Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Proclamation 2005
Part 52Antarctic specially protected area No. 152
Start here
Get a plain-English read of Part 52
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Proclamation 2005.
Part 52 Antarctic specially protected area No. 152
Western Bransfield Strait off Low Island, South Shetland Islands.
Latitude 63 15 S to 63 30 S, longitude 62 00 W to 62 45 W.
Bransfield Strait is a deep water passage approximately 220 km long and 120 km wide between the Antarctic Peninsula and the numerous islands that comprise the South Shetland Islands. The Drake Passage is to the north and to the west is the Bellingshausen Sea. The Area lies approximately 80 km west of the Antarctic Peninsula, mostly within the 200 m isobath directly south and west of Low Island. Low Island is the southern-most of the South Shetland Islands, lying 60 km south-west of Deception Island and 25 km south-east of Smith Island. To the west and south of Low Island, and for approximately 20 km from the shore, the sea floor slopes gently from the intertidal zone to depths of approximately 200 m. The sea floor slopes steeply to the east of Low Island, reaching depths of up to 1 200 m in this part of Bransfield Strait.
The revised boundaries of the Area at Western Bransfield Strait are defined in the north as the line of latitude at 63° 15 S and in the south at 63° 30 S, in the east the boundary is defined as the line of longitude at 62° 00 W and in the west 62° 45 W. The north-eastern boundary is defined as the shoreline of Low Island, extending from 62° 00 W, 63° 20 S in the south-east (approximately two kilometres from Cape Hooker) to 62° 13 30 W, 63° 15 S in the north-west (Cape Wallace). The coastline boundary on the western and southern shores of Low Island is defined as the high tide level, and the intertidal zone is included within the Area. The Area extends a maximum of 27.6 km north-south and a maximum of 37.15 km east-west, encompassing an area of approximately 900 km². Boundary markers have not been installed because in the marine area this is impractical, while at Low Island the coast itself is a clearly defined and visually obvious boundary feature.