Byers Peninsula

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Location of Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands

Byers Peninsula is a mainly ice-free peninsula forming the west end of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It occupies 60 km² (23 sq mi),^[1] and includes the small freshwater Basalt Lake. Byers Peninsula has a regime of special environmental protection under the Antarctic Treaty System and requires a permit to enter.^[2]

History

The feature was named by the UK Antarctic Place-names Committee in 1958 for James Byers, a New York shipowner who tried unsuccessfully in August 1820 to induce the United States Government to found a settlement in and take possession of the South Shetland Islands. Byers organized and sent out a fleet of American sealers from New York to the South Shetland Islands in 1820–21. It was visited by early 19th century American and British sealers who came almost exclusively from New England, New York and England. They operated on President Beaches, Robbery Beaches and South Beaches, and built dwellings and shelter such as those still preserved at Sealer Hill and Lair Point.

Antarctic Specially Protected Area

The peninsula has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA 126) for, as well as its birdlife, several additional scientific and historical values. It has diverse and well-developed vegetation, numerous lakes and freshwater pools which support the restricted-range insects Parochlus steinenii and Belgica antarctica, and well-preserved sub-fossil whale bones in raised beaches. It also has the greatest concentration of historical sites in Antarctica, containing the remains of refuges, with their contemporary artefacts, and shipwrecks of early 19th century sealing expeditions.^[3]

Important Bird Area

The site has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports breeding colonies of Antarctic Terns (1760 pairs) and Kelp Gulls (450 pairs). Other birds nesting on the peninsula include Chinstrap and Gentoo Penguins, Wilson's and Black-bellied Storm Petrels, Cape Petrels, Southern Giant Petrels, Imperial Shags, Brown Skuas and Snowy Sheathbills. Large numbers of Southern Elephant Seals haul out during their breeding season,^[4]

Maps

Península Byers, Isla Livingston. Mapa topográfico a escala 1:25000. Madrid: Servicio Geográfico del Ejército, 1992.
L.L. Ivanov et al. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich Island, South Shetland Islands. Scale 1:100000 topographic map. Sofia: Antarctic Place-names Commission of Bulgaria, 2005.
L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4 (Second edition 2010, ISBN 978-954-92032-9-5)

References

↑ L.L. Ivanov. Antarctica: Livingston Island and Greenwich, Robert, Snow and Smith Islands. Scale 1:120000 topographic map. Troyan: Manfred Wörner Foundation, 2009. ISBN 978-954-92032-6-4
↑ Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 126 Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands. SCAR Bulletin 150, July 2003.
↑ "Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands". Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 126: Measure 1. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2002. Retrieved 2013-10-02.
↑ "Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-10.

SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document "Byers Peninsula" (content from the Geographic Names Information System).

v t e 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 Moutonnee 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

v t e 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

Coordinates: 62°38′S 61°05′W / 62.633°S 61.083°W / -62.633; -61.083

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