South Shetland Islands, Antarctica

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands and South Georgia Island, is an increasingly popular Tourism in Antarctica, tourist destination during the southern summer.

Geography

As a group of islands, the South Shetland Islands are located at . They are within the region 61° 00'–63° 37' South, 53° 83'–62° 83' West. The islands lie south of the Falkland Islands, and between (Deception Island) and (Clarence Island (South Shetland Islands), Clarence Island) northwest and north from the nearest point of the Antarctic continent, Graham Land.

The South Shetlands consist of 11 major islands and several minor ones, totalling of land area. Between 80 and 90% of the land area is permanently glacier, glaciated. The highest point on the island chain is Mount Irving on Clarence Island at above sea level.

The South Shetland Islands extend about from Smith Island (South Shetland Islands), Smith Island and Low Island (South Shetland Islands), Low Island in the west-southwest to Elephant Island and Clarence Island in the east-northeast.

Volcanoes

Various volcanoes with activity in the Quaternary exist in the islands. These volcanoes are associated with the plate tectonics, tectonics of Bransfield Basin, Bransfield Rift. From west to east known volcanoes are Sail Rock, Deception Island, Rezen Knoll, Gleaner Heights, Edinburgh Hill, Inott Point, Penguin Island (South Shetland Islands), Penguin Island, Melville Peak and Bridgeman Island. Most of the volcanic rock and tephra is of basalt or basaltic andesite. An exception is the tephra of Deception Island which is of trachyte and basaltic trachyandesite, richer in TAS classification, potassium and sodium.

Quaternary volcanic products of the islands tend to have less potassium and sodium at a given silica range, and lower Niobium, Nb/Yttrium, Y ratios, than those associated with the Larsen Rift on the Antarctic Peninisula.

Climate

The islands are the same distance from the equator as the Faroe Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic, but their proximity to Antarctica means that they have a much colder climate. The sea around the islands is closed by sea ice, ice from early April to early December and the monthly average temperature is below for eight months of the year (April to November).

The islands have experienced measurable glacier retreat during recent years, but despite this, they remain more than 80% snow and ice covered throughout the summer.

The climate is cloudy and humid all year round and very strong westerly winds blow at all seasons. Some of the sunniest weather is associated with outbreaks of very cold weather from the south in late winter and spring. Mean summer temperatures are only about and those in winter are about . The effect of the ocean tends to keep summer temperatures low and prevent winter temperatures from falling as low as they do inland to the south.

Flora and fauna

Despite the harsh conditions, the islands do support vegetation and are part of the Scotia Sea Islands tundra ecoregion, along with South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the South Orkney Islands

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