvers Island in the Palmer Archipelago of Antarctica.

History

Litchfield Island was surveyed by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1955. It was named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-names Committee (UK-APC) for Douglas B. Litchfield of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), general assistant and mountaineer at the Arthur Harbour station in 1955, who helped with the local survey and made numerous soundings through the sea ice in the vicinity of the island.

Environment

The island, together with its littoral zone, possesses an unusually high collection of marine and terrestrial life and is unique amongst the neighboring islands as a breeding place for six species of native birds. It provides an outstanding example of the natural ecological system of the Antarctic Peninsula area. In addition, Litchfield Island possesses rich growths of vegetation and has the most varied topography and the greatest diversity of terrestrial habitats of the islands in Arthur Harbour. For these reasons, it was designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) in 1975 and is currently known as ASPA 113.^[1]

Important Bird Area

The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports a breeding colony of about 50 pairs of south polar skuas. Other birds nesting at the site include brown skuas, southern giant petrels, Wilson's storm petrels, Antarctic terns and kelp gulls. Formerly, some 1000 pairs of Adélie penguins also bred there. Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals commonly haul out on the island.^[2]

References

↑ "Litchfield Island, Arthur Harbour, Anvers Island, Palmer Archipelago" (PDF). Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 113. United States Antarctic Program. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
↑ "Litchfield Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-10.

This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Litchfield Island" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).

Antarctic Specially Protected Areas

Queen Elizabeth Land	Davis Valley Forlidas Pond

Queen Maud Land	Dakshin Gangotri Glacier Svarthamaren Mountain Yukidori Valley

Mac. Robertson Land	Murray Monolith Rookery Islands Scullin Monolith Taylor Rookery

Princess Elizabeth Land	Amanda Bay Hawker Island Mount Harding Mule Peninsula

Queen Mary Land	Haswell Island

Wilkes Land	Ardery Island Bailey Peninsula Charlton Island Clark Peninsula Dewart Island Frazier Islands Nelly Island Odbert Island

Adélie Land	Bernard Island Bon Docteur Nunatak Carrel Island Géologie Archipelago Lamarck Island Port Martin Rostand Island

George V Land	Mawson's Huts

Victoria Land	Balham Valley Barwick Valley Canada Glacier Cape Adare Cape Geology Cape Hallett Linnaeus Terrace Mount Melbourne Seabee Hook

Ross Sea	Arrival Heights Backdoor Bay Beaufort Island Cape Crozier Cape Evans Cape Royds Hut Point Peninsula Lewis Bay New College Valley North-west White Island Sabrina Island Tramway Ridge

Palmer Land	Ablation Lake Ablation Point Ablation Point – Ganymede Heights Ablation Valley Erratic Valley Flatiron Valley Ganymede Heights Himalia Ridge Marion Nunataks Mount Martine Mount Monique Moutonnée Lake Striation Valley

Graham Land	Apéndice Island Avian Island Biscoe Point Bransfield Strait Cierva Point Dion Islands Eastern Dallmann Bay Green Island Lagotellerie Island Litchfield Island Midas Island Moss Islands Mount Flora Rothera Point South Bay

South Shetlands	Admiralty Bay Ardley Island Byers Peninsula Cape Shirreff Collins Point Coppermine Peninsula Crater Lake Deception Island Discovery Bay Fildes Peninsula Halfthree Point Harmony Point Kroner Lake Lions Rump Mount Pond Narębski Point Pendulum Cove Port Foster Potter Peninsula Ronald Hill San Telmo Island South East Point Stonethrow Ridge Suffield Point Telefon Bay

South Orkneys	Christoffersen Island Coronation Island Fredriksen Island Grey Island Lynch Island Michelsen Island Moe Island Southern Powell Island

Important Bird Areas of Antarctica

Graham Land	Apéndice Island Armstrong Reef Arthur Harbour Avian Island Bates Island Breaker Island Brown Bluff Cape Evensen Cape Wollaston Cierva Point Cockburn Island Cormorant Island Cuverville Island D'Urville Monument Danger Islands Devil Island Dion Islands Dream Island Duroch Islands Eden Rocks Elephant Rocks Gerlache Island Ginger Islands Gourdin Island Guépratte Island Hope Bay Humble Island Joubin Islands Litchfield Island Madder Cliffs Midas Island Moss Islands Murray Island Norsel Point Paulet Island Pearl Rocks Penguin Point Petermann Island Pursuit Point Snow Hill Island Stonington Island Torgersen Island Trinity Island Tupinier Islands Uruguay Island

South Shetlands	Admiralty Bay Ardley Island Aspland Island Baily Head Barnard Point Byers Peninsula Cape Bowles Cape Garry Cape Hooker Cape Lookout Cape Melville Cape Shirreff Cape Wallace Chinstrap Cove Davey Point Eadie Island East of Nelly Point Escarpada Point False Round Point Fur Seal Point Gibbs Island Half Moon Island Harmony Point Heywood Island Jameson Point Kellick Island Lions Rump Milosz Point Mount Elder North Foreland O'Brien Island Owen Island Penguin Island Point Wordie Potter Peninsula Pottinger Point Saddleback Point Seal Islands Stigant Point Stinker Point Tartar Island Vapour Col Yankee Harbour

South Orkneys	Atriceps Island Buchanan Point Cape Davidson Cape Geddes Cape Hansen Cape Robertson Cape Whitson Cheal Point Christoffersen Island Eillium Island Ferguslie Peninsula Ferrier Peninsula Fraser Point Fredriksen Island Gibbon Bay Gosling Islands Graptolite Island Grey Island Inaccessible Islands Larsen Islands Matthews Island Michelsen Island Moe Island Moreton Point Pirie Peninsula Point Martin Return Point Robertson Islands Signy Island Skilling Island Southern Powell Island Watson Peninsula

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Litchfield Island

History

Environment

Important Bird Area

See also

References