 | |
  Litchfield Island Location in Antarctica | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 64°46′S64°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) |
| Administration | |
| Administered under theAntarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Litchfield Island is a rocky island 0.9 kilometres (0.5 nmi) long and rising to 50 m (164 ft), lying inArthur Harbour, 0.9 kilometres (0.5 nmi) south ofNorsel Point, off the south-west coast ofAnvers Island in thePalmer Archipelago ofAntarctica.
Litchfield Island was surveyed by theFalkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) in 1955. It was named by theUnited Kingdom Antarctic Place-names Committee (UK-APC) for Douglas B. Litchfield of theFalkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS), general assistant and mountaineer at theArthur Harbour station in 1955, who helped with the local survey and made numeroussoundings through thesea ice in the vicinity of the island.
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 anAntarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) in 1975 and is currently known as ASPA 113.[1]
The island has been identified as anImportant Bird Area (IBA) byBirdLife International because it supports abreeding colony of about 50 pairs ofsouth polar skuas. Other birds nesting at the site includebrown skuas,southern giant petrels,Wilson's storm petrels,Antarctic terns andkelp gulls. Formerly, some 1000 pairs ofAdélie penguins also bred there.Southern elephant seals andAntarctic fur seals commonlyhaul out on the island.[2]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from"Litchfield Island".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey.