Amazing Islands: Heard and McDonald. A few words about other inhabitants of the islands

AE0EE, HB9BXE, K2ARB, K3EL, KK6EK, KM4MXD, N6TQ, NG2H, NP4IW, UT6UD, VK2BAX, VK6CQ, W7XU, WJ2Owill be active from Heard Island 21 - 10 April 2016 as VK0EK.
They will be active on all HF bands CW, SSB, RTTY.
QSL via M0URX.
Address for QSL direct:
Tim Beaumont, P.O. Box 17, Kenilworth, Warwickshire CV8 1SF, England.

VK0EK News March 23, 2016

The VK0EK expedition began its work.
They are currently active on 40 meters and will soon appear on 30 meters.
Work on antennas for other bands will continue at dawn.

Inhospitable Heard Island

Brief geographical information

Heard Island is one of the islands of the uninhabited archipelago (Heard and Macdonald) in the southern part Indian Ocean, Australian territory, listed World Heritage UNESCO.

Area - 368 sq. km

The climate is subantarctic, the highest air temperature is +4 °C, the lowest is 0 °C, the weather is consistently windy, inclement, with daily precipitation - rain or snow.

History of the discovery of Heard Island

Less than two centuries had passed since this island was discovered in the Indian Ocean not even by a navigator, but by the American seal hunter Captain Hurd, after whom it was named. With Heard’s light hand, the island was chosen by hunters who set up temporary camps on the island during hunting - the remains of tents can be found on Heard today. But soon the seals were driven out almost completely, and hunters ceased to be interested in the island.

From 1910 until the middle of the last century, Heard Island was under British rule, and then the entire archipelago became the Antarctic territory of Australia.

And today, Australian ships often visit Heard - the coastal zone of the island is used for fishing, but there is neither a port nor any harbor on the island, nor is there a permanent population. Tourists sometimes visit it without going ashore - simply peering at its outlines and seal rookeries on the ice.

Features of an inhospitable island

Heard Island is the summit of a seamount - an active but currently dormant volcano with the summit of Mawson Peak (2745 m above sea level).
This the only island in the Subantarctic zone with active volcano, the crater of which scientists call “an open window into the depths of the Earth,” through which geomorphological and glacial processes can be monitored.
The ice that covers the entire island hides the colorful stripes of basalt formed from volcanic lava. Therefore, when the air temperature rises a little and the ice becomes more transparent, the island becomes very beautiful and unusual.
The flora of the island is determined by the temperature regime: +4 °C even in summer cannot be called a favorable climate, so all the vegetation is mosses and lichens. There are also some terrestrial algae, but they are not very diverse.
The fauna is much richer than the flora: albatrosses, frigate birds, sea pigeons nest here, penguins roam, and seals, elephant seals and fur seals set up rookeries on the island.
The value of the island is that man did not influence it, did not change it, did not try to redo anything. The Heard is the most conserved island ecosystem on Earth.

Warnings for the curious

And this is perhaps the most inhospitable island in the world: strong winds, cold climate, constant precipitation, icing. Is it any wonder that there is no queue of tourists eager to get to Heard.

In addition, getting to the island is not easy: ships rarely sail, and planes do not fly; it takes at least ten days to travel by sea, and there are no conditions for landing. The only visitors are Antarctic expeditions in transit. But even those ships that carry travelers to the shores of Antarctica need special training in order to pass along the edge of the coast without incident.

If all this hasn't put you off thinking about your upcoming trip, and you decide to go to Heard despite all the warnings, listen to three pieces of advice.

Do everything to avoid hypothermia (hypothermia) ). The main problems of such a trip are low temperatures and inclement weather. There is only one way to not be afraid of the climate - if you are well prepared. Therefore, your clothes should be carefully selected and warm, just choose not thick bulky fur coats, but multi-layered products made from natural fibers and outerwear that can protect you from the wind - from modern combined fabrics.
Take care of your head . Take the choice of hat very seriously: given that you will be observing the island from the open deck, and the weather in the region is always damp and windy, the hat should be light, warm and not windy.
Spare your eyes . Polar-type sunglasses are a must. Protect your eyes from solar radiation, not only from direct sunlight, but also from reflected ones. Just remember how ice sparkles in the sun, how it hurts your eyes, and buy good glasses.

Yes, carriers of diseases have not been recorded on Heard Island, but scientists warn against communicating with birds - everyone is trying to feed them, although this is officially prohibited.

Be careful, take care of yourself, because there are many others ahead of you, no less interesting travels.

Video DX Expedition VK0EK to Heard Island

Video Heard Island

Heard Island and McDonald Islands, abbreviated HIMI) is a small uninhabited archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean. It consists of two main islands - Heard and McDonald, as well as many small outlying islets, rocks and reefs. All of them are external territories of Australia.

Geography

Landscape of Heard Island overlooking Mawson Peak Archipelago map

The islands are some of the most remote landmass on Earth: they are located approximately 4099 km southwest of Perth (Western Australia), 3845 km southwest of Cape Louwin (the extreme southwestern point of Australia), 4200 km southeast of South Africa, 3830 km southeast of Madagascar, 1630 km north of Antarctica and 450 km southeast of Kerguelen.

Heard Island (53°06 S 73°31 E / 53.100° S 73.517° E / -53.100; 73.517 (G) (O)) is the summit of an underwater volcano of the Kerguelen Plateau and It is 43 kilometers long and 21 kilometers wide. Mawson Peak is the highest point of the island, the height above sea level is 2745 meters. This is one of two active volcanoes and at the same time the most high point in Australian territory. About 80% of Heard's surface is covered with snow and ice, which form the character of the island's coastline. The area of the island is 368 km.

McDonald Island (53°03 S 72°37 E / 53.050° S 72.617° E / -53.050; 72.617 (G) (O)) - small and rocky, located 44 kilometers to the west, also volcanic in origin. Its highest point is 230 meters above sea level. The island is bordered by steep cliffs and previously consisted of two parts - the northern plateau and the southern steep Maxwell Hill, connected by a narrow isthmus. The area of the island is 2.5 km.

Of the remaining islands of the archipelago, the largest is Shag Island, as well as Morgan Island, Sail and Black rocks are located 10 kilometers north of Heard, and Flat Island (now part of MacDonald) and Meyer Rock are slightly north of MacDonald . The total area of all these small islands and rocks is 1.1 km. The territory also includes all territorial waters within 12 nautical miles from the coastline. Together with these islets, the total area of the archipelago is 372 km.

The MacDonald Island volcano, after being dormant for 75,000 years, has become active since 1992 and has had several eruptions since then. Satellite images taken in 2004 showed that volcanic activity had merged McDonald Island with Flat Island into one island, roughly doubling its area. As a result volcanic activity between November 2000 and the end of 2001, the area of McDonald Island increased from 1.13 to 2.45 km, and the highest peak is now about 230 meters high instead of 186 meters in 1980. However volcanic activity destroyed almost all the vegetation on the island. Last eruption, presumably occurred on August 10, 2005. Restoration of vegetation cover is currently ongoing.

Judging by NASA satellite data, at the end of October 2012, the eruption of the Mawson Peak volcano began on Heard Island and continues to this day.

There are no ports or harbors on Heard and Macdonald, sea vessels you have to drop anchor off the shore. The coastline is 101.9 km long, there are 12 miles (22 km) of territorial waters, and a 200 mile (370 km) zone declared by Australia as an exclusive fishing zone.

The antipode for the central Mawson Peak is located less than 70 kilometers southwest of Prince Albert (Saskatchewan, Canada).

Climate

The climate is subantarctic - mild winters (+0.1 °C) and cold summers (+4.2 °C). Most days of the year are windy and cloudy. Winds are predominantly westerly and consistently strong. Monthly average wind speeds range from about 26 to 33.5 km/h, with gusts in excess of 180 km/h recorded. Annual precipitation at sea level on Heard Island is typically between 1300 and 1900 mm. Precipitation occurs every three out of four days, usually in the form of drizzle or snow.

Flora

Terms

The islands are in the insular tundra ecological region of the southern Indian Ocean, which includes several sub-Antarctic islands. In this cold climate, plants are mainly grasses, mosses and lichens. Low plant diversity is due to island isolation, small land size, harsh climate, short, cold growing season and, in Hurd's case, significant ice cover. The main environmental determinants of vegetation on sub-Antarctic islands are: exposure to wind and salt spray, water availability, soil composition, nutrient availability, trampling by birds and seals and, in some cases, altitude. In Hurd's conditions, salt spray impacts and the presence of breeding and moulting birds and seals have particularly strong effects on the composition and structure of vegetation in coastal areas.

Mosses, liverworts and lichens

Bryophytes and lichens make a significant contribution to the overall biodiversity of the Heard, with 43 species of mosses, 19 liverworts and 71 lichens recorded, often occupying habitats unsuitable for vascular plants, such as rocks. Bryophytes are present in most large plant communities. Lichens are common on outcrops and are the dominant vegetation in some areas. MacDonald's 1980 study recorded a significantly lower diversity of such plants, namely four species of mosses, eight lichens and some algae and fungi.

Seaweed

At least 100 species of terrestrial algae are known on Heard, typically growing in permanently moist and ephemeral habitats. Sea forests of the giant Antarctic kelp Durvillaea antarctica are found in various locations on the island and at least 17 other seagrass species will be added once the latest specimens collected are identified. The low algae diversity is due to the island's isolation from other areas, uninhabitable beaches, constant friction from waves, tides and small rocks, and the extension of glaciers into the sea in many areas.

Fauna

King Penguin on Heard Island

The islands, now little touched by human activity, are home to huge populations of penguins, pinnipeds and seabirds.

Mammals

Pinnipeds on the Heard were virtually extirpated in the late 19th century, after which seal numbers became too low for economic use. Since then, their population has increased and been protected. Among the pinnipeds that breed on the Heard are southern elephant seals, Kerguelen and subtropical fur seals. Leopard seals regularly visit the rookeries in winter, but they do not breed on the archipelago. Crabeaters, Ross and Weddell seals are only occasional visitors.

Birds

Heard and Macdonald are predator-free and provide favorable habitat and breeding habitat in the middle of the vast Southern Ocean for a variety of birds. The surrounding waters provide food for the birds. The islands have been identified by BirdLife International as an important area for birds as they contain a very large number of seabird nesting sites.

19 species of birds have been recorded as breeding on Heard and McDonald Islands, although volcanic activity on McDonald over the past decade has likely reduced vegetation cover and reduced the number of bird nesting sites.

Story

Processing harvested elephant seals on Heard Island - 19th century

Heard Island was discovered by American captain and sealer John Heard on November 25, 1853, while his ship Oriental was sailing from Boston to Melbourne. Shortly after Heard's discovery, on January 4, 1854, the captain of the ship Samarang, William MacDonald, discovered the island named after him. After this, for more than 20 years, the islands were regularly visited by hunting expeditions, and a small settlement of hunters arose (up to 200 people). However, by 1880 most of the seal population was destroyed and hunters left the island. After this, until Douglas Mawson's expedition in 1929, virtually no one showed economic or scientific interest in the archipelago. People have landed on MacDonald only twice in history - in 1971 and 1980. No official landings have been recorded on the neighboring island of Flat Island.

The archipelago has belonged to Great Britain since 1910, when the flag of this country was raised on Heard. On December 26, 1947, the islands were transferred to Australian administration and became part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, but after Australia signed the Antarctic Convention in 1961, they formed a separate external territory. There is no permanent population, but the islands are visited by tourists (without landing) and scientific expeditions (to Heard Island).

Heard and McDonald Islands were designated an Australian National Treasure in 1983 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Although the islands are uninhabited, they have been assigned their own .hm domain.

Governance and Economics

The Islands are a territory (Heard Island and McDonald Islands Territory) administered by Australia, administered from Hobart by the Australian Antarctic Survey of the Department of Sustainable Development, Environment, water resources, people and communities of Australia. They are home to a large number of seals and birds. There is a marine reserve on the islands total area 65,000 km, visited mainly by researchers. There is no permanent population.

From 1947 to 1955, scientists visited a camp on Heard near Atlas Cove in the northwestern part of the island, which was again occupied by American scientists in 1969 and expanded in 1971 by French explorers. Scientists landed on MacDonald in 1971 in the area of Williams Bay. Later expeditions used a temporary base near Spit Bay in north-east Heard on several occasions, for example in 1988, 1992-93 and 2004-05.

Without population there is no economic activity. The only one natural resource the islands are fish; The Australian government allows limited fishing in surrounding waters. Time zone of the islands: UTC +5.

Heard Island and McDonald Islands- a small uninhabited archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean. It consists of two main islands - Heard and McDonald, as well as many small outlying islets, rocks and reefs. Belongs to Australia.

The climate is subantarctic - mild winters (+0.1 °C) and cold summers (+4.2 °C). Most days of the year are windy and cloudy. Precipitation often occurs in the form of drizzle or snow.

The islands, little affected by human activity, are home to huge populations of penguins, seals and seabirds.

The archipelago has belonged to Australia since 1947 as part of the Australian Antarctic Territory, but after Australia signed the Antarctic Convention, the islands began to form a separate external territory. There is no permanent population, but the islands are visited by tourists (without landing) and scientific expeditions (to Heard Island).

Heard Island and McDonald Island, located 44 kilometers to the west, are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Although the islands are not inhabited, they are given their own domain.hm.

Hurd

Heard Island was discovered by American captain and sealer John Heard on November 25, 1853, while his ship Oriental was sailing from Boston to Melbourne.

Heard Island (53°06′S 73°31′E (G) (O)) is the summit of an underwater volcano on the Kerguelen Plateau and is 43 kilometers long and 21 kilometers wide. Mawson Peak is the highest point of the island, the height above sea level is 2745 meters. This is the only one active volcano and at the same time the highest point in the territory belonging to Australia. About 80% of Heard's surface is covered with snow and ice, which form the character of the island's coastline.

The area of the island is 368 km².

MacDonald

Shortly after Heard's discovery, on January 4, 1854, the captain of the ship Samarang, William MacDonald, discovered the island named after him.

McDonald Island (53°03′S 72°37′E (G) (O)) is small and rocky, also volcanic in origin, the highest point is 230 meters above sea level. The island is bordered by steep cliffs and consists of two parts - the northern plateau and the southern steep Maxwell Hill, connected by a narrow isthmus.

The area of the island is 2.5 km².

People have landed on the island only twice in history - in 1971 and 1980.

Other islands

The largest of them, Shag Island, is located 10 kilometers north of Heard Island, and Flat Island and Meyer Rock are slightly south of MacDonald. The territory also includes all territorial waters within 12 nautical miles from the coastline.

The total area of the archipelago is 412 km².

No official landings have been recorded on Flat Island.

This part of the Commonwealth of Australia is located several thousand kilometers from its continental territory. Besides, no one lives here. None natural resources not found here. And any hunting or even just staying without permission is prohibited. From time to time, the islands are shaken by volcanic eruptions, changing the contours of their coasts. The only inhabitants of the islands are elephant seals and waterfowl, which feel completely safe.

SUB-ANTARCTIC ARCHIPELAGO OF AUSTRALIA

Hurd and MacDonald - uninhabited islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They belong to the Commonwealth of Australia, located at a distance of over 4 thousand km from it, and are managed by the country’s Department of Natural Resources and Energy.

Heard is rugged and mountainous, covered 80% by compacted snow and small glaciers forming coastline islands. It represents the surface part of the former underwater volcano of the Kerguelen underwater plateau.

Dominates the island mountain range Big Ben with its highest peak, the volcanic Mawson Peak. The volcano is covered with glaciers that descend to the sea steep cliffs 15-30 m high. Mawson - highest peak Commonwealth of Australia. This nearly three-kilometre peak is higher than 2228m Mount Kosciuszko, the highest point in mainland Australia.

Mawson is one of only two active volcanoes located in the Commonwealth of Australia and the entire Antarctic region.

The second volcano is located on the small and rocky McDonald Island, which is located 43.5 km west of Heard. In 1992, it broke its long silence and began to erupt, as a result of which its area doubled (from 1 to 2.5 km2), its height increased and vegetation was completely destroyed.

Since then, eruptions on MacDonald have occurred from time to time, most recently in 2005. The highest point of the island is a small plateau with a glacier with a total height of 230 m above sea level. The plateau is surrounded by steep cliffs sloping down to the coast and consists of a northern plateau and a steep southern hill, Maxwell Hill.

The islands are located in the subantarctic climate zone, where it is windy and cloudy all year round; in the autumn-winter period there can be light rain or snow for a long time.

The other landmass of the archipelago consists of many small outlying islets, rocks and reefs, the largest of which are the Shag Islands, 10 km north of Heard, as well as Flat Island and Meyer Rock, located south of MacDonald.

In 1987, the islands were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This Australian archipelago includes territorial waters within 12 miles of the coastline of each island.

ADVISING FROM A FAR

The abundance of animals, pristine nature and unique landscape of the islands attract many tourists. There are no mooring facilities on the shore; liners drop anchor off the coast, and tourists view the islands from board: landing on the shore is strictly prohibited.

The islands were named in honor of their discoverers. American captain John Heard discovered the archipelago on November 25, 1853, while his ship Oriental was sailing from Boston to Melbourne, and the main island was named after him.

The second largest island was discovered on January 4, 1854 by the captain of the British ship Semarang, William MacDonald, and received his name.

Until the 1880s The islands were visited quite often, but interest in them disappeared, since it turned out to be too expensive to export the hunted animals from here, and almost the entire population of seals was exterminated.

From 1910 the islands were considered a British colonial possession until they were transferred to Australia in 1947.

Despite the severity of the climate, Heard, Macdonald and the small islands surrounding them are nesting sites for seabirds and rookeries for marine animals typical of the sub-Antarctic belt. Sea pigeons, frigate birds and albatrosses nest on the cliffs and coastline, as well as king and emperor penguins and the world's largest colony of golden-haired penguins. There are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of birds here, especially on the Exile and Franklin rocks on south coast Heard Islands. Mass gatherings of animals - elephant seals, as well as birds appear in summer time years in the Heard territories freed from snow and ice - the Elephant Spit Peninsula, on the shores of the Winston and Manning lagoons, and the Gotley Glacier.

Due to the remoteness of the islands, the nature of these places is almost untouched by humans. There is not a single introduced (alien, imported) species of living organism here. Coastal commercial fishing is permitted to a limited extent.

The only structure on Heard Island is the abandoned Anare Station research station, used from 1947-1954. Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition.

Atlas. The whole world is in your hands #401

The climate is subantarctic - mild winters (+0.1 °C) and cold summers (+4.2 °C). Most days of the year are windy and cloudy. Precipitation often occurs in the form of drizzle or snow.

The islands, little affected by human activity, are home to huge populations of penguins, seals and seabirds.

The archipelago has been part of the Australian Antarctic Territory since 1947, but after Australia signed the Antarctic Convention, the islands began to form a separate external territory. There is no permanent population, but the islands are visited by tourists (without landing) and scientific expeditions (to Heard Island).

Heard Island and McDonald Island, located 44 kilometers to the west, are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Although the islands are not inhabited, they are given their own domain.hm.

Hurd

Heard Island () is the summit of an underwater volcano on the Kerguelen Plateau and is 43 kilometers long and 21 kilometers wide. Mawson Peak is the highest point of the island, the height above sea level is 2745 meters. It is the only active volcano in Australian territory. About 80% of Heard's surface is covered with snow and ice, which form the character of the island's coastline.

The area of the island is 368 km².

MacDonald

Shortly after Heard's discovery, on January 4, 1854, the captain of the ship Samarang, William MacDonald, discovered the island named after him.

McDonald Island () is small and rocky, also volcanic in origin, the highest point is 230 meters above sea level. The island is bordered by steep cliffs and consists of two parts - the northern plateau and the southern steep Maxwell Hill, connected by a narrow isthmus.

The area of the island is 2.5 km².

People have landed on the island only twice in history - in 1971 and 1980.

Other islands

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