O'Brien Island
O'Brien Island is a small rocky island in the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.[1] It lies 4 kilometres (2 nmi) south-west of Aspland Island and rises to 540 m. The name dates back to the survey of the South Shetlands carried out by Edward Bransfield and William Smith in 1820, when it was applied to O'Brien, Eadie and Aspland Islands as a group. It is now established in international usage.
  O'Brien Island Location in Antarctica | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Antarctica |
| Coordinates | 61°30′S 55°58′W |
| Highest elevation | 540 m (1770 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Administered under the Antarctic Treaty System | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
Important Bird Area
The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because there are records (from 1977) of it supporting large breeding colonies of chinstrap penguins (21,000 pairs) and southern fulmars (8000 pairs).[2]
References
- "O'Brien Island on Australian Antarctic Data Centre".
- "O'Brien Island". BirdLife data zone: Important Bird Areas. BirdLife International. 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Geological Survey document: "O'Brien Island". (content from the Geographic Names Information System)