No blogs have yet been posted from this ecoregion.
There are two ecoregions on continental Antarctica (the one that includes the coastal strip of Western Antarctica is Marielandia Antarctic Tundra, AN1101). The Scotia Sea Islands Tundra includes a number of subantarctic islands to the east of the southern tip of South America. Specifically, the ecoregion includes South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Shetland Islands, and Bouvet Island. On the map below, the red dotted line defines the limit of the ecoregion.
Description of the Ecoregion
Most of the terrain of these islands is covered with snow and permanent ice, with tundra vegetation – moss, lichen, and algae – on the remainder. South Georgia however has a fairly rich flora of about 50 vascular plants.
The ecoregion includes islands south of the Antarctic Convergence (see the map). The Convergence separates the clockwise-flowing Antarctic circumpolar current from other oceans. Antarctic waters predominantly sink beneath the warmer subantarctic waters; associated zones of mixing and upwelling create a zone very high in marine productivity, especially for Antarctic krill. This natural boundary in turn is critical for defining feeding areas for whales and seabirds.
Birds of the Ecoregion
The avifauna of the ecoregion is composed for the most part only of nesting seabirds although South Georgia does have a native songbird, the xx.
Resources for the Ecoregion Birder
Information pending.
DJG: xx spp. (July 11, 2015)