Yankee Harbor, Greenwich Island (YANK)
62˚32’S, 59˚47’W Magnetic declination: 11.25˚E Inventory subarea: SH Inventory acronym: YANK Site Sensitivity: LOW
Location — History — Features This small harbor on the SW side of Greenwich Island is entered between Glacier Bluff and Spit Point. The harbor was well known to American and British sealers as early as 1820. The harbor is enclosed by a recurved bay-mouth bar made up of coarse gravel and cobbles. The entry to the harbor around the end of this bar is very narrow. Well-developed, raised-beach terraces are located at about 3 meters and at 10 meters above the currently active beach, and provide territories for nesting gentoo penguins. Landings are typically made on a coarse gravel beach below the first terrace, in the vicinity of a navigational marker that looks like a railroad tie. Midway between the lower and upper ridges is a distinct, partially consolidated layer of cobbles, sand, and soil, which may represent another former beach level. The land rises gently from the shingle beach along the SE side of the harbor to a hut at about 15-20 meters above water level, then it rises steeply up a slope of coarse, angular talus and some finer scree. Above, cliffs rise 100 or more meters to a rugged, knife-edge summit. The principal bedrock exposed in the cliffs is well-layered, reddish brown basalt. Rock fragments in the talus slope below the cliffs are mainly basaltic. Some mosses are well developed on some areas of the talus slope, and on flatter areas at the bottom and around the hut. A large glacier rims the E and N sides of the bay. There are trypots from early sealing activities. Also on site is an Historic Site and Monument, a commemorative plaque erected to the memory of Captain Robert McFarlane, who in 1820 explored the Antarctic Peninsula in the brigantine Dragón . Zodiac landings are typically made on the gravel beach below the first raised-beach terrace, near a navigational marker that looks like a railroad tie. Gentoo penguins nest on the terraces above the landing beach, as well as in the vicinity of the abandoned refugio and nearby hillside. The shoreline of Yankee Harbor is littered with trypots and other artifacts from long defunct sealing activities. The long spit guarding the harbor provides an excellent haul-out location for seals, and is home to a number of nesting skua pairs during the austral spring and summer. Landing Characteristics Small harbor on SW side of Greenwich Island, entered between Glacier Bluff and Spit Point. Landings on recurved, gravel and cobble bar enclosing this small harbor, or gravel beach at inland end of this recurved bar. Raised terraces above the bar and gravel beach. Artifacts from 19 th century sealing operations — trypots and other relics — may be found on the cobble bar. There is a melt pool of variable extent located inland and E past the first terrace of nesting penguins, and an abandoned refugio on one of the higher ridges. Large, crevassed glacier and snowfields rim the bay. Antarctic Site Inventory Effort Visits by Antarctic Site Inventory researchers, 1994-2003: 1. December 12, 1994 RN Livonia 2. December 14, 1994 RN BH ST Explorer 3. January 12, 1995 RN RD Livonia 4. December 15, 1995 LB Explorer 5. November 23, 1996 RN WT SF Explorer 6. January 20, 1999 RD ST Vavilov 7. November 26, 1999 LB BP Cal Star 8. December 13, 1999 RN Cal Star 9. December 24, 2000 SF LF Cal Star 10. December 29, 2002 RP Endeavour Assessment and monitoring. Surveyed, mapped, and photodocumented (aerial and terrestrial). Regular, site-wide censusing of gentoo penguins. More thorough ground-survey of floral communities needed.
Fauna — Flora — Censuses Penguins & flying birds . Confirmed breeding species include gentoo penguin and skuas, spp. Snowy sheathbills have been observed among the gentoos, but breeding is not confirmed. Storm-petrels, spp. have been observed at higher elevations and presumably breed. Antarctic Site Inventory censuses: Gentoo penguin 4,751 N1 1999 Nov 3,974 N1 2000 Dec 3,804 N2 2002 Dec Recent historic gentoo penguin census reported in Woehler (1993): 4,000 N3/4, 1990. Seals . Southern elephant seals, Weddell, and crabeater seals haul-out either on the long spit into the harbor, the landing beach, or on the raised beach terrace above the landing beach. Flora . Xanthoria , spp. and other crustose lichens, cushion moss, spp., Deschampsia , and Colobanthus and Prasiola have been noted. Conservation Aspects Site sensitivities. Gentoo penguins nesting in scattered colonies on the raised terraces and on higher, inland slopes and ridges are easily approached and disturbed, especially in November and early December when adults will be incubating eggs; subsequently, adults will be guarding and provisioning chicks at the nest, then in crèche. Skuas nest on widely scattered territories and are easily accessed and disturbed, particularly, later in the season (from mid-January) when adults are fiercely protecting young. Wilson’s storm-petrel nest in loose scree at higher elevations. Antarctic fur seals frequent the gravel bar, and in larger numbers as the season progresses. Pointers for avoiding disruptions.
Visitation Aspects Numbers of tourist zodiac landings and participating visitors, 1989-2003:
Proximate visitor sites. Half Moon Island; Fort Point on Greenwich Island; Robert Point and Mitchell Cove on Robert Island; and the Aitcho Islands. |
