Safety Island () is a small coastal
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
east of
Cape Daly
Cape Daly () is an ice-covered promontory on the coast of Antarctica, west of Safety Island and close southeast of the Robinson Group. It was discovered in February 1931 by the British Australian New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition under M ...
, Antarctica, south of
Auster Islands
The Auster Islands are a group of small islands at the northeast end of the Robinson Group, located north of Cape Daly, Mac. Robertson Land. They were mapped from Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) surveys and from air p ...
, and northwest of
Landmark Point
In morphometrics, landmark point or shortly landmark is a point in a shape object in which correspondences between and within the populations of the object are preserved. In other disciplines, landmarks may be known as vertices, anchor points, co ...
. Mapped by Norwegian cartographers from aerial photographs taken by the
Lars Christensen Expedition
Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries.
Origin
''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel", and is therefore related to the name ...
, 1936–37. First visited in 1954 by an ANARE (
Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions
The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE ) is the historical name for the Australia: Antarctic Program#Australian Antarctic program, Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) administered for Australia by the Australian Antarctic D ...
) party led by
R.G. Dovers, and so named because it was the nearest safe camp site to
Scullin Monolith.
Geography
Safety Island is characterized by its geographical isolation, situated in a region far from other landmasses. This island is surrounded by glaciers, contributing to its appeal for glaciological studies.
Scientific Significance
Glaciological Studies
Safety Island serves as a natural laboratory for glaciologists, providing an opportunity to study ice dynamics, thickness, and flow patterns. Researchers aim to better understand the impact of
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
on Antarctic ice sheets through data collected on the island.
Climate Monitoring
The island's extreme weather conditions, with temperatures often plummeting well below freezing, make it an ideal location for climate monitoring. Scientific stations on Safety Island play a crucial role in observing and recording climate patterns and atmospheric conditions.
Biodiversity Exploration
Despite its harsh climate, Safety Island hosts resilient organisms, including microbial life, mosses, and lichens. Researchers conduct studies to unravel the adaptations and survival mechanisms of life in extreme environments, contributing to our understanding of astrobiology.
See also
*
List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
This is a list of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands.
* Antarctic islands are, in the strict sense, the islands around mainland Antarctica, situated on the Antarctic Plate, and south of the Antarctic Convergence. According to the terms of the ...
Islands of Mac. Robertson Land
{{MacRobertsonLand-geo-stub