Vestfold Hills (Hawker Island)
One of the few places in East Antarctica with permanent hypersaline lakes that never freeze over completely
Area
1.5 km²
Declared in
1997
Region
East Antarctica (Princess Elizabeth Land)
Best time
November to March
Highlight
One of the few places in East Antarctica with permanent hypersaline lakes that never freeze over completely
Designated an ASPA in 1997, Hawker Island forms part of the Vestfold Hills, one of the largest ice-free areas in East Antarctica, with hypersaline lakes so concentrated in salt that they never freeze over completely even at the depth of the polar winter, supporting unique extremophile microbial communities adapted to those conditions.
Location
See on the interactive map9 species documented in Vestfold Hills (Hawker Island)
At conservation risk:Orca,Pingüino emperador
Least ConcernFoca de Weddell
Leptonychotes weddellii
Least ConcernFoca cangrejera
Lobodon carcinophaga
EndangeredOrca
Orcinus orca
Least ConcernPingüino de Adelia
Pygoscelis adeliae
EndangeredPingüino emperador
Aptenodytes forsteri
Least ConcernPágalo antártico
Stercorarius maccormicki
Least ConcernPaíño de Wilson
Oceanites oceanicus
Least ConcernPetrel antártico
Thalassoica antarctica
Least ConcernPetrel de las nieves
Pagodroma nivea
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