Lucas Island (Lucas Island)
Lucas Island is a small island lying just west of the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica, 2 nmi north-west of Plog Island. It was mapped by Norwegian cartographers from air photos taken by the Lars Christensen Expedition (1936–37) and called "Plogsteinen" (the plow stone). It was mapped by the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions in 1958 and renamed for W.C. Lucas, a diesel mechanic at Davis Station, 1957.
A 9 ha site comprising the whole island has also been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports about 14,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins.
A 9 ha site comprising the whole island has also been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports about 14,000 breeding pairs of Adélie penguins.
Map - Lucas Island (Lucas 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.