Arthur Harbour (64°46′S64°04′W / 64.767°S 64.067°W /-64.767; -64.067) is a smallharbour entered between Bonaparte Point andAmsler Island on the south-west coast ofAnvers Island in thePalmer Archipelago ofAntarctica.
Arthur Harbour was roughly charted by theFrench Antarctic Expedition (1903–1905) underJean-Baptiste Charcot. It was surveyed in more detail in 1955 by theFalkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), who established a station near the head of the harbour. It was named by theUnited Kingdom Antarctic Place-names Committee (UK-APC) in 1956 afterOswald Raynor Arthur, thenGovernor of the Falkland Islands.[1]
Station N | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Station N | |
| Coordinates:64°45′36″S64°04′48″W / 64.7600°S 64.0800°W /-64.7600; -64.0800 (Station N) | |
| Established | 28 February 1955 (1955-02-28) |
| Destroyed | 28 December 1971 (1971-12-28) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Administration |
| • Body | BAS, United Kingdom |
| Active times | All year-round |
Arthur Harbour was the location of the British research Station N, which was active from 28 February 1955 to 10 January 1958. The Station was loaned to the United States government on 2 July 1963. In January 1965, it was converted into a biological laboratory for use by American personnel from nearbyPalmer Station. Station N was destroyed by fire on 28 December 1971, while under renovation by theBritish Antarctic Survey. The debris was removed in 1991, and only concrete foundations now remain.[2]
A number of features in and around Arthur Harbour were named and charted by various Antarctic surveys and expedition groups.
Prior to 2005, Norsel Point was considered the northern headland of Arthur Harbour, but is now considered a part of Amsler Island, just off the coast.[3][4] Bonaparte Point, named by Charcot forRoland-Napoléon Bonaparte, marks the southern edge of Arthur Harbour.[5] In addition to Amsler Island,Humble Island,Litchfield Island,Torgersen Island, andDietrich Island are all off the coast of Arthur Harbour.
Some 214 ha of land and sea in northern Arthur Harbour, about 1–2 km north-west of Palmer Station, was listed asImportant Bird Area (IBA) number 013 byBirdLife International until being delisted in 2015.[6] The site comprised Norsel Point,Humble Island,Breaker Island, Elephant Rocks andTorgersen Island, along with the intervening marine zone. Some of the islands have been designated Restricted Zones withinASMA 7:Southwest Anvers Island and Palmer Basin. The site was an IBA because it supportscolonies of breedingseabirds, includingAdélie penguins (11,500 pairs),macaroni penguins,southern giant petrels andimperial shags.[7] Litchfield Island remains listed as IBA number 014.[8]
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