Worley Point, Shepard Island (45234)
Antarctica, Antarctica
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2015
National site name: Worley Point, Shepard Island
Central coordinates: Latitude: -74.4066, Longitude: -132.7756
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 200
Area of KBA (km2): 0.08429
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Worley Point is a narrow, flat, rocky area extending ~1 km along the northwestern coast of Shepard Island, which lies adjacent to the Getz Ice Shelf, Marie Byrd Land. Shepard Island is of basaltic geology (Gohl 2010), is predominantly ice-covered, and rises to ~520 m at Mount Colburn. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the concentration of seabirds present (in particular Adélie Penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae)) and comprises all ice free ground at Worley Point. There are no research stations nearby. The closest permanent stations are Scott Base (NZL) and McMurdo Station (USA), located ~1570 km to the southwest in the southern 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 10 481 breeding pairs (95% CI: 6196, 17 123) of Adélie Penguin were present on Worley Point in December 2010, as estimated from satellite imagery (Lynch & LaRue 2014). Penguins occupy the entire ice free area in summer. No other information on birds in the area is available. 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: Gohl, K. (ed.) 2010. The expedition of the Research Vessel “Polarstern” to the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica in 2010. Berichte zur Polar- und Meeresforschung. 617/2010. 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