Booth Island (Port Charcot) (BOOT)65˚05’S, 64˚00’W Magnetic declination: 16.6˚E Inventory subarea: SW Inventory acronym: BOOT Site Sensitivity: MODERATE Location — History — Features Y-shaped, 5-mile-long island rising to an elevation of 980 meters. Discovered by Dallman’s German Expedition of 1873-74, and named for Oskar Booth or Stanley Booth, or both, who were members of the Hamburg Geographical Society. Jean-Baptiste Charcot and the French Antarctic Expedition, aboard the schooner Français , spent the winter of 1904 in an inlet of Booth Island. A well constructed stone magnetic hut and other artifacts (wrecked tender, stove) may be observed. Port Charcot is the bay indenting the N shore of the island. The Lemaire Channel ( 65˚04’S, 63˚57’W) lies on the eastern side of Booth Island. The seven-mile-long channel averages a mile in width, extending NE-SW from Spilwind Island and False Cape Rena to Roullin Point and Cape Cloos, separating Booth Island from the W coast of Graham Land. Glandaz Point (65˚05’S, 63˚59’W) forms the S entrance, and Loubat Point (65˚04’S, 63˚56’W) the N entrance, to Deloncle Bay, which indents Graham Land on the E side of Lemaire Channel. Gentoo penguins are confirmed breeders at both Glandaz Point (100 N1, 1982, reported in Woehler, 1993), and Loubat Point (100 N1, 1982, reported in Woehler, 1993). Landing Characteristics Ice-free conditions N of Pléneau Island enable landings on the rocky beach along the S-SW end of the island, The nesting penguins are found uphill and to the NE, toward the Lemaire Channel. Antarctic Site Inventory Effort Visits by Antarctic Site Inventory researchers, 1994-2003: 1. January 14, 2001 SF Cal Star 2. January 24, 2001 RN RD Cal Star 3. February 4, 2001 RN Cal Star 4. December 24, 2001 JC LC Endeavour 5. January 15, 2002 RP WT Endeavour Assessment and monitoring . Preliminary surveying, mapping, censusing, and photodocumentation (terrestrial). Fauna — Flora — Censuses Penguins & flying birds . Adélie, chinstrap, and gentoo penguins, kelp gulls, south polar skuas, and blue-eyed shags are confirmed breeders. Recent census data for Port Charcot, Booth Island, reported in Woehler (1993): Adélie penguin, 100 C1, 1983, and 61 N1, 1990; chinstrap penguin, 3 C1, 1983, and 3 N1, 1990; gentoo penguin, 400 N1, 1983. Historic census data for Booth Island, also reported in Woehler (1993): Adélie penguin, >1,208 (A5, C1, C3, B), 1903-09; 1,500-2,000 A4, 1909. Other Peninsula sites where all three pygoscelid penguins nest contiguously are: Stranger Point, King George Island, the Point Thomas Antarctic Specially Protected Area in Admiralty Bay, and Ardley Island, all of which are off-limits to visitors under the Antarctic Treaty; and Gourdin Island. Antarctic Site Inventory censuses: Adélie penguin (3 groups) 34 N1 2001 Dec Gentoo penguin (15 groups) 377 N1 2001 Dec Chinstrap penguin (2 groups) 24 N1 2001 Dec Blue-eyed shag 19 N1 2001 Dec Seals . None noted. Flora . Moss, spp., Prasiola crispa , Xanthoria , spp., Caloplaca , spp., and Verrucaria , spp. noted. Conservation Aspects Site sensitivities . Penguins, skuas, and shags are easily approached and disturbed. Historic remains should not be disturbed. Pointers for avoiding disruptions .
Visitation Aspects Numbers of tourist zodiac landings and participating visitors, 1989-2003: For Booth Island, in the NSF/OPP compilations:
For Port Charcot, Booth Island, in the NSF/OPP compilations:
Proximate visitor sites . Pléneau Island, Petermann Island. |
