Peter I Island is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen
Sea, 450 kilometres from Antarctica. It is claimed as a dependency of Norway,
and along with Queen Maud Land and Bouvet Island comprises one of the three
Norwegian dependent territories in the Antarctic and Subantarctic. Peter I
Island is 11 by 19 kilometres long and 156 square kilometres. The tallest peak
is the ultra and 1,640-meter tall Lars Christensen Peak. Nearly all of the
island is covered by a glacier and it is surrounded most of the year by pack ice,
making it inaccessible almost all year round. There is little life on the
island apart from seabirds and seals. The island was first sighted by Fabian
Gottlieb von Bellingshausen on 21 January 1821 and was named for Peter I
of Russia. Not until 2 February 1929 did anyone set foot on the island, when Nils
Larsen and Ola Olstad's Second Norvegia Expedition, financed by Lars
Christensen, was successful. They claimed it for Norway, who annexed it in
1931 and made it a dependency in 1933. The next landing occurred in 1948 and
the island has been subject to some scientific research and a limited amount
of tourism. The island became subject to the Antarctic Treaty in 1961. Since
1987, there has been an automated meteorological station on the island.
Three amateur radio DX-peditions have visited the island and there are
sporadic landings by tourists. History
The first sighting of Peter I Island was made on 21 January 1821 by Fabian
Gottlieb von Bellingshausen's expedition, who commanded the ships
Vostok and Mirnyy under the Russian flag. He named the island for Tsar Peter
I "the Great" of Russia. Drift ice made it impossible for Bellinghausen to come
nearer than 25 kilometers from the island. It was the first land to have
been spotted south of the Antarctic Circle, and was thus also the
southernmost sighted land at the time of its discovery. In January 1910, the
French expedition led by Jean-Martin Charcot and his ship Pourquoi-Pas
confirmed Bellingshausen's discovery, but they also did not land, being
stopped 5 kilometers from the island by pack ice.
In 1926 and 1927, Norwegian Eyvind Tofte circumnavigated and surveyed the island
from Odd I. However, he was also prevented from landing. The Norwegian
whale-ship owner Lars Christensen financed several expeditions to the
Antarctic, in part for research and in part to claim land for Norway. The
latter was motivated by the British taxation of whaling stations in the
Antarctic, and Christensen hoped to be able to establish stations on Norwegian
territory to gain better privileges and so at least the taxes went to his home
country. The first expedition to land on the island was the Christensen-financed
second Norvegia expedition, led by Nils Larsen and Ola Olstad. They landed on 2
February 1929 and claimed the island for Norway. Larsen attempted to land again
in 1931, but was hindered by pack ice. On 6 March 1931, a Norwegian royal
proclamation declared the island under Norwegian sovereignty and on 23 March
1933 the island was declared a dependency.
The next landing occurred on 10 February 1948 by Larsen's ship Brategg.
Biological, geological and hydrographic surveys underwent for three days, before
the pack ice forced the expedition to leave. The expedition built a hut and
placed a copy of the document of occupation from 1929 inside. On 23 June
1961, Peter I Island became subject to the Antarctic Treaty, after Norway's
signing of the treaty in 1959. Since then, there have been several landings
on the island by various nations for scientific investigations, as well as a
limited number of ships that have successfully landed tourists on the
island. In 1987, the Norwegian Polar Institute
sent five scientists to spend eleven days on the island. The main focuses
were aerial photography and topographical measurements to allow an
accurate map of the island to be produced. The second important area was
marine biological investigations, although also geological, biological and
other surveys were conducted. The team also built an automatic weather station.
Three DX-peditions have been sent to the island, in 1987, 1994 and 2006.
Geography Peter I Island is a volcanic island
located 450 kilometres off the coast of Ellsworth Land of continental
Antarctica. It has an area of 154 square kilometres. The island is almost
entirely covered by glacier, with about 95% of the surface covered by ice.
Surrounding the island is a 40-meter tall ice front and vertical cliffs. The
long stretches of ice caps are supplemented with rock outcrops. Landing
is only possible at three points, and only during the short period of the year
in which the island is not surrounded by pack ice. These landings take place on
the west side at Kapp Ingrid Christensen, a peninsula which divides
the bays Norvegiabukta and Sandefjordbukta. On the cape are some
narrow strips of beach, which are suitable for landing. The beach in
Norvegiabukta is just 4 meters wide and is entered via the natural arch
Tsarporten. On the west side is a plateau, while the north and south
coasts feature ice shelves. The eastern side is the steepest and features two
rock columns with flat tops in the sea. The island is a shield volcano, although
it is not known if it is still active, and it has been categorized as either
Holocene or historic, based on date samples ranging from 0.1 to 0.35 million
years ago. The summit, Lars Christensen Peak, is a 100-metre wide circular
crater. An ultra prominent peak at 1,640 metres elevation, it is named for Lars
Christensen. It is not known whether this volcano is extinct or not, because
the upper part is apparently unmodified by glaciation—indicating an eruption
several centuries ago. Environment
The island's vegetation consists exclusively of mosses and lichens which
have adapted to the extreme Antarctic climate. The island has a very harsh
climate with strong winds and freezing temperatures. The steady snowfall keeps
vegetation to a minimum. The island is a breeding ground for a few seabirds,
particularly southern fulmars, but also Wilson's storm petrels and Antarctic
terns. Penguins, including Adélie and chinstrap penguins, visit the island
infrequently. There are numerous seals, particularly crabeater seals, leopard
seals and smaller numbers of southern elephant seals.
Politics Peter I Island is one of Norway's two
territorial claims in Antarctica, the other being Queen Maud Land. Peter I
Island is the only claim within 90°W and 150°W and is also the only claim which
is not a sector. Being south of 60°S, the island is subject to the Antarctic
Treaty. The treaty ensures free access to the island for any scientific
investigation, and states that it can only be used for peaceful purposes.
Norway, Australia, France, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have all mutually
recognized each other's claims in Antarctica.
Norwegian administration of the island is handled by the Polar Affairs
Department of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, located in Oslo.
The annexation of the island is regulated by the Dependency Act of 24
March 1933. It establishes that Norwegian criminal law, private law and
procedural law applies to the island, in addition to other laws that explicitly
state they are valid on the island. It further establishes that all land
belongs to the state, and prohibits the storage and detonation of nuclear
products. Since 5 May 1995, Norwegian law has
required all Norwegian activity in Antarctica, including Peter I Island, to
follow international environmental law for Antarctica. All Norwegian citizens
who plan activities on Peter I Island must therefore report to the Norwegian
Polar Institute, who may deny any non-conforming activity. All people
visiting the island must follow laws regarding protection of nature,
treatment of waste, pollution and insurance for search and rescue
operations. See also
List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands
List of islands of Norway by area List of volcanoes in Antarctica
References Bibliography
Barr, Susan. Norway's Polar Territories. Oslo: Aschehoug. ISBN 82-03-15689-4.
Kyvik, Helga, ed.. Norge i Antarktis. Oslo: Schibsted Forlag. ISBN
82-516-2589-0. LeMasurier, W. E.; Thomson, J. W., eds..
Volcanoes of the Antarctic Plate and Southern Oceans. American Geophysical
Union. ISBN 0-87590-172-7. Rubin, Jeff. Antarctica. Lonely Planet.
ISBN 1-74059-094-5.