Heard and McDonald Islands covanta energy

What is the Heard Island & McDonald Islands Marine Reserve?

One of the world’s largest highly protected IUCN category 1A marine reserves the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve was established by Australia in the waters surrounding HIMI in 2002.

Where are Heard Island and McDonald Islands located?

The islands are a territory (Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands) of Australia administered from Hobart by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

How big is Heard Island & McDonald Islands?

The group's overall land area is 372 km 2 (144 sq mi) and it has 101.9 km (63 mi) of coastline. Discovered in the mid-19th century, the islands lie on the Kerguelen Plateau in the Indian Ocean and have been an Australian territory since 1947. Heard Island and McDonald Islands contain Australia's only two active volcanoes.

Does Heard Island have a benthic fauna?

The benthic fauna at Heard Island is diverse, with over 500 distinct invertebrate taxa identified in bottom samples from the banks, shallow plateau and slopes down to 1000 metres (Hibberd, 2014). Highest diversity is observed on the shallow plateau northwest of HIMI and on Shell Bank.

What causes methane seeps near Heard Island?

Methane seeps have recently been discovered near Heard Island and may be a result of volcanic activity and/or accelerated decomposition of biological material in sediments due to geothermal energy (Spain et al., 2020).

Does Heard Island have a harbour?

Heard Island and the McDonald Islands have no ports or harbours; ships must anchor offshore. The coastline is 101.9 km (63.3 mi) in extent, and a 12 nmi (22 km) territorial sea and 200 nmi (370 km) exclusive fishing zone are claimed. [ 2 ]