Peterson Island is a rocky island, long, with two inlets indenting the north side, lying west of, and separated by a narrow channel 200-400 m wide from, the Browning Peninsula, in the southern part of the

Windmill Islands The Windmill Islands are an Antarctic group of rocky islands and rocks about wide, paralleling the coast of Wilkes Land for immediately north of Vanderford Glacier along the east side of Vincennes Bay. Kirkby Shoal is a small shoal area with de ...

on the Budd Coast of Wilkes Land, Antarctica.

Discovery and naming

The island was first mapped from aerial photos taken by the USN's

Operation Highjump Operation HIGHJUMP, officially titled The United States Navy Antarctic Developments Program, 1946–1947, (also called Task Force 68), was a United States Navy (USN) operation to establish the Antarctic research base Little America IV. The opera ...

and Operation Windmill in 1947 and 1948. It was named by the

US-ACAN The Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (ACAN or US-ACAN) is an advisory committee of the United States Board on Geographic Names responsible for recommending commemorative names for features in Antarctica. History The committee was established ...

for Lt.

Mendel L. Peterson Mendel L. Peterson (March 8, 1918 – July 30, 2003) was an American pioneer in the field of underwater archeology and former curator at the Smithsonian Institution, becoming known as "the father of underwater archeology". His specialties included ...

, USN, supply officer with Operation Windmill which established astronomical control stations in the area in January 1948.

Benlein Point

Benlein Point is the southernmost point of the island. It was named by the US-ACAN for Construction Man Franklin J. Benlein, USN, a member of the Wilkes Station party of 1958.

Mackemer Point

Mackemer Point is the north-westernmost point of the island. It was named by the US-ACAN for Aerographer's Mate Frederick W. Mackemer, USN, another member of the Wilkes Station party of 1958.

Knowles Passage

Knowles Passage separates

Holl Island Holl and Höll are surnames that may refer to: * Adolf Holl (1930–2020), Austrian Roman Catholic writer and theologian * Diane Holl (born 1964), British motor racing engineer * Edwin Holl (1916–2005), American politician * Elias Holl (157 ...

from Peterson Island. It was named by US-ACAN for Lt Lloyd C. Knowles, USN, engineer officer of the USS ''Burton Island'', who took part in survey and photographic operations in January 1948.

Important Bird Area

A 397 ha site, comprising the whole island and its central inlet, has been designated 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 ...

because it supports a colony of some 30,000

Adélie penguin The Adélie penguin (''Pygoscelis adeliae'') is a species of penguin common along the entire coast of the Antarctic continent, which is the only place where it is found. It is the most widespread penguin species, and, along with the emperor p ...

s, based on 2011 satellite imagery. Other birds breeding on the island include a large colony of snow petrels, as well as Cape petrels, southern fulmars, south polar skuas and Wilson's storm petrels. Southern elephant seals

haul out Hauling-out is a behaviour associated with pinnipeds (true seals, sea lions, fur seals and walruses) temporarily leaving the water. Hauling-out typically occurs between periods of foraging activity. Rather than remain in the water, pinnipeds hau ...

and breed on the island's northern and north-western slopes, the most southerly known breeding site for the species.

References

External links

* Important Bird Areas of Antarctica Penguin colonies Seabird colonies Windmill Islands {{WilkesLand-geo-stub