It’s history, geography and environment
Our Polar Dogs coast-to-coast Antarctica crossing will start at Berkner Island, an incredibly remote ice island off Antarctica. So here’s some information about it – and about why we (mostly Ben!) chose to start here…
Berkner Island is a remote ice-covered landmass in Antarctica that plays a quiet yet significant role in polar exploration. This isolated island is situated between the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves, on the Weddell Sea side of the continent. It is often a point of interest for those planning ambitious coast-to-coast Antarctica crossings.
This series of posts look at how Berkner Island was first discovered, what it’s like today, human activity, and its relevance to polar expeditions.
History of Berkner Island
Berkner Island was first sighted from the air on 12 December 1947, during the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE) led by Finn Ronne. At that time, it was not recognised as a separate island. It just appeared to be part of the vast continuous Antarctic ice shelf.
Ten years later, during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) 1957–58, a U.S. expedition based at Ellsworth Station confirmed that this feature was indeed an island, distinct from the surrounding ice shelves. In 1958, Captain Finn Ronne’s IGY party conducted ground surveys. They were the first people known to set foot on the island. Initially they referred to the newly mapped island as Hubley Island in honour of Dr. Richard C. Hubley, a glaciologist who had died in 1957 during IGY preparations. However, in 1960, the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names officially designated it Berkner Island, in tribute to Dr. Lloyd Viel Berkner (1905–1967).
Lloyd Berkner was an American physicist and a key organiser of Antarctic science. He served as a radio engineer on Admiral Byrd’s 1928–30 Antarctic Expedition and was instrumental in initiating the IGY. And so the island’s current name reflects a legacy of scientific endeavour. Berkner Island today stands as a historical landmark from the IGY era, marking the achievements of mid-20th-century Antarctic exploration.
Geography and environment
Berkner Island is not a typical island of rock and soil. It is an ice rise: basically a massive dome of ice grounded on bedrock that lies below sea level. If its ice cap were removed, the underlying land would be entirely submerged beneath the ocean. The island stretches roughly 320 km in length and 150 km in width, with an area of about 44,000 km². This makes it one of the largest islands in Antarctica (second only to the much more northerly Alexander Island).
The surface of Berkner Island rises gently to form two subtle dome-shaped summits. The southern dome (named Thyssenhöhe) reaches heights of approximately 869 m above sea level, the highest point on the island. The northern dome (Reinwarthhöhe) is slightly lower at about 698 m. There are no exposed mountains or nunataks on Berkner Island. The landscape is a continuous expanse of snow and ice. This is interrupted only by gentle undulations and occasional wind-sculpted snow ridges (sastrugi) on the surface.
Berkner Island’s environment is extremely remote and inhospitable. It is completely encircled by the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf. Its northern tip lies about 20 km shy of the open sea at the edge of the ice shelf. The nearest stretch of continental mainland, the Luitpold Coast of Coats Land, is roughly 150 km to the east. There are no research stations or settlements on the island, or even in its vicinity. The closest permanent scientific base is Argentina’s Belgrano II Station, over 300 km away on the Antarctic mainland. As a result, the island experiences true isolation, with no regular human presence.
Climate
The climate can be similar that of the Antarctic ice plateau, though a little… less cold. The island experiences year-round freezing temperatures, frequent winds, and very low precipitation. In the austral summer, temperatures on the surrounding ice shelf can reach around –10 °C on rare calm days. However, they can plummet far below –30 °C with windchill during storms.
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