In 1836 the second Beagle voyage visited Ascension. Charles Darwin described it as an arid, treeless island, with nothing growing near the coast. Sparse vegetation inland supported "about six hundred sheep, many goats, a few cows & horses," large numbers of guineafowl imported from the Cape Verde islands, rats, mice, and land crabs; he agreed with the saying attributed to the people of St Helena that "We know we live on a rock, but the poor people at Ascension live on a cinder." He noted the care taken to sustain "houses, gardens & fields placed near the summit of the central mountain," and cisterns at roadsides to provide drinking water. The springs were carefully managed, "so that a single drop of water may not be lost: indeed the whole island may be compared to a huge ship kept in first-rate order." In commenting on this, he noted René Primevère Lesson's remark "that the English nation alone would have thought of making the island of Ascension a productive spot; any other people would have held it as a mere fortress in the ocean."[16]
Ascension was the shore terminal for the furthest down range installation of the Atlantic Missile Impact Location System (MILS), an acoustic system for locating splashdown of test nose cones.[31] The MILS hydrophones that were located in the SOFAR channel for broad area coverage have played a significant role in long range acoustic transmission studies and incidents. The island's location makes it a first point of Atlantic reception for acoustics from the other oceans. As an example the Ascension hydrophones received and the site processed signals generated near Heard Island in the Indian Ocean some 9,200 km (5,700 mi; 5,000 nmi) from the Ascension arrays and passing around Africa.[32][33] The Ascension array was one of those involved in the Vela incident acoustic signal in which there were correlated acoustic arrivals with the time and estimated location of the double flash detected by the Vela satellite.[34]
Ascension is a geologically young formation, the tip of an undersea volcano which rose above the waves only a million years ago. Although volcanic activity is mainly associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge plate boundary 80 km to the west, Ascension also displays some features which are commonly attributed to "hotspot" volcanism. Such volcanism is typically assumed to arise from a deep mantle thermal plume from the core-mantle boundary. Alternatively it may result from minor deformations of the oceanic crust that cause extension and permit magma to rise passively up from the asthenosphere. Ascension is considered active and could have erupted as recently as 500 years ago, but the exact eruption date is elusive.[47] Due to the low rainfall and geologically recent eruptions, its soil consists mostly of clinker.[29]
Ascension has a hot desert climate (BWh, according to the Köppen climate classification). The temperatures at the coast average from 22.7 to 27.8 C (72.9 to 82.0 F), and about 5 to 6 C (9 to 11 F) cooler at the highest point. Rain showers may occur at any time during the year, but tend to be heavier between June and September. Although the island is in the tropical zone, average annual rainfall is very low. The cause of this might be the relatively low temperature of the ocean water, as the Benguela Current and South Equatorial Current flow northward west of Africa. These currents bring cooling effects around the eastern South Atlantic Ocean. Tropical cyclones also occur only rarely in the South Atlantic Ocean which might be caused by the same phenomenon, and by strong vertical wind shear.[50][51][52]
The endemic flora includes plants like Pteris adscensionis, Asplenium ascensionis, Euphorbia origanoides as well as the extinct species Oldenlandia adscensionis, Sporobolus durus and Dryopteris ascensionis. Anogramma ascensionis (Ascension Island parsley fern) was thought to have become extinct due to habitat loss, until four plants were found on the island in 2010. Over 60 specimens were then successfully cultivated.[55] Portuguese explorers released goats in the 1500s, which ate many species to extinction. The later introduction of rabbits, sheep, rats and donkeys, and over 200 imported species further marginalised the original flora.[56]
A variety of mammals have been introduced: donkeys, sheep, cats and rats among others. Reptiles consist of two species of lizards. Endemic insect species include the minute, wingless Psocopteran Troglotroctes ashmoleorum, that has been found in caves and between lava blocks.[58] In summer, flies are known to be a problem. The largest native land animal is the land crab Johngarthia lagostoma (formerly Gecarcinus lagostoma).[59] Offshore, there is a variety of open-ocean fish, including sharks, wahoo, tuna, bonito, barracuda, marlin, blackfish and sailfish. The protected green turtle is perhaps the most notable of the endemic fauna, coming ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches from November to May. Turtles were regularly harvested until 1930, when the practice was banned. By 1970 the turtle population had begun to rebound.[29] From the 1970s, when records began, to 2014, green turtle nesting increased by 500%, resulting in some 24,000 nests being laid on the island's main beaches each year.[60]
After crossing 2,400 km (1,490 miles) of ocean from Brazil to Ascension Island, she finds a spot on the beach to build her nest. These nests are always created out of sand, which the green sea turtle female digs into with her flippers to make a hole for her eggs.
Protecting marine environments like the seamounts of Ascension Island is critical to safeguarding a future for our planet. Right now, just 5 percent of our ocean is in implemented protected areas, but less than 3 percent is off-limits to commercial fishing and other destructive practices that are responsible for the loss of 90 percent of the big fish in the ocean over the past 70 years.
The creation of fully protected areas with long-term funding and management plans like the one designated by Ascension Island are increasingly important for the future of the planet. Countries like the United Kingdom have joined the call to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030. National Geographic, along with the Wyss Campaign for Nature and a growing coalition of conservation organizations, is working to support the protection of 30 percent of both land and sea by 2030. The science shows that this is the absolute minimum we need to prevent massive species extinction, to prevent the collapse of the systems that support life on Earth, and to ensure that nature continues to help us avert a climate catastrophe.
This week the world's second United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference, was held in Portugal to support the "Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development."
Targets include reducing marine pollution, protecting marine and coastal ecosystems, minimising acidification, ending illegal and over-fishing, increasing investment in scientific knowledge and marine technology, and respecting international law that calls for the safe and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources. More information on the UN Ocean Conference 2022 can be found online through www.un.org/en/conferences/ocean2022.
In September 2021 AIG published a five-year management plan for the MPA, detailing what actions will be taken to help further develop understanding of the MPA and ensure it retains some of the highest levels of protection seen anywhere in the world. The management plan links to many of the targets laid out in the UNs Sustainable Development Goal 14, which formed the basis of discussions at the UN Ocean Conference 2022. Some of these targets include reducing marine pollution, protecting marine and coastal ecosystems, ending illegal and over-fishing and increasing investment in scientific knowledge and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources.
It would be natural to assume that remote and sparsely inhabited islands in the middle of the ocean are surrounded by crystal clear, clean waters. Unfortunately, such locations can be affected by marine pollution originating from thousands of kilometers away.
The researchers gathered data on human population density at those coastal locations to use as a proxy measure of the quantity of pollutants released into the ocean. Put together and taking into account seasonal and interannual variability in ocean currents, the data were used to calculate the annual connectivity footprint for each MPA.
The results show that the Pitcairn MPA has very low connectivity to land (0.06%) through ocean currents and faces no discernable risk from pollutants originating on the mainland. The South Georgia MPA has a low (2%) connectivity to land and a low exposure to pollutants. The Ascension MPA has medium connectivity (34%) to land and faces a significant risk. The BIOT MPA has high connectivity (71%) to land and faces high risk.
Protecting our oceans against marine pollution, invasive species, overfishing, and climate change requires routine monitoring and research efforts., the company said, adding that, in the past, the only equipment available for researchers studying these applications was heavy, expensive, inaccessible and not-fit-for-purpose. Credit: Ocean Diagnostics
Ascension island has a tropical but oceanic climate, with little changes from one season to another. The island is in the path of the South-East Trade Winds, and southeast and easterly winds blow for more than half of every month.[1]
Ocean Diagnostics has developed Ascension to simplify the ocean microplastics and environmental DNA (eDNA) data collection processes. Designed to overcome the challenges of sampling at depth, it is a 22-lb. tethered sampling device that collects filtered microplastics or eDNA samples down to 400 m, from the side of a small vessel or fixed installation, without the need for heavy and expensive deployment equipment.
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