Dion Islands
Dion Islands is located in Antarctica
Dion Islands
Dion Islands
Location in Antarctica
Geography
LocationAntarctica
Coordinates67°52′S 68°43′W / 67.867°S 68.717°W / -67.867; -68.717
Administration
Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System
Demographics
PopulationUninhabited

The Dion Islands are a group of small islands and rocks lying in the northern part of Marguerite Bay, 11 kilometres (6 nmi) south-west of Cape Alexandra, Adelaide Island, off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They were discovered by the French Antarctic Expedition, 1908–10, and named by Jean-Baptiste Charcot for the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, who donated three motor sledges and whose De Dion-Bouton works produced equipment for the expedition.[1]

Important Bird Area

The islands have been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because they support a breeding colony of about 500 pairs of imperial shags. There is also a small colony of about 150 pairs of emperor penguins, the second-most northerly known of this species (the most northerly being Snow Hill Island) and one of only two on land. The site has been designated an Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA 107) because of the penguin colony. However, this colony was reported lost due to climatic changes in 2011.[2][3][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Dion Islands". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  2. ^ Trathan, P. N., Fretwell, P. T., & Stonehouse, B. (2011). First recorded loss of an emperor penguin colony in the recent period of Antarctic regional warming: implications for other colonies. PLoS One, 6(2), e14738. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0014738
  3. ^ "Dion Islands". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2012. Archived from the original on 10 July 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Emperor Island, Dion Islands, Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula" (PDF). Management Plan for Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 107: Measure 1. Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2013.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from "Dion Islands". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.


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