• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description (2012 baseline)
This Marine IBA is identified using tracking data. It falls within the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Atlantic, Antarctic FAO ocean region. The site covers an area of 103192 km2 and is 112 km away from the closet coastline. The depth ranges from 1911 to 5949 m, with a mean annual wind speed of 3.01 m/s, mean annual sea surface temperature falls between 0.39 and 2.91 °C and mean annual chlorophyll-a concentrations found to range between 0.27 and 1.34 mg/m3.

Key biodiversity
11 species trigger IBA criteria at this Marine IBA. BirdLife analyses of tracking data estimates that 559-1534 individuals of Wandering Albatross (VU) from South Georgia are present at the site during the Sabbatical (Nov-Feb), Juvenile (Nov-Sep) and Immature (Dec-Mar) life-history stages. 2250-9318 individuals of Southern Giant-petrel (LC) from South Georgia are present at the site during the Brood-guard (Jan-Feb), Incubation (Nov-Jan) and Non-breeding (Nov-Sep) life-history stages. 3103-6369 individuals of Northern Giant-petrel (LC) from are present at the site during the Incubation (Oct-Dec) life-history stage. 1552-7758 individuals of Northern Giant-petrel (LC) from South Georgia are present at the site during the Brood-guard (Dec-Feb), Non-breeding (Nov-Sep) and Post-guard (Jan-Apr) life-history stages. 31205-62410 individuals of Grey-headed Albatross (VU) from South Georgia are present at the site during the Non-breeding (Oct-Jun) life-history stage.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Area factsheet: Atlantic, Antarctic 5 - Marine. Downloaded from http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/atlantic-antarctic-5--marine-iba-south-georgia-&-the-south-sandwich-islands on 29/11/2023.