Beaufort Island (Beaufort Island)
Beaufort Island is an island in Antarctica's Ross Sea. It is the northernmost feature of the Ross Archipelago, lying 21 km north of Cape Bird, Ross Island. It is approximately 18.4 km² in area. It was first charted by James Clark Ross in 1841. Ross named the island for Sir Francis Beaufort, hydrographer to the British Royal Navy.
Beaufort Island is the eroded remains of a basaltic stratovolcano of unknown age. It is semi-circular in shape. The highest point in the island is Paton Peak, at 771 m. The island has varied terrain and habitats. Much of the western side of the island is covered by moderately sloping ice fields with ice cliffs about 20 m high on the coast. The east and south sides of the island are mostly free of ice, with steep inaccessible cliffs that rise straight from the sea. Here the ice-free ground has a gentle slope and has ponds in summer and small meltwater streams that drain to the coast.
Beaufort Island is the eroded remains of a basaltic stratovolcano of unknown age. It is semi-circular in shape. The highest point in the island is Paton Peak, at 771 m. The island has varied terrain and habitats. Much of the western side of the island is covered by moderately sloping ice fields with ice cliffs about 20 m high on the coast. The east and south sides of the island are mostly free of ice, with steep inaccessible cliffs that rise straight from the sea. Here the ice-free ground has a gentle slope and has ponds in summer and small meltwater streams that drain to the coast.
Map - Beaufort Island (Beaufort Island)
Map
Country - Antarctica
Antarctica is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest continent, being about 40% larger than Europe, and has an area of 14200000 km2. Most of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, with an average thickness of 1.9 km.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.
Antarctica is, on average, the coldest, driest, and windiest of the continents, and it has the highest average elevation. It is mainly a polar desert, with annual precipitation of over 200 mm along the coast and far less inland. About 70% of the world's freshwater reserves are frozen in Antarctica, which, if melted, would raise global sea levels by almost 60 m. Antarctica holds the record for the lowest measured temperature on Earth, −89.2 C. The coastal regions can reach temperatures over 10 C in summer. Native species of animals include mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades. Where vegetation occurs, it is mostly in the form of lichen or moss.