Smith Peninsula (Antarctica) IBA | Summary

AQ100

Smith Peninsula

Current view: summary

Country/territory: Antarctica

IBA criteria met: A4ii (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 292 hectares (2.92 km²)

Site description (2015 baseline)

Smith Peninsula lies between Keller Inlet and Nantucket Inlet, on the Lassiter Coast, southeastern Antarctic Peninsula, in the southwestern Weddell Sea. The IBA qualifies on the basis of the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) colony present on fast ice that forms in the northern part of Clarke Bay, and is entirely marine.

There are no research stations nearby. The closest permanent station is San Martín (ARG), ~730 km to the northwest in Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula.

Key biodiversity

Analysis of a satellite image acquired 30 Oct 2009 (Fretwell et al. 2012) indicated 4018 Emperor Penguins were present at Smith Peninsula. No other birds are known to breed in the area.

Non-bird biodiversity: None known.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Smith Peninsula (Antarctica). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/smith-peninsula-iba-antarctica on 18/12/2024.