Country/territory: Antarctica
IBA criteria met: A1 (2012)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 1,144,442 hectares (11,444.42 km2)
Site description (2012 baseline)
This Marine IBA is identified using tracking data. It falls within the Antarctica Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the Atlantic, Antarctic FAO ocean region. The site covers an area of 11444 km2 and is 110 km away from the closet coastline. The depth ranges from 400 to 3750 m, with a mean annual wind speed of 2.71 m/s, mean annual sea surface temperature falls between 0.18 and 0.67 °C and mean annual chlorophyll-a concentrations found to range between 0.18 and 0.51 mg/m3.
Key biodiversity
1 species triggers IBA criteria at this Marine IBA. BirdLife analyses of tracking data estimates that 3093-6945 individuals of Grey-headed Albatross (VU) from Islas Diego Ramirez are present at the site during the Brood-guard (Dec-Jan) life-history stage.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Atlantic, Antarctic 12 - Marine (Antarctica). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/atlantic-antarctic-12--marine-iba-antarctica on 27/12/2024.