Britain and Argentina both maintain bases on the islands. The Argentine base, Orcadas, established 1904, is sited on Laurie Island. The 11 buildings of the Argentine station house up to 45 people during the summer, and an average of 14 during winter. The British Antarctic Survey base, Signy Research Station, is located on Signy Island and was established in 1947. Initially operated year-round, since 1995/6 the Signy Research Station has been open only from November to April each year (southern hemisphere summer).
Apart from personnel at the bases, there are no permanent inhabitants on the islands.
The South Orkney Islands were discovered in 1821 by two sealers, the American Nathaniel Brown Palmer and the Briton George Powell. The islands were originally named Powell's Group, with the main island named Coronation Island as it was the year of the coronation of King George IV. In 1823, James Weddell visited the islands, gave the archipelago its present name (after the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland) and also renamed some of the islands. The South Orkney Islands are located at roughly the same latitude south as the Orkney Islands are north (60°S vs 59°N), although it is not known if this was a factor behind the naming of the islands. Similarly the South Shetland Islands, discovered in 1819 by William Smith, are roughly the same latitude south as the Shetland Islands are north (62°S vs 60°N).
Subsequently, the South Orkney Islands were frequently visited by sealers and whalers, but no thorough survey was done until the expedition of William Speirs Bruce on the Scotia in 1903, which overwintered at Laurie Island. Bruce surveyed the islands, reverted some of Weddell's name changes, and established a meteorological station, which was sold to the Argentine Government upon his departure in 1904. This base, renamed Orcadas in 1951, is still in operation today[update] and is thus the oldest research station continuously staffed in the Antarctic.
A 1944 stamp of the Falkland Islands overprinted for use in the South Orkneys.
In 1908, the United Kingdom declared sovereignty over various Antarctic and South American territories "to the south of the 50th parallel of south latitude, and lying between the 20th and the 80th degrees of west longitude", including the South Orkney Islands.[2] The Islands were subsequently administered as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies. A biological research station on Signy Island was built in 1947 by the British Antarctic Survey, and was staffed year-round until 1996, when the Station staffing was reduced to 8–10 personnel who remained only during the southern hemisphere summer (November to April each year). In 1962, the islands became part of the newly established British Antarctic Territory.
The Argentine claim to the islands dates from 1925. It was originally justified by the Argentine occupation of the Laurie Island base and later subsumed into a wider territorial claim.[3]
Geography and climate
Average air temperature readings of 1901 to 2007; NASA.
The archipelago comprises four main islands. Coronation Island is the largest, measuring about 30 mi (48 km) long; its highest point is Mount Nivea which rises to 4,153 ft (1,266 m) above sea level. Laurie Island is the easternmost of the islands. The other main islands are Powell and Signy. Smaller islands in the group include Robertson Islands, the Saddle Islands, and Acuña Island. The total area of the archipelago is about 240 sq mi (620 km2), of which about 90 percent is glaciated.[1]
The Inaccessible Islands about 15 nmi (17 mi; 28 km) to the west are considered part of the South Orkneys.
The climate of the South Orkneys is generally cold, wet, and windy. Summers are short and cold (December to March) when the average temperatures reach about 3.5 °C (38.3 °F) and fall to about −12.8 °C (9 °F) in July. The all time temperature range is between 12 and −44 °C (53.6 and −47.2 °F). The seas around the islands are ice-covered from late April to November.
Despite the harsh conditions, the islands do support vegetation and constitute the South Orkney Islands tundraecoregion. All islands lie in the cold seas below the Antarctic convergence. These areas support tundra vegetation consisting of mosses, lichens and algae, while seabirds, penguins and seals feed in the surrounding waters.
The littoral zone of the South Orkneys is biologically either lifeless or very poor. Amphipods and planarians exist under rocks, along with various algaes, chitons, and some gastropods. With increasing water depth, life becomes more varied: starfish appear beyond 2–3 metres along with sponges, urchins, and ascidians. At 8–10 metres the variety of starfish increases along with the general biomass, and below 30 metres there are vast colonies of these creatures. Two penguin species, Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) and Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae), are present on land.[4]
Research stations
Orcadas Base
The two claimant nations maintain research stations on the islands.
Wave Peak – mountain in South Orkney IslandsPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
References
^ abcAntarctica: Secrets of the Southern Continent p. 122 2023-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, David McGonigal, 2009
^International law for Antarctica p. 652 2023-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, Francesco Francioni and Tullio Scovazzi, 1996
^Exploring polar frontiers: a historical encyclopedia, Volume 2, pp. 34–35 2023-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, William James Mills, 2003
^Maurice Schwartz (2006). Encyclopedia of Coastal Science. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 87. ISBN978-1-4020-3880-8. from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Orkney Islands.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for South Orkney Islands.
Description of Bruce's expedition
Images
March 25, 2023
south, orkney, islands, this, article, about, islands, southern, ocean, other, uses, orkney, disambiguation, group, islands, southern, ocean, about, north, east, antarctic, peninsula, south, west, south, georgia, island, they, have, total, area, about, islands. This article is about islands in the Southern Ocean For other uses see Orkney disambiguation The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean about 604 km 375 mi north east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula 1 and 844 km 524 mi south west of South Georgia Island They have a total area of about 620 km2 240 sq mi The islands are claimed both by Britain as part of the British Antarctic Territory since 1962 previously as a Falkland Islands Dependency and by Argentina as part of Argentine Antarctica Under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty sovereignty claims are held in abeyance South Orkney IslandsSigny Island base and panoramaMap of the South Orkney IslandsGeographyCoordinates60 36 S 45 30 W 60 600 S 45 500 W 60 600 45 500 Coordinates 60 36 S 45 30 W 60 600 S 45 500 W 60 600 45 500Area620 km2 240 sq mi Highest elevation4 153 ft 1265 8 m AdministrationAdministered under the Antarctic Treaty SystemDemographicsPopulationapprox 53 55 Summer 14 Winter The South Orkney Islands are a group of islands in the Southern Ocean about 604 km 375 mi north east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula 1 Britain and Argentina both maintain bases on the islands The Argentine base Orcadas established 1904 is sited on Laurie Island The 11 buildings of the Argentine station house up to 45 people during the summer and an average of 14 during winter The British Antarctic Survey base Signy Research Station is located on Signy Island and was established in 1947 Initially operated year round since 1995 6 the Signy Research Station has been open only from November to April each year southern hemisphere summer Apart from personnel at the bases there are no permanent inhabitants on the islands Contents 1 History 2 Geography and climate 3 Flora and fauna 4 Research stations 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory Edit The British Signy Research Station on Signy Island The South Orkney Islands were discovered in 1821 by two sealers the American Nathaniel Brown Palmer and the Briton George Powell The islands were originally named Powell s Group with the main island named Coronation Island as it was the year of the coronation of King George IV In 1823 James Weddell visited the islands gave the archipelago its present name after the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland and also renamed some of the islands The South Orkney Islands are located at roughly the same latitude south as the Orkney Islands are north 60 S vs 59 N although it is not known if this was a factor behind the naming of the islands Similarly the South Shetland Islands discovered in 1819 by William Smith are roughly the same latitude south as the Shetland Islands are north 62 S vs 60 N Subsequently the South Orkney Islands were frequently visited by sealers and whalers but no thorough survey was done until the expedition of William Speirs Bruce on the Scotia in 1903 which overwintered at Laurie Island Bruce surveyed the islands reverted some of Weddell s name changes and established a meteorological station which was sold to the Argentine Government upon his departure in 1904 This base renamed Orcadas in 1951 is still in operation today update and is thus the oldest research station continuously staffed in the Antarctic A 1944 stamp of the Falkland Islands overprinted for use in the South Orkneys In 1908 the United Kingdom declared sovereignty over various Antarctic and South American territories to the south of the 50th parallel of south latitude and lying between the 20th and the 80th degrees of west longitude including the South Orkney Islands 2 The Islands were subsequently administered as part of the Falkland Islands Dependencies A biological research station on Signy Island was built in 1947 by the British Antarctic Survey and was staffed year round until 1996 when the Station staffing was reduced to 8 10 personnel who remained only during the southern hemisphere summer November to April each year In 1962 the islands became part of the newly established British Antarctic Territory The Argentine claim to the islands dates from 1925 It was originally justified by the Argentine occupation of the Laurie Island base and later subsumed into a wider territorial claim 3 Geography and climate Edit Average air temperature readings of 1901 to 2007 NASA The islands are situated at latitudes about 60 30 to 60 48 S and longitudes 44 25 to 46 43 W in the Southern Ocean As a group of islands the South Orkney Islands are at approximately 60 36 S 45 30 W 60 600 S 45 500 W 60 600 45 500 The archipelago comprises four main islands Coronation Island is the largest measuring about 30 mi 48 km long its highest point is Mount Nivea which rises to 4 153 ft 1 266 m above sea level Laurie Island is the easternmost of the islands The other main islands are Powell and Signy Smaller islands in the group include Robertson Islands the Saddle Islands and Acuna Island The total area of the archipelago is about 240 sq mi 620 km2 of which about 90 percent is glaciated 1 The Inaccessible Islands about 15 nmi 17 mi 28 km to the west are considered part of the South Orkneys The climate of the South Orkneys is generally cold wet and windy Summers are short and cold December to March when the average temperatures reach about 3 5 C 38 3 F and fall to about 12 8 C 9 F in July The all time temperature range is between 12 and 44 C 53 6 and 47 2 F The seas around the islands are ice covered from late April to November South Orkney Trough 60 0 S 45 0 W 60 000 S 45 000 W 60 000 45 000 is an undersea trough named in association with the South Orkney Islands and approved 10 77 ACUF 177 Flora and fauna EditDespite the harsh conditions the islands do support vegetation and constitute the South Orkney Islands tundra ecoregion All islands lie in the cold seas below the Antarctic convergence These areas support tundra vegetation consisting of mosses lichens and algae while seabirds penguins and seals feed in the surrounding waters The littoral zone of the South Orkneys is biologically either lifeless or very poor Amphipods and planarians exist under rocks along with various algaes chitons and some gastropods With increasing water depth life becomes more varied starfish appear beyond 2 3 metres along with sponges urchins and ascidians At 8 10 metres the variety of starfish increases along with the general biomass and below 30 metres there are vast colonies of these creatures Two penguin species Chinstrap Pygoscelis antarctica and Adelie Pygoscelis adeliae are present on land 4 Research stations Edit Orcadas Base The two claimant nations maintain research stations on the islands Argentina Orcadas Base Laurie Island since 1904 bought as a meteorological station from British scientist William Speirs Bruce in 1904 United Kingdom Signy Research Station Signy Island since 1947 See also EditPortals Geography Islands Brisbane Heights mountain in South Orkney IslandsPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica Authoritative international gazetteer containing all the Antarctic toponyms Falkland Harbour Iceberg Bay Bay of Antarctica List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands Lynch Island South Orkney Islands AntarcticaPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback Marshall Bay Moe Island Island of Antarctica Monk Islands Norway Bight Orwell Bight Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research SCAR British organization Scotia Arc island arc system forming the north east and south border of the Scotia SeaPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback Scotia Sea Sea at the northern edge of the Southern Ocean at its boundary with the South Atlantic Ocean Shagnasty Island Wave Peak mountain in South Orkney IslandsPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallbackReferences Edit a b c Antarctica Secrets of the Southern Continent p 122 Archived 2023 03 25 at the Wayback Machine David McGonigal 2009 International law for Antarctica p 652 Archived 2023 03 25 at the Wayback Machine Francesco Francioni and Tullio Scovazzi 1996 Exploring polar frontiers a historical encyclopedia Volume 2 pp 34 35 Archived 2023 03 25 at the Wayback Machine William James Mills 2003 Maurice Schwartz 2006 Encyclopedia of Coastal Science Springer Science amp Business Media p 87 ISBN 978 1 4020 3880 8 Archived from the original on 2023 03 25 Retrieved 2018 05 08 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Orkney Islands Wikivoyage has a travel guide for South Orkney Islands Description of Bruce s expedition Images Argentine Government Website with a map of the South Orkney Islands Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title South Orkney Islands amp oldid 1146500316, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
