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Equipping Against Invasives
The new biosecurity facility is close to the KEP jetty where most of the cargo for the main island arrives. Photo Emma Jones.
South Georgia is becoming increasingly vulnerable to the establishment of introduced alien species due to increasing global temperatures and ever-greater numbers of visitors. As a result, the Island has been identified as one of the most at risk areas of the Antarctic to alien invasion. In response to this threat, the Government of South Georgia (GSGSSI) has spent the past two years advancing its biosecurity measures as a matter of priority. In recognition of the fact that there are limited resources on the Island for dealing with large numbers of visitors, or substantial volumes of cargo, to date most effort has gone into pre-border biosecurity measures. However, not everything can be dealt with at source as cargo and visitors come from all over the globe. As a result, GSGSSI and the South Atlantic Invasive Species Project (SAISP) developed a project to construct a dedicated biosecurity facility on South Georgia as a last line of defence in the prevention of alien introduction and to assist in preventing the spread of already established species around the Island.
The project has been largely funded by the Overseas Territories Environment Program (OTEP), with contributions from GSGSSI and SAISP, and construction was completed in March 2009. Darren Christie, the GSGSSI Environment Officer, made a brief visit to the Island at the end of the construction phase in order to discuss with the South Georgia team how best to use the building and to decide how best to equip the building in order to deal with any identified introduced species.
The building is an important asset in dealing with the threat of alien species and will provide a dedicated area for inspection, quarantining and cleaning of cargo and field equipment. Procedures for its use will evolve with the other GSGSSI pre-border biosecurity measures in a constant effort to protect the Island and its environment.
GSGSSI thanks OTEP and the SAISP for funding the project, and M.K Summers Building and Joinery Contractors for their excellent work.
'Preserve The Polar Regions' Stamp Issue
The new 'Preserve the Polar Regions' souvenir sheet and First Day Cover (FDC) were released on April 2nd. The Sheetlet and FDC feature South Georgia's receding glaciers, whilst the two round £1.10 stamps show the contrasting extent of the ozone hole in 1979 and 2008.
South Georgia’s location towards the edge of the Antarctic polar region means that relatively small changes in temperature will have a large effect on its many glaciers, whereas on the Antarctic continent, with the exception of the Antarctic Peninsula, the large buffering capacity of the enormous ice mass there still limits the more obvious effects of recent climate warming. South Georgia’s small, land-based valley glaciers thinned and receded through the second half of the twentieth century following an advance during the 1930’s. Their behaviour primarily reflects the effects of seasonal temperature variations and the rate of retreat has accelerated with climate warming since the 1950’s.
The larger valley and tidewater glaciers, such as those illustrated on the souvenir sheet and FDC, have shown a more delayed response and indeed were at their most advanced positions since the Little Ice Age of the 17-19th centuries as late as the 1970’s. However in the last 20-30 years even these large glaciers have commenced to thin and recede rapidly as climate warming accelerates. Warming of the sea around South Georgia by only one or two degrees centigrade would have disastrous consequences for its remarkable ecosystems and evidence is accumulating of such Southern Ocean warming and ecosystem changes. South Georgia can be considered a sentinel for climate change and its impacts, offering an early sign of what is to come for the rest of the Polar Regions.
In the 1980’s it was realised that the extremely cold polar vortex in the atmosphere over Antarctica had provided an ideal “cauldron” for man-made chlorine compounds (CFC’s) to cause widespread ozone destruction. This resulted in the formation of an enormous hole in the ozone layer over the continent that significantly increased UV radiation exposure for polar plants and animals.
Despite a 1987 global ban on the chemicals causing the ozone hole, the hole will continue to form each Antarctic winter for decades yet. The scale of the Antarctic Ozone Hole is such that it overlies South Georgia at its maximum winter extent (as shown on the stamps), thereby exposing the terrestrial and marine life of this highly sensitive Island to enhanced UV radiation exposure at that time - an additional stress on organisms already increasingly stressed by the effects of climate warming. The retreating glaciers and the annual Ozone Hole illustrate that the relative isolation of South Georgia cannot protect it from exposure to the global consequences of human activities.
The new stamps and cover were designed by Andrew Robinson
Text with thanks to Dr J. Cynan Ellis-Evans, British Antarctic Survey.
Fishing And Shipping News
Longliners have started arriving at Cumberland Bay for inspection and licensing prior to the opening of the main Toothfish fishery on May 1st. One vessel spent the month fishing around the South Sandwich Islands and completed its TAC (Total Allowable Catch) for the area.
Two trawlers arrived at Cumberland Bay for licensing inspections on May 27th before returning to the Icefish fishery.
The last tour ship of the season was the "Professor Multanovskiy" which called at Grytviken on April 1st and was treated to snow and hail during the barbecue on deck that evening.
The yachting season also drew to a close. Three yachts were operating in the area at the beginning of April, but two of them sailed early in the month leaving just the overwintering yacht "Wanderer III" around the Island.
Packing Up And Moving Out
The removal of the temporary builders' camp at Grytviken brings to an end a long run of major projects that have been undertaken by the Morrison builders at KEP and the old whaling station since the turn of the millennium. Projects have included: building the new science and accommodation buildings at KEP; demolition of Shackleton House and many other old buildings on the Point; the clean up of the whaling station at Grytviken; a new building in the Museum complex and major refurbishment of the older Museum buildings; and most recently the refurbishment of the Gull Lake dam and installation of the Hydroelectricity station.
A small team of Morrison employees returned last month to finish work on the dam and other projects and to pack up their tools and equipment ready to be shipped out.
Demolition of the single story builders' camp started on April 3rd, and the building was gone by the following day. The track put in to take plant and materials up to dam was also relandscaped.
The building team and equipment left aboard FPV "Pharos SG" on the 18th.
Princess Royal's Cruise With The SGHT
By Alison Neil of the South Georgia Heritage Trust.
The Royal Standard flew above King Edward Point during the royal visit. Photo supplied by HMS Manchester.
On March 25th the small Russian cruise ship the "Grigoriy Mikheev" set sail from Stanley on a two week journey to South Georgia. On board were 31 passengers including the trustees of the South Georgia Heritage Trust, the Trust's patron, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, and a small number of invited passengers, amongst them some noted South Georgia experts.
The vessel was chartered by SGHT trustee Professor Frederik Paulsen. We are immensely grateful to Frederik for his generosity in meeting the costs of the cruise and thereby making it possible for our patron and the trustees to undertake this expedition together. The purpose of the cruise was to enable trustees to assess at first hand the long term management strategies and conservation needs of South Georgia. We have no doubt that it will contribute towards the important work to be undertaken by the Trust in the future.
Our first sighting of South Georgia on March 28th was in stunning weather, and we made our first landfall later that day at Bird Island. Special permission had been given by British Antarctic Survey and the Government of South Georgia for a visit to the research station to meet the scientists and field staff, and see the Giant Petrels, South Georgia Pipits, Pintails and of course the magnificent Wandering Albatrosses. Seeing the wonderful variety of small birds at Bird Island showed us what could be achieved in other areas of South Georgia by a successful Habitat Restoration programme.
By the following day the weather had deteriorated somewhat and a strong northerly wind prevented us from making our planned landings at Salisbury Plain and Prion Island. However we enjoyed a visit and long walk at Stromness Bay where we encountered Fur Seals, Gentoo and King Penguins and a large herd of Reindeer as we looked across at Stromness whaling station.
Reindeer at Stromness Bay. "Grigoriy Mikheev" in the background.
On March 30th spirits were high as we sailed towards Grytviken, although tinged with sadness as after the busy day ahead, The Princess Royal and Admiral Laurence had to leave us to return to the Falklands aboard the Fishery Patrol Vessel "Pharos SG". Her Royal Highness and Admiral Laurence were met on arrival by GSGSSI Chief Executive Harriet Hall and Government Officer Emma Jones, who escorted them to Hope Point and the KEP research base.
The Royal couple, SGHT Trustees and Museum staff outside the South Georgia Museum.
The Royal Party then walked to Grytviken, where they were given a tour of the South Georgia Museum and Grytviken whaling station by curator Elsa Davidson. Her Royal Highness officially opened the new addition to the museum, the Carr Maritime Gallery. Her Royal Highness and Admiral Laurence then visited the hydro-electric project recently completed by Morrison Construction on behalf of the South Georgia Government and declared the scheme officially open. This was followed by a visit to Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave. In the early afternoon they began their voyage back to Stanley.
The Princess Royal officially opening the new Carr Maritime Gallery. Photo Emma Jones.
The following day the "Grigoriy Mikheev" sailed to Cumberland Bay West for visits to Jason Harbour and Carlita Bay.
Next day we undertook the "Shackleton walk" from a dazzling Fortuna Bay over to Stromness Bay. In the afternoon we visited Husvik to inspect the excellent renovation work to the Husvik manager’s villa carried out by SGHT Norway.
The Manager's Villa, Husvik.
On April 2nd we awoke to find an overnight snowfall had transformed the landscape, providing a stunning and brilliant white background for the King Penguins at St Andrews Bay. Our next destination was Ocean Harbour where a large swell prevented us from making a landing, though the LASHIPA (Large-scale historical exploitation of Polar Areas) team, who had just completed a survey of the whaling stations at Prince Olav Harbour and Ocean Harbour, managed to join us for the journey back to Stanley.
Next day we enjoyed the spectacle of numerous seals and penguins at the varied and delightful Gold Harbour, before sailing to Cooper Bay for a look at the Macaroni Penguins.
King Penguins at St Andrews Bay.
Wildlife at Gold Harbour.
The "Grigoriy Mikheev" then sailed up Drygalski Fjord, with its contrast of brooding dark cliffs and hanging glaciers. Two juvenile Right Whales were seen in the fjord and an evening zodiac group in Larsen Harbour spotted a Weddell Seal.
As we sailed back to the Falkland Islands on a very gentle and unusual easterly sea, thinking about all of the Island’s natural wonders and heritage treasures, everyone felt incredibly fortunate to have been part of a cruise with experts who had so generously imparted their knowledge and who were committed to the long term protection and management of South Georgia.
Full article on the SGHT website here.
'Too Few Too Far', Book Review
By Sarah Lurcock
In the twenty seven years since the Falklands Conflict there seems to have been stacks of books written about it. Few though have dealt in any detail with the place it all started - South Georgia. The main reference book about the conflict in South Georgia is 'Operation Paraquat' by Roger Perkins; and Nick Barker, the Captain of "Endurance", wrote his ship's bridge-eye view of it in his book 'Beyond Endurance'. Now at last comes a book telling what it was like to be one of the 22 Royal Marines dug in at King Edward Point on the April 3rd 1982 when the Argentines took the Island by force.
Section Commander George Thompson was one of the 22 men on the ground that day. Reading his story, he comes across as a typical bold gruff tough marine with the trade mark black humour of the soldier. He told his story to author Malcolm Angel who vividly brings it alive in the new book 'Too Few Too Far'.
Don't expect this book to be all about the short firefight to defend the South Georgia capital, King Edward Point. Instead the story starts a year earlier when George heads for the Falklands to be one of the small detachment of Marines based at Moody Brook. His tales of the following months include two visits to South America, and his everyday experiences set the scene well for
what follows.
At first I found Malcolm Angel's highly descriptive writing grated, but his colourful dialogue between the Marines rings true. The book gains pace as time moves on until the inevitable fight to defend King Edward Point commences. Knowing the Falklands had already succumbed to the Argentine invaders, these twenty-two men held an invasion force at bay for a while in an action that others are describing as a modern day Rorke’s Drift.
'Too Few Too Far' has 159 pages and includes several photographs and simple maps. It is published by 'Amberley' with a cover price of £20.
A Life Through The Lens Of A Camera
'Antarctic Magistrate' is a book celebrating the life and work of Edward Beveridge Binnie. Written by Ian Hart, the biography traces Binnie's rise from humble beginnings through Falkland Islands Government service to become, in 1912, the first Antarctic magistrate at Graham's Land and the South Shetland Islands. Binnie also spent over ten years on South Georgia during the height of the whaling era.
This largely photographic hardback book has 304 pages and more than 220 black and white photographs, maps and illustrations. Cover price is £25.00. For full details and how to order, click here to view and print the flyer.
We hope to bring you a review of this book next month.
Other Book News
The main general reference book for South Georgia, "The Island of South Georgia" by Robert Headland, has been out of print for some years and is also hard to find and extremely expensive on the second hand market. It is good news then that the publisher Cambridge University Press have decided to republish the book as a paperback reprint.
The book needs revising and updating, something the author has long intended to do, but at least it will be available more easily again.
The book is printed to order by Cambridge University Press at a price of £22.99 or USD 43.
Bird Island News
By Ewan Edwards, Zoological Field Assistant and Winter Base Commander at the British Antarctic Survey base, Bird Island.
The Willis lslands silhouetted at sunset. Below: A Bird Island view over mainland South Georgia with the moon above Snow Peak.
April is a month of change on Bird Island. It marks the transition from summer to winter, with both the departure of some of the breeding animals and of the scientists and support staff that make the island such a busy place during the summer.
This month we have been treated to some of the most spectacular sunsets, best viewed from the top of the peaks surrounding the base where the sun can be seen dipping into the sea to the west.
The "RRS James Clark Ross" arrived on April 13th to resupply the base with frozen and fresh food for the winter, deliver some cargo and collect our departing summer personnel: Dickie the Base Commander; Mark (visiting electronic engineer); Andy (Facilities Engineer); Glenn (seabird scientist); and Fabrice, who had come to the end of his two-and-a-half year stint on Bird Island as the penguin assistant. The "JCR" was also delivering a fifth winterer – Jose Xavier, a squid and predator biologist from Portugal, who has already spent the winters of 1999 and 2000 on Bird Island and was excited to be back.
Clockwise from top-left: Last night of the summer on Bird Island; Derren, Ewan and Dave sing with Fabrice on his last evening; the "James Clark Ross" waits offshore at dawn; Fabrice, Dickie and Nerys leave on a RIB to board the "JCR".
When folk leave Bird Island, it always comes as a bit of a shock. Everyone will be missed, not least Fabrice whose incredible culinary skills are second only to his patience and professionalism in fieldwork, and who has been such a big part of Bird Island life for as long as I have been here. Au revoir, et à la prochaine, Gorfou!
The Macaroni Penguins had returned to the colonies for their annual moult but by the end of the month the main colony at Big Mac is returned to its winter state - a huge empty scree slope, not a penguin in sight.
After four months of being fed rich creamy milk by their mothers, the Fur Seal pups also departed, off to sea to fend for themselves, thus bringing the end the busy Fur Seal fieldwork season. This leaves a bit of time to tie up the loose ends, including report writing and data entry, before the Leopard Seals return to our waters.
Early winter sets in on Bird Island: A Wandering Albatross feeds its chick and the last Fur Seal pups.
The Black-browed Albatross chicks have begun to leave their nests and the Grey-headed chicks will not be too far behind. Meanwhile the Wandering Albatross chicks are, by the end of the month, nearly all unguarded, with their parents only returning to feed them every few days. They will remain on their nests throughout the winter.
Clockwise from left: An unguarded Wandering Albatross chick is dwarfed by its nest; a moulting Black-browed Albatross chick; Macaroni Penguins moult in Mac Cwm, overlooking Cape Alexandra, South Georgia.
So, with no expected ship visits until the return of the "JCR" next spring, we have a long winter ahead. Winter is a very special time on Bird Island. After the busy summer it is nice to have a more restful period with time to work on personal projects such as midwinter presents for the others. We are all hoping for plenty snow, ice and Leopard Seal sightings, and a successful few months ahead for the Wandering Albatross chicks.
South Georgia Snippets
Sunset from KEP. Photo Angy Jones.
Just like Bird Island, it is not only the arrival of the snow at the beginning of the month but also the disappearance of the summer workers and wildlife which has marked the beginning of winter on the Island. Freezing temperatures remained for most of the month with ice forming in the Cove. Only George has ventured out on skis so far but others have been having fun sledging on the steep slopes behind the museum.
Ainslie, the Museum Manger, made the best of her last few hours before departing the Island with an early morning climb up Mt. Duse. The 06.20 start was rewarded with breathtaking views of the surrounding snow-covered landscape.
George and Ainslie enjoy the early morning snowy view from the top of Mt Duse. Photo Angy Jones.
It is at this time of the year that the colder weather prods unwelcome interest in our warm buildings. Rat traps are set under most of the buildings at KEP to keep the local rat population down. During the summer few are caught, but more have been trapped recently. This is good news for the Pipits that continue to be seen locally, as many as five at a time. Usually the little endemic Pipit is only seen on the rat-free offshore islands.
This Pipit was photographed at Grytviken on Good Friday. Photo David Peck
The Wandering Albatross chick survey team that set out from KEP aboard "Pharos SG" were expecting to see plenty of Pipits on Prion Island when they undertook the April survey, but despite returning to the island four times, the heavy swell on the beach prevented a landing. Hopefully the census can be achieved next month.
Attentions are now turning to the making of midwinter presents. After all, our biggest celebration of the year is less than two months away now!
Wildlife is thinner on the ground now, just the odd penguin or seal. The following rather gory video clip was filmed a few months ago at KEP and can serve as a reminder of the mass of life on our doorstep in summer.
Giant Petrels vie for best position at the dinner table...
View Of The Month
Don’t forget to see this month’s 'View of the Month' on the South Georgia Heritage Trust website.
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