Heiss Island

Heiss Island (Russian: Остров Хейса, romanized: Ostrov Kheysa) is an island in Franz Josef Land, Russia. It is located in the central area of the archipelago, north of Hall Island, between Champ Island and Wilczek Land. Its area is 132 km².

Franz Josef Land
Russian: Остров Хейса
Walruses in Heiss Island
Location of Heiss Island in the Franz Josef Archipelago
Geography
LocationArctic Ocean
Coordinates80°27′N 58°03′E
ArchipelagoFranz Josef Land
Area132 km2 (51 sq mi)
Highest point242 metres (794 ft)
Administration
Demographics
Population0

Heiss island is almost unglacierized, having only a small ice-cap off its centre by its northern shore. Highest point 242 m.

The strait to the south of Heiss Island is known as Proliv Markama, which narrows down to only 5 km at this point. On the east lies a strait known as Proliv Austrisky, beyond which lie the smaller Komsomol Islands. 7 km wide Proliv Yermak in the north, separates Heiss Island from the Zichy Land subgroup of the Franz Josef Archipelago.

The cape on the southwestern shore of Heiss island is called Mys Ostantsovyy.

History

Kheysa, a now abandoned Soviet rocket launching site, was located on this island.

Now Heiss Island is home to the Krenkel hydrometeorological station (80°37′ N, 58°03′ E).

This island (including the Komsomol Islands) was originally named after veteran Arctic explorer Isaac Hayes, who undertook a historical Polar expedition in 1850. The island's name in English should have been Hayes Island, but German cartographers Germanized its name after transliterating from the Russian and the corrupted name "Heiss" (meaning "hot" in German) has stuck.

Adjacent islands
  • 7 km to the east of Heiss Island's eastern shore lie the Komsomol Islands (Острова Комсомольские; Ostrova Komsomolskiye). They consist of a 7 km-long triangular island and two very small islets off its northern cape. This island group was named after the Soviet time Komsomols.
  • There is a 1.2 km long islet located off a small bay west of Heiss Island's northeastern cape.

Climate
Climate data for Heiss Island
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 1.9
(35.4)		 0.0
(32.0)		 1.6
(34.9)		 0.7
(33.3)		 2.6
(36.7)		 8.0
(46.4)		 10.3
(50.5)		 8.4
(47.1)		 5.6
(42.1)		 3.8
(38.8)		 1.3
(34.3)		 1.7
(35.1)		 10.3
(50.5)
Average high °C (°F) −19.2
(−2.6)		 −19.5
(−3.1)		 −19.4
(−2.9)		 −15.6
(3.9)		 −6.5
(20.3)		 0.1
(32.2)		 2.1
(35.8)		 1.4
(34.5)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 −8.1
(17.4)		 −13.9
(7.0)		 −18.4
(−1.1)		 −9.9
(14.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) −22.7
(−8.9)		 −23.1
(−9.6)		 −23.0
(−9.4)		 −18.7
(−1.7)		 −8.7
(16.3)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 0.7
(33.3)		 0.1
(32.2)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 −10.4
(13.3)		 −17.1
(1.2)		 −21.8
(−7.2)		 −12.4
(9.7)
Average low °C (°F) −26.2
(−15.2)		 −26.5
(−15.7)		 −26.5
(−15.7)		 −21.6
(−6.9)		 −10.8
(12.6)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 −1.0
(30.2)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 −12.9
(8.8)		 −20.3
(−4.5)		 −25.1
(−13.2)		 −14.9
(5.2)
Record low °C (°F) −42.1
(−43.8)		 −44.4
(−47.9)		 −43.5
(−46.3)		 −39.6
(−39.3)		 −27.7
(−17.9)		 −12.3
(9.9)		 −4.3
(24.3)		 −8.5
(16.7)		 −23.2
(−9.8)		 −32.3
(−26.1)		 −39.5
(−39.1)		 −41.5
(−42.7)		 −44.4
(−47.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 32
(1.3)		 31
(1.2)		 20
(0.8)		 15
(0.6)		 13
(0.5)		 10
(0.4)		 18
(0.7)		 22
(0.9)		 26
(1.0)		 21
(0.8)		 24
(0.9)		 27
(1.1)		 259
(10.2)
Average rainy days 0 0 0.1 0.1 0.4 3 12 12 7 1 0.1 0 36
Average snowy days 21 20 19 16 23 18 11 14 22 25 21 20 230
Average relative humidity (%) 82 82 80 81 85 88 91 92 90 86 84 83 85
Mean monthly sunshine hours 0 0 66 234 226 193 171 83 30 1 0 0 1,004
Source 1: Pogoda.ru.net[1]
Source 2: NOAA (sun 1961–1990)[2]

References
  1. "Weather and Climate-The Climate of Hayes Island" (in Russian). Weather and Climate. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  2. "Krenkel Polar (ISL) Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  • Location:
  • Meteorology:
  • On the (sometimes bewildering) spelling of Russian geographical names:
  • Hayes Island on Fridtjof Nansen's map:
  • Arctic Expeditions:
  • Location: & Kheysa
  • Pictures of Heiss Island:
  • Polar Marine Geosurveys:
  • Ages and types of rocks in Hole Heiss-1 drilled in Heiss Island: -
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