Wilhelmina Bay
| Wilhelmina Bay | |
|---|---|
 Peak overlooking Wilhelmina Bay | |
  Wilhelmina Bay | |
| Coordinates | 64°38′S 62°10′W / 64.633°S 62.167°W |
Wilhelmina Bay (64°38′S 62°10′W / 64.633°S 62.167°W) is a bay 24 km (13 nmi; 15 mi) wide along the west coast of Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. It spans between the Reclus Peninsula to the northeast and Cape Anna to the southwest. It was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99 led by Adrien de Gerlache. The bay is named for Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands, who reigned from 1890 to 1948.[1]
Wilhelmina Bay is a popular destination for tourist ships to Antarctica thanks to its scenery and abundant humpback whale population.
Location[edit]
Wilhelmina Bay is on the Danco Coast on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. It indents the southeast side of Gerlache Strait opposite the Solvay Mountains of Brabant Island. The Arctowski Peninsula defines its southwest side, Forbidden Plateau its southeast side and -} [[Nansen Island is in the northeast of the bay. Wilhelmina Bay is between Charlotte Bay to the northeast and Andvord Bay to the southwest. [2]
Coastal features include, clockwise from the eastern entrance,
- The Reclus Peninsula, including Jacques Peaks, Bancroft Bay, Cañón Point, Zapato Point, and Café Point.
- Leonardo Glacier, Sadler Point, Blanchard Glacier, Garnerin Point, Pishtachev Peak and Rozier Glacier.
- Piccard Cove, including Sophie Cliff, Balis Ridge, Montgolfier Glacier, Bacho Kiro Peak, Mechit Buttress, Woodbury Glacier and O'Neal Point,
- The Arctowski Peninsula including Beaupré Cove, Jones Point, Hugershoff Cove and Cape Anna.
Eastern features[edit]
Leonardo Glacier[edit]
64°42′S 61°58′W / 64.700°S 61.967°W. A glacier flowing into Wilhelmina Bay between Sadler Point and Café Point, on the west coast of Graham Land. Charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 for Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), artist, musician, architect and first aeronautical scientist.[3]
Sadler Point[edit]
64°42′S 62°04′W / 64.700°S 62.067°W. A point within Wilhelmina Bay, lying 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 mi) east of Garnerin Point. Charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 after James Sadler (1751-1828), Oxford confectioner, the first English aeronaut, who ascended in a montgolfier balloon on October 4, 1784.[4]
Blanchard Glacier[edit]
64°44′S 62°05′W / 64.733°S 62.083°W. A glacier flowing into Wilhelmina Bay between Garnerin Point and Sadler Point. First charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 for Jean-Pierre Blanchard (1753-1809), French aeronaut, the first professional balloon pilot, who, with John J. Jeffries, made the first balloon crossing of the English Channel in 1785.[5]
Garnerin Point[edit]
64°41′S 62°10′W / 64.683°S 62.167°W. A point on the west coast of Graham Land projecting into Wilhelmina Bay southeast of Pelseneer island. Charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 for André-Jacques Garnerin (1770-1825), French aeronaut, the first man to make a successful descent from a free balloon by parachute, in 1797.[6]
Pishtachev Peak[edit]
64°44′00.0″S 62°06′27.0″W / 64.733333°S 62.107500°W A rocky, partly ice-free peak rising to 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) high between Rozier Glacier and Blanchard Glacier. Situated 5.3 kilometres (3.3 mi) east of Sophie Cliff, 5.67 kilometres (3.52 mi) south-southeast of Garnerin Point, and 5.57 kilometres (3.46 mi) southwest of Sadler Point. Named after the Bulgarian cartographer Toma Pishtachev (1876-1955).[7]
Rozier Glacier[edit]
64°45′S 62°13′W / 64.750°S 62.217°W. A glacier flowing into Wilhelmina Bay north of Sophie Cliff. Charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 for Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier (1756-85), French technician who made the first human balloon ascent and (with the Marquis d'Arlande) the first balloon voyage, in 1783.[8]
Western features[edit]
Beaupré Cove[edit]
64°42′S 62°22′W / 64.700°S 62.367°W. A cove 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) wide lying immediately northwest of Piccard Cove in Wilhelmina Bay. First charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 for Charles-François Beautemps-Beaupré (1766-1854), French hydrographer who, in 1825, prepared survey instructions for the officers of the Astrolabe and Zelee, laying down for the first time principles for making measurements from landscape drawings.[9]
Jones Point[edit]
64°39′S 62°18′W / 64.650°S 62.300°W. A point within Wilhelmina Bay, lying 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) southeast of Cape Anna. Charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 for Sir Bennett M. Jones, F.R.S., author of Aerial Surveying by Rapid Methods, a pioneer work on the subject.[10]
Hugershoff Cove[edit]
64°38′S 62°23′W / 64.633°S 62.383°W. Cove lying 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) northwest of Beaupre Cove in Withelmina Bay, along the west coast of Graham Land. Charted by the BelgAE under Gerlache, 1897-99. Named by the UK-APC in 1960 for Carl R. Hugershoff (1882-1941), German geodesist who designed the autocartograph, an instrument which first applied the principles of photogrammetry to air photos, in about 1921.[11]
Cape Anna[edit]
64°35′S 62°26′W / 64.583°S 62.433°W. A prominent black cape rising to 280 metres (920 ft) high, forming the north tip of Arctowski Peninsula on the west coast of Graham Land. Discovered by the BelgAE, 1897-99, and named after Mme. Ernest (Anna) Osterrieth, who gave financial assistance to the expedition.[12]
Islands[edit]
The bay is large enough to contain several islands. The largest of these is Nansen Island Approximately 6.4 km (3.5 nmi; 4.0 mi) to the west is 2.8 km (1.5 nmi; 1.7 mi) long Emma Island, an icecap with bare jagged peaks projecting through.[13] Ice-covered Louise Island is approximately 1 km (0.54 nmi; 0.62 mi) long. It sits 1.6 km (0.86 nmi; 0.99 mi) west of Emma Island, and 1.6 km east of Cape Anna and Anna Cove on the southwest side of the entrance to Wilhelmina Bay.[14]
Gallery[edit]
-
A kayaker watches whales in Wilhelmina Bay -
Kayakers in Wilhelmina Bay -
Expedition vessel Akademik Ioffe sailing into Wilhelmina Bay in January 2014 -
A tourist Zodiac has a close encounter with a humpback whale in Wilhelmina Bay
References[edit]
- ^ Alberts 1995.
- ^ Graham Land and South Shetland BAS.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 428.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 642.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 73.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 269.
- ^ Pishtachev Peak SCAR.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 634.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 54.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 377.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 352.
- ^ Alberts 1995, p. 21.
- ^ "Emma Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "Louise Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
Sources[edit]
- Alberts, Fred G., ed. (1995), Geographic Names of the Antarctic (PDF) (2 ed.), United States Board on Geographic Names, retrieved 2023-12-03
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Board on Geographic Names. - Graham Land and South Shetland Islands, BAS: British Antarctic Survey, 2005, retrieved 2024-05-03
- "Pishtachev Peak", Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica, Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
