Arthurson Ridge (45215)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Arthurson Ridge
Central coordinates: Latitude: -69.3708, Longitude: 158.5047
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 400
Area of KBA (km2): 1.53557
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Arthurson Ridge is an ice free outcrop that lies between Cook Ridge and McLeod Glacier in Davis Bay, Oates Land. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises ice free ground along the coast of Davis Bay and extending onto the lower eastern slope of Arthurson Ridge. There are no research stations nearby. The closest permanent stations are Mario Zucchelli (ITA) and Jang Bogo (KOR), ~620 km to the southwest in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: Approximately 14 461 breeding pairs (95% CI 8643, 23 880) of Adélie Penguins were present on Arthurson Ridge as estimated from March 2012 satellite imagery (Lynch & LaRue 2014). An Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colony is situated nearby in Davis Bay, although with only ~1745 breeding pairs (Fretwell et al. 2012) it does not qualify as an IBA. No other birds are known to breed in the area. Non-bird biodiversity: None known.
Delineation rationale: If ice-free area is ≤ 5 km2 then ice-free area is used as boundary.
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: None known.
Additional information
References: Fretwell, P.T., LaRue, M.A., Morin P., Kooyman, G.L., Wienecke, B., Ratcliffe, N., Fox, A.J., Fleming, A.H., Porter, C. & Trathan, P.N. 2012. An Emperor Penguin population estimate: The first global, synoptic survey of a species from space. PLoS ONE 7(4): e33751. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033751 Lynch, H.J. & LaRue, M.A. 2014. First global census of the Adélie Penguin. The Auk 131(4): 457-66. doi:10.1642/AUK-14-31.1