upright=1.3, Map of Gough island
Gough Island ( ), also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares, is a rugged
volcanic island
Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...
in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of
Tristan da Cunha
Tristan da Cunha (), colloquially Tristan, is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately from Cape Town in South Africa, from Saint Helena ...
and part of the
British overseas territory
The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
of
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic and consisting of the island of Saint Helena, Ascension Island and the archipelago of Tristan da Cunha including Gough Island. Its name wa ...
. It is about south-east of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago (which includes
Nightingale Island
Nightingale Island is an active volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, in area, part of the Tristan da Cunha group of islands. They are administered by the United Kingdom as part of the overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tri ...
and
Inaccessible Island
Inaccessible Island is a volcanic island located in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-west of Tristan da Cunha. Its highest point, Cairn Peak, reaches , and the island is in area. The volcano was last active six million years ago and is curren ...
), north-east from
South Georgia Island
South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east ...
, west from
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, and over from the nearest point of South America.
Gough Island is uninhabited, except for the personnel of a
weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
(usually six people) that the
South African National Antarctic Programme
The South African National Antarctic Programme (or SANAP) is the South African government's programme for research in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. Three research stations fall under this programme: the Antarctica research station SANAE IV, an ...
has maintained, with British permission, continually on the island since 1956. It is one of the most remote places with a constant human presence. It is part of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
of "Gough and Inaccessible Island". It is one of the most important
seabird colonies
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are 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 enviro ...
in the world.
Name
The island was first named ''Ilha de Gonçalo Álvares'' on Portuguese maps.
Gonçalo Álvares
Gonçalo Álvares (, ?? – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer who actively participated in the Age of Discovery, starting from the second voyage of Diogo Cão.
In 1497 he commanded the ship '' São Gabriel'' in the epic journey of Vasco da Gama to ...
was a
Portuguese explorer
Portuguese maritime exploration resulted in the numerous territories and maritime routes recorded by the Portuguese as a result of their intensive maritime journeys during the 15th and 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors were at the vanguard of Eu ...
who discovered the island 1505. Confusion of the unusual Portuguese saint name
Gonçalo Gonçalo is a Portuguese masculine given name and family name.
People with the name include:
*Gonçalo Brandão, a Portuguese footballer
*Gonçalo Coelho, a Portuguese explorer of the South Atlantic and of the South American coast
* Gonçalo Foro ...
with Spanish Diego led to the misnomer Diego Alvarez Island in English-language sources from the 1800s to 1930s. However, the most likely explanation is that it was simply a misreading of "Is de Go Alvarez", the name by which the island is represented on some of the early charts, the "de Go" mutating into "Diego".
The name "Gough island" refers to the British mariner Captain
Charles Gough of the ''Richmond'', who sighted the island in 1732.
History
The details of the discovery of Gough Island are unclear, but the most likely occasion is July 1505 by the Portuguese explorer
Gonçalo Álvares
Gonçalo Álvares (, ?? – 1524) was a Portuguese explorer who actively participated in the Age of Discovery, starting from the second voyage of Diogo Cão.
In 1497 he commanded the ship '' São Gabriel'' in the epic journey of Vasco da Gama to ...
. Maps during the next three centuries named the island after him. On some later maps, this was erroneously given as Diego Alvarez.
According to some historians, the British merchant
Anthony de la Roché
Anthony de la Roché (spelled also ''Antoine de la Roché'', ''Antonio de la Roché'' or ''Antonio de la Roca'' in some sources) was a 17th-century English merchant born in London to a French Huguenot father and an English mother. During a c ...
was the first to land on the island, in the austral autumn of 1675.
[Capt. Francisco de Seixas y Lovera]
''Descripcion geographica, y derrotero de la region austral Magallanica. Que se dirige al Rey nuestro señor, gran monarca de España, y sus dominios en Europa, Emperador del Nuevo Mundo Americano, y Rey de los reynos de la Filipinas y Malucas''
, Madrid, Antonio de Zafra, 1690. ( Relevant fragment)[J.-F.G. de la Pérouse, F.A.M. de la Rúa]
A Voyage Round the World, Performed in the Years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, by the ''Boussole'' and ''Astrolabe'': Under the Command of J.-F.G. de la Pérouse, Volume 1.
London: Lackington, Allen, and Company, 1807. pp.71-81.
Charles Gough rediscovered the island on 3 March 1732, thinking it was a new find.
It had been named Gonçalo Álvares since 1505 after the captain of
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (; ; c. 1460s – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea.
His initial voyage to India by way of Cape of Good Hope (1497–1499) was the first to link E ...
'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 230 or so years. Then, in 1732, Captain Gough of the British ship ''Richmond'' reported the discovery of a new island, which he placed 400 miles to the east of Gonçalo Álvares. Fifty years later cartographers realised 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.
In the early 19th century, sealers sometimes briefly inhabited the island. The earliest known example is a sealing gang from the U.S. ship ''Rambler'' (Captain Joseph Bowditch) which remained on the island in the 1804–1805 season. The sealing era lasted from 1804 to 1910 during which 34 sealing vessels are known to have visited the island, one of which was lost offshore.
The
Scottish National Antarctic Expedition
The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE), 1902–1904, was organised and led by William Speirs Bruce, a natural scientist and former medical student from the University of Edinburgh. Although overshadowed in terms of prestige by Rob ...
on the ''
Scotia
Scotia is a Latin placename derived from ''Scoti'', a Latin name for the Gaels, first attested in the late 3rd century.Duffy, Seán. ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2005. p.698 The Romans referred to Ireland as "Scotia" around ...
'' made the first visit to the island by a scientific party on 21 April 1904, when
William Speirs Bruce
William Speirs Bruce (1 August 1867 – 28 October 1921) was a British naturalist, polar scientist and oceanographer who organized and led the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (SNAE, 1902–04) to the South Orkney Islands and the Wedd ...
and others collected specimens. The
Shackleton–Rowett Expedition
The Shackleton–Rowett Expedition (1921–22) was Sir Ernest Shackleton's last Antarctic project, and the final episode in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
The venture, financed by John Quiller Rowett, is sometimes referred to as the ...
also stopped at the island in 1922. There was a brief period of human occupation for two years from 1936 to 1938 when farming was done to hunt for birds, their eggs, and to extract driftwood, guano and apples.
Gough Island was formally claimed in 1938 for the United Kingdom, during a visit by HMS ''Milford'' of the Royal Navy.
In 1995, the island was inscribed as a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. In 2004, the site was extended to include
Inaccessible Island
Inaccessible Island is a volcanic island located in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-west of Tristan da Cunha. Its highest point, Cairn Peak, reaches , and the island is in area. The volcano was last active six million years ago and is curren ...
and the marine zone of Gough Island was extended from 3 to 12
miles. The site was renamed Gough and Inaccessible Islands. The selection criteria for the site do not include its geomorphic interest. As it happens, Gough and Inaccessible Islands are included in a possible "serial trans-boundary nomination" for the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge (a divergent or constructive plate boundary) located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the longest mountain range in the world. In the North Atlantic, the ridge separates the North Ame ...
, which would include other volcanic sites in the Atlantic.
Gough Island is the only land outside South America from which the
solar eclipse of 12 September 2034 (excluding partial phases), will be visible; the centre of the path of totality crosses over the island.
Geography and geology
One of the remotest islands in the world, Gough Island is in the
South Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
. While the central part of the island is a plateau, the western part has a highland with the peaks and cliffs rising over 350 metres. Gough Island is roughly rectangular with a length of and a width of . It has an area of and rises to a highest point over above sea level.
Glens cut deep into the inland mountains from the northern and eastern sides.
Geological formations on the island are of volcanic origin.
Topographic features include its highest peak, Edinburgh Peak (), as well as Hags Tooth, Mount Rowett, Sea Elephant Bay, Quest Bay, and Hawkins Bay.
Surrounding Gough are small satellite islands and rocks, such as Southwest Island, Saddle Island (to the South), Tristiana Rock, Isolda Rock (West), Round Island, Cone Island, Lot's Wife, Church Rock (North), Penguin Island (Northeast), and The Admirals (East).
The average temperature is while the average rainfall is . Snow falls in the highlands in winter.
Climate
According to the
Köppen system, Gough Island features an
oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(''Cfb''). Gough Island's high temperatures are between and during the day year-round, due to its isolated position far out in the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, summers are seldom hot. The Atlantic is much cooler in the southern hemisphere than in the northern, but frosts are still very rare. Precipitation is high throughout the year, and sunshine hours are few. Snow falls on the inland peaks, but is very unlikely at low altitudes.
Fauna and flora
![Blechnum and Phylica](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Blechnum_and_Phylica.png)
Gough and
Inaccessible Island
Inaccessible Island is a volcanic island located in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-west of Tristan da Cunha. Its highest point, Cairn Peak, reaches , and the island is in area. The volcano was last active six million years ago and is curren ...
are a protected
wildlife reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...
, which has been designated a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
It has been described as one of the least disrupted
ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s of its kind and one of the best shelters for nesting
seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are 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 enviro ...
s in the Atlantic. In particular, it is host to almost the entire world population of the
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
Albatrosses belong to the fami ...
(''Diomedea dabbenena'') and the
Atlantic petrel
The Atlantic petrel (''Pterodroma incerta'') 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 bein ...
(''Pterodroma incerta''). The island is also home to the almost flightless
Gough moorhen
The Gough moorhen (''Gallinula comeri'') is a medium-sized, almost flightless bird that is similar to the common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), but is smaller, stockier, and has shorter wings. The bird has a distinctive yellow-tipped red bil ...
, and the critically endangered
Gough bunting
The Gough finch (''Rowettia goughensis'') or Gough bunting, is a critically endangered species of songbird.
Taxonomy
The Gough finch was formally described in 1904 by the British ornithologist William Eagle Clarke from a specimen collected on ...
.
Birds
![Gough Bunting Male](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Gough_Bunting_Male.JPG)
The island has been identified as an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
for its endemic landbirds and as a breeding site for
seabird
Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are 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 enviro ...
s. Birds for which the IBA has conservation significance include
northern rockhopper penguin
The northern rockhopper penguin, Moseley's rockhopper penguin, or Moseley's penguin (''Eudyptes moseleyi'') is a penguin species native to the southern Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It is described as distinct from the southern rockhopper penguin.
...
s (30,000 breeding pairs),
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
Albatrosses belong to the fami ...
es (1,500–2,000 pairs),
sooty albatross
The sooty albatross, dark-mantled sooty albatross or dark-mantled albatross,BirdLife International (2008b) (''Phoebetria fusca''), is a species of bird in the albatross family. They breed on sub-Antarctic islands and range at sea across the S ...
es (5,000 pairs),
Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross
The Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross (''Thalassarche chlororhynchos'') is a large seabird in the albatross family Diomedeidae.
This small mollymawk was once considered conspecific with the Indian yellow-nosed albatross and known as the yellow-no ...
es (5,000 pairs),
broad-billed prion
The broad-billed prion (''Pachyptila vittata'') is a small pelagic seabird in the shearwater and petrel family, Procellariidae. It is the largest prion, with grey upperparts plumage, and white underparts. The sexes are alike. It ranges from the ...
s (1,750,000 pairs),
Kerguelen petrel
The Kerguelen petrel (''Aphrodroma brevirostris'') is a small (36 cm long) slate-grey seabird in the family Procellariidae. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Aphrodroma''. It is a pelagic, circumpolar seabird of the Southern Oce ...
s (20,000 pairs),
soft-plumaged petrel
The soft-plumaged petrel (''Pterodroma mollis'') is a species of seabird in the family Procellariidae.
Distribution
It breeds on islands in the Southern Hemisphere, nesting on Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island, the Prince Edward Islands, Crozet ...
s (400,000 pairs),
Atlantic petrel
The Atlantic petrel (''Pterodroma incerta'') 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 bein ...
s (900,000 pairs),
great-winged petrel
The great-winged petrel (''Pterodroma macroptera'') is a petrel.
Taxonomy
This species was formerly treated as containing two subspecies - ''P. m. macroptera'' and ''P. m. gouldi'', the latter of which is endemic to New Zealand. As of 2014, th ...
s (5,000 pairs),
grey petrel
The grey petrel (''Procellaria cinerea''), also called the brown petrel, pediunker or grey shearwater is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae, or petrel family. It is pelagic and occurs in the open seas of the Southern Hemisphere, mainly b ...
s (10,000 pairs),
great shearwater
The great shearwater (''Ardenna gravis'') is a large shearwater in the seabird family Procellariidae. It breeds colonially on rocky islands in the south Atlantic. Outside the breeding season it ranges widely in the Atlantic.
Taxonomy
The great s ...
s (100,000 pairs),
little shearwater
The little shearwater (''Puffinus assimilis'') is a small shearwater in the petrel family Procellariidae. Despite the generic name, it is unrelated to the puffins, which are auks, the only similarity being that they are both burrow-nesting s ...
s (10,000 pairs),
grey-backed storm petrel
The grey-backed storm petrel (''Garrodia nereis'') is a species of seabird in the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is monotypic within the genus ''Garrodia''. It is found in Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Falkland Islands, ...
s (10,000 pairs),
white-faced storm petrel
The white-faced storm petrel (''Pelagodroma marina''), also known as white-faced petrel is a small seabird of the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Pelagodroma''.
Description
The white-faced ...
s (10,000 pairs),
white-bellied storm petrel
The white-bellied storm petrel (''Fregetta grallaria'') is a species of seabird in the family Oceanitidae. It is found in Angola, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, French Polynesia, French Southern Territories, Maldives, Namibia, New ...
s (10,000 pairs),
Antarctic tern
The Antarctic tern (''Sterna vittata'') is a seabird in the family Laridae. It ranges throughout the southern oceans and is found on small islands around Antarctica as well as on the shores of the mainland. Its diet consists primarily of small fis ...
s (500 pairs),
southern skua
The brown skua (''Stercorarius antarcticus''), also known as the Antarctic skua, subantarctic skua, southern great skua, southern skua, or hākoakoa (Māori language, Māori), is a large seabird that breeds in the subantarctic and Antarctic zones ...
s (500 pairs),
Gough moorhen
The Gough moorhen (''Gallinula comeri'') is a medium-sized, almost flightless bird that is similar to the common moorhen (''Gallinula chloropus''), but is smaller, stockier, and has shorter wings. The bird has a distinctive yellow-tipped red bil ...
s (2,500 pairs) and
Gough bunting
The Gough finch (''Rowettia goughensis'') or Gough bunting, is a critically endangered species of songbird.
Taxonomy
The Gough finch was formally described in 1904 by the British ornithologist William Eagle Clarke from a specimen collected on ...
s (3,000 individuals).
Mammals
![1954stampGoughTristan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/1954stampGoughTristan.jpg)
The island has a large breeding population of
subantarctic fur seal
The subantarctic fur seal (''Arctocephalus tropicalis'') is found in the southern parts of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. It was first described by Gray in 1872 from a specimen recovered in northern Australia—hence the inappropri ...
s and some
southern right whales still migrate around the island.
House mice are currently present on the island (see
Invasive Species
An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...
).
Invasive species
Pearlwort (''Sagina procumbens'')
In 1998, a number of
procumbent pearlwort (''Sagina procumbens'') plants were found on the island which are capable of dramatically transforming the upland plant ecosystem (as it has on the
Prince Edward Islands
The Prince Edward Islands are two small uninhabited islands in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean that are part of South Africa. The islands are named Marion Island (named after Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne, 1724–1772) and Prince Edward Island ...
).
Eradication efforts are ongoing but are expected to require years of 'concerted effort'.
House mice
In April 2007, researchers published evidence that predation by introduced
house mice
The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus ''Mus''. Although ...
on seabird chicks is occurring at levels that might drive the Tristan albatross and the Atlantic petrel to extinction. As of October 2018, it is estimated that as many as 2,000,000 fewer eggs and chicks are being raised due to the impact of mice on the island, threatening the extinction of several species of seabirds that breed exclusively or nearly exclusively on Gough Island.
The
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thr ...
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. This grant also paid for the assessment of a
rat problem on Tristan da Cunha island. Trials for a method of eradicating the mice through baiting were commenced, and ultimately a £9.2 million eradication programme was planned, and set to begin in 2020, with the island expected to be mouse-free by 2022. However, the start date was delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme used helicopters to drop cereal pellets containing the rodenticide
brodifacoum
Brodifacoum is a highly lethal 4-hydroxycoumarin vitamin K antagonist anticoagulant poison. In recent years, it has become one of the world's most widely used pesticides. It is typically used as a rodenticide, but is also used to control larger ...
. Gough has also been identified as the third-most important island in the world (out of 107 islands) to be targeted for the removal of non-native invasive mammals to save threatened species from extinction and make major progress towards achieving global conservation targets. The proposed cull was criticised by the director of
Animal Aid
Animal Aid is a British animal rights organisation, founded in 1977 by Jean Pink. The group campaigns peacefully against the consumption of animals as food and against animal cruelty such as their use for medical research—and promotes a cruel ...
stating "We don’t feel we have the right to choose some animals over others ... We don’t agree with any culling for so-called conservation purposes. The conservation priority should be making sure wild spaces are protected, but allowing nature to do its thing."
As of December 2021, the head of the project to cull the population of mice considers this to have been a failure, since a living mouse was spotted after the completion of the project, which implied that there are other mice still alive on Gough.
Weather station
A
weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
has been operating on Gough Island since 1956. It is operated as part of the network of the
South African Weather Service
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) 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.
Under the South African Wea ...
. Because
cold front
A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface trough of low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropical cyclone (to the west in the Northern ...
s approach South Africa from the south-west, the Gough station is particularly important in forecasting winter weather. Initially it was housed in the station at The Glen, but moved in 1963 to the South lowlands of the island, more precisely . The new location improved the validity and reliability of the data acquired for use in modelling.
Human presence
Each year, a new overwintering team arrives by ship from
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
(beginning in 2012, the ''
S. A. Agulhas II'') to staff the weather station and perform scientific research. The team for a particular year may be termed as "Gough" and an expedition number: For example, the 1956 team was designated "Gough 01", and the team for 2013 was "Gough 58". Each new team directly replaces the departing one, thereby maintaining a continual human presence on the island.
A team normally consists of:
*A senior
meteorologist
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
*Two junior meteorologists
*A
radio technician
*A
medic
A medic is a person involved in medicine such as a medical doctor, medical student, paramedic or an emergency medical responder.
Among physicians in the UK, the term "medic" indicates someone who has followed a "medical" career path in postgra ...
*A
diesel mechanic
*A number of
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
s (depending on ongoing research projects)
The team is supplied with enough food to last the whole year. People and cargo are landed either by helicopter, from a helideck-equipped supply ship, or by a fixed crane atop a cliff near the station (a place aptly called "Crane Point").
On 11 February 2014, a member of the research team choked to death on the island and his body was taken back to South Africa.
Maps
File:Gough Island Map.jpg, Relief map
File:Orthographic projection over Gough Island.png, Orthographic projection
File:Gough Island Landsat.jpg, Satellite map
See also
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
www.goughisland.com
– The Gough Island Restoration Project website
Gough Island Gallery
Facebook Groups
– Gough Island team discussions
– UNESCO wildlife reserve publication
Photographs of Gough Island
– Flickr publication by Chantal van Staden.
{{Authority control
Islands of Tristan da Cunha
Volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha
Seabird colonies
South African National Antarctic Programme
Maritime history of South Africa
Important Bird Areas of Saint Helena
Ramsar sites in British Overseas Territories
Seal hunting
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Penguin colonies
Important Bird Areas of subantarctic islands