Gough Island
Encyclopedia
Gough Island (ˈɡɒf, rhymes with cough), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares or Diego Alvarez, is a volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha
and part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
. It is uninhabited except for the personnel of a weather station
(usually six people) which the South African National Antarctic Programme
has maintained continually on the island since 1956. It is one of the most remote places with a constant human presence.
It includes small satellite islands and rocks such as Southwest Island, Saddle Island (South), Tristiana Rock, Isolda Rock (West), Round Island, Cone Island, Lot's Wife, Church Rock (North), Penguin Island (Northeast), and The Admirals (East). It is a remote and lonely place, about 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) southeast of the other islands in the Tristan da Cunha group, 2700 kilometres (1,677.7 mi) from Cape Town
, and over 3200 kilometres (1,988.4 mi) from the nearest point of South America.
. Maps during the next three centuries named the island for him. On some later maps, this was given as Diego Alvarez.
According to some historians, the English merchant Anthony de la Roché
was the first to land on the island, in April 1675.
Charles Gough
rediscovered the island in 1731, thinking it was a new find. It has since been named for him.
are a protected wildlife reserve, which has been designated a World Heritage Site
by UNESCO
. It has been described as one of the least disrupted ecosystem
s of its kind and one of the best shelters for nesting seabird
s in the Atlantic. In particular, it is host to almost the entire world population of the Tristan Albatross
(Diomedea dabbenena) and the Atlantic Petrel
(Pterodroma incerta). However, this status is now in doubt as in April 2007 researchers published evidence that predation by introduced house mice
on seabird chicks is occurring at levels that might drive the Tristan Albatross and the Atlantic Petrel to extinction. The island is also home to the almost flightless Gough Island Moorhen
, and the critically endangered Gough Bunting
.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
has since been awarded £62,000 by the UK government's Overseas Territories Environment Programme to fund additional research on the Gough Island mice and a feasibility study of how best to deal with them. The grant will also pay for the assessment of a rat
problem on Tristan da Cunha island.
. Because cold front
s approach South Africa from the south-west, the Gough station is particularly important in forecasting winter weather.
The Gough Island teams consist of:
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha is a remote volcanic group of islands in the south Atlantic Ocean and the main island of that group. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying from the nearest land, South Africa, and from South America...
and part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union consisting of the islands of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the Tristan da Cunha group...
. It is uninhabited except for the personnel of a weather station
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for observing atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed, wind...
(usually six people) which the South African National Antarctic Programme
South African National Antarctic Programme
The South African National Antarctic Programme is the South African government's program for research in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. Three research stations fall under this program, the Antarctica research station SANAE IV, and two stations named after the subantartic island that they can be...
has maintained continually on the island since 1956. It is one of the most remote places with a constant human presence.
Geography and geology
Gough Island rises to heights of over 900 m (2,953 ft) above sea level. Its area is 35 square miles (90.6 km²) according to the South African Antarctic Programme. It is located at 40.3181°N 9.9353°W. Topographic features include the highest Peak, Edinburgh Peak, Hags Tooth, Mount Rowett, Sea Elephant Bay, Quest Bay, and Hawkins Bay.It includes small satellite islands and rocks such as Southwest Island, Saddle Island (South), Tristiana Rock, Isolda Rock (West), Round Island, Cone Island, Lot's Wife, Church Rock (North), Penguin Island (Northeast), and The Admirals (East). It is a remote and lonely place, about 400 kilometres (248.5 mi) southeast of the other islands in the Tristan da Cunha group, 2700 kilometres (1,677.7 mi) from Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, and over 3200 kilometres (1,988.4 mi) from the nearest point of South America.
History
The first recorded discovery of Gough Island was in 1505 or 1506 by the Portuguese explorer Gonçalo ÁlvaresGonçalo Álvares
Gonçalo Álvares was a Portuguese explorer who actively participated in the age of discovery starting from the second voyage of Diogo Cão....
. Maps during the next three centuries named the island for him. On some later maps, this was given as Diego Alvarez.
According to some historians, the English merchant Anthony de la Roché
Anthony de la Roché
Anthony de la Roché, born sometime in the 17th century, was an English merchant born in London to a French Huguenot father and an English mother...
was the first to land on the island, in April 1675.
Charles Gough
Gough-Calthorpe family
The Gough-Calthorpe family is descended from ancient and notable families who both held lands in the area around Birmingham, England.Sir Henry Gough, 1st Baronet, Member of Parliament, was made a Baronet in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom in 1728...
rediscovered the island in 1731, thinking it was a new find. It has since been named for him.
- It was named Gonçalo Alvarez, after the captain of Vasco da Gama's flagship on his epic voyage to the east, and under this name it was marked with reasonable accuracy on the charts of the South Atlantic during the following 250 years. Then, in 1731, Captain Gough of the British ship Richmond reported the discovery of a new island, which he placed 400 miles to the east of Goncalo Alvarez. Fifty years later cartographers realized that the two islands were the same and despite the priority of the Portuguese discovery, and the greater accuracy of the position given by them, "Gough's Island" was the name adopted.
Wildlife
Gough and Inaccessible IslandInaccessible Island
Inaccessible Island is an extinct volcano, 14 km² in area, rising out of the South Atlantic Ocean 45 km southwest of Tristan da Cunha. Inaccessible Island is located at . It is part of the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha, which is part of the overseas territory of the United Kingdom,...
are a protected wildlife reserve, which has been designated a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. It has been described as one of the least disrupted ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
s of its kind and one of the best shelters for nesting seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
s in the Atlantic. In particular, it is host to almost the entire world population of the Tristan Albatross
Tristan Albatross
The Tristan Albatross, Diomedea dabbenena, is a large seabird from the albatross family. One of the great albatrosses of the genus Diomedea, it was only widely recognised as a full species in 1998.-Taxonomy:...
(Diomedea dabbenena) and the Atlantic Petrel
Atlantic Petrel
The Atlantic Petrel is a gadfly petrel endemic to the South Atlantic Ocean. It breeds in enormous colonies on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, and ranges at sea from Brazil to Namibia, with most records at sea being to the west of the breeding islands, and along the subtropical convergence.The...
(Pterodroma incerta). However, this status is now in doubt as in April 2007 researchers published evidence that predation by introduced house mice
House mouse
The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....
on seabird chicks is occurring at levels that might drive the Tristan Albatross and the Atlantic Petrel to extinction. The island is also home to the almost flightless Gough Island Moorhen
Gough Island Moorhen
The Gough Moorhen, Gallinula comeri, is a medium-sized, almost flightless bird that is similar to the Common Moorhen , but is smaller, stockier, and has shorter wings. The bird has a distinctive bill that is reddish with a yellow tip. Its first account was written by the polar explorer George...
, and the critically endangered Gough Bunting
Gough Bunting
The Gough Bunting or Gough Finch is a songbird species. Traditionally considered a bunting and placed in the family Emberizidae, it is actually neither a bunting nor a true finch, but belongs to a group of finch-like birds or tanager-finches in the family Thraupidae...
.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Bird Notes and News was first published in April 1903.The title changed to 'Bird Notes' in 1947. In the 1950s, there were four copies per year . Each volume covered two years, spread over three calendar years...
has since been awarded £62,000 by the UK government's Overseas Territories Environment Programme to fund additional research on the Gough Island mice and a feasibility study of how best to deal with them. The grant will also pay for the assessment of a rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
problem on Tristan da Cunha island.
Weather station
The weather station on Gough Island is operated as part of the network of the South African Weather ServiceSouth African Weather Service
The South African Weather Service is the meteorological service under the South African government's Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. SAWS is a member of the World Meteorological Organization. The agency is similar to the United States' National Weather Service.Under the South...
. Because cold front
Cold front
A cold front is defined as the leading edge of a cooler mass of air, replacing a warmer mass of air.-Development of cold front:The cooler and denser air wedges under the less-dense warmer air, lifting it...
s approach South Africa from the south-west, the Gough station is particularly important in forecasting winter weather.
The Gough Island teams consist of:
- a senior meteorologist
- two junior meteorologists
- a radio technician
- a medicMedicMedic is a general term for a person involved in medicine, especially emergency or first-response medicine, such as an emergency medical technician, paramedic, or a military member trained in battlefield medicine. Also the term is used toward a Nurse in pre-hospital care and/or emergency...
- a diesel mechanic
- biologistBiologistA biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
s (depending on ongoing research projects)
External links
- The South African Weather Station on Gough Island - Official website.
- Wiki site for Southern Ocean Islands and Antarctica
- Web site for the 54th South-African expedition to Gough Island
- Gough Island on GlobalGuide
- Map of Gough Island, with PDF downloadable
- The South Atlantic and Subantarctic Islands: Gough Island
- UNESCO Gough & Inaccessible Islands Wildlife Reserve
- Photographs by one of the South African Weather Station staff who was based on Gough Island.