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Fig. 2.9. Wind direction frequency (%) at Stórhöfði, 1971–2000. Easterly winds prevail, with the low frequency of northeasterly winds being owed to the sheltering effect of the Eyjafjallajökull glacier and mountain mass on the mainland. (Modified from the Icelandic Meteorological Office.) 928 millibars at a location 200 km southwest of the country. The offshore wave buoy at Surtsey recorded significant wave height of 16.68 m, with peak period of 19.4 seconds. Offshore wave data is available since 1988, measured off Surtsey (63°17´14´´N, 20°20´70´´W) at a depth of 130 m and off Garðskagi (64°03´27´´N, 22°56´57´´W) a depth of 80 m (Fig. 2.10). Wave hindcast data are available from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Terrestrial life Flora Plant colonisation has been closely studied on Surtsey ever since the island was formed. Microbial moulds, bacteria and fungi were quick to establish themselves in the fresh volcanic substrate (Schwabe 1970a, Smith 1970). The first vascular plant to be noted growing on the island was found in 1965 (Sturla Friðriksson 1966a; Eyþór Einarsson 1968), mosses became visible in 1968 (Bergþór Jóhannsson 1968) and the first lichens were discovered on the lava in 1970 (Hörður Kristinsson 1972). Vascular plants have proved of far greater significance in vegetation development than mosses and lichens. 2 DESCRIPTION Fig. 2.10. Offshore wave statistics based on significant wave heights off Surtsey at location 63°N,21,0°W for the ECMWF hindcasted data for the period 1979 to 2004. (Model: Icelandic Maritime Administration). The offshore wave statistics explain why the marine abrasion of Surtsey is greatest at the southwest and south coast, cf. Fig 2.24. Consequently, this element of the flora has been studied most intensely. The island has been visited every summer by a team of botanists and a record kept of colonising species and their fate. Vascular plants The biological expedition to Surtsey in 2005 recorded 51 vascular species. On the other hand, an overall total of 60 species has been recorded since 1965. In other words, there have been nine unsuccessful colonisation attempts. About 30 species have managed to establish viable populations and spread on the island, and most of these are now found in some of the 23 permanently established study plots. While forb and grass species are most prominent (32 and 14 respectively) in the flora, other prominent taxonomic groups include sedges and rushes (5 species), shrubs (4 species) and ferns (2 species) (Table 2.2, Appendix 2). The most widespread plant species on Surtsey are sea sandwort Honckenya peploides, procumbent pearlwort Sagina procumbens, common mouseear Cerastium alpinum, annual meadow-grass Poa annua and lyme grass Leymus arenarius (Table 2.3). 27
SURTSEY – NOMINATION FOR THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST Species Species status in 2005 1965–2005 Pterydophytes 3 3 1 Monocots Grasses 14 12 7 7 sedges and rushes 6 5 1 2 Orchids 1 Dicots forbs 32 27 19 15 dwarf shrubs 4 4 2 1 60 51 30 25 Table 2.2. Overview by taxonomic group of vascular species recorded on Surtsey, showing their success of establishment. Most of the vascular plant species on Surtsey are common elsewhere in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, which is probably the main source of species colonising Surtsey. As for the Icelandic mainland, it has every plant species that has been noted on Surtsey. Although Surtsey is the southernmost island of Iceland, there has been no indication of species colonising the island from distant sources (Borgþór Magnússon et al. 1996). Number of species 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 28 4 3 2 6 8 5 7 9 - 11 Existing Surtsey 2005 Viable populations Within permanent plots Area of island [km2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 ] Species Number of plots Sea sandwort Honckenya peploides 18 Procumbent pearlwort Sagina procumbens 12 Common mouse-ear Cerastium fontanum 10 Annual meadow-grass Poa annua 9 Lyme-grass Leymus arenarius 8 Smooth meadow-grass Poa pratensis 8 Common chickweed Stellaria media 8 Common scurvygrass Cochlearia officinalis 7 Arctic fescue Festuca rubra 7 Oysterplant Mertensia maritima 7 Sea mayweed Tripleurospermum maritimum 6 Reflexed saltmarsh-grass Puccinellia coarctata 6 Table 2.3. The most common vascular plants on Surtsey and the number of permanent plots where each species was observed in a 2004 survey. The wild flora of Heimaey contains some 150 species of vascular plants. Other islands in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago harbour only 2–30 species, corresponding to their aerial size, which ranges from 0.01 to 0.46 km 2 (Sturla Friðriksson and Björn Johnsen 1967). Thus the number of species growing on Surtsey has actually surpassed that of the smaller islands in the archipelago. This may be explained by Surtsey's considerably larger size and its greater diversity of habitats compared to the other volcanic islands, which are much 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1 Heimaey Bjarnarey Álsey Elliðaey Suðurey Brandur Hellisey Súlnasker Geirfuglasker Faxasker Þrídrangar Fig. 2.11. Number of vascular plant species found on individual islands in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago in relation to their areal size (Sturla Friðriksson and Björn Johnsen 1967). A curve was drawn to indicate the relationship and show the current (2005) position of Surtsey.
Page 1 and 2: Ministry of Education, Science and
Page 3 and 4: • O F ICELANDIC INSTITUTE N AT U
Page 5 and 6: This nomination has been commission
Page 8 and 9: Contents 1 Identification of the pr
Page 10 and 11: 22’’N 5’’W Surtsey Nature R
Page 12 and 13: 2 Description 2.a Description of pr
Page 14 and 15: Vestmannaeyjar archipelago Surtey i
Page 16 and 17: and of the islands of Bjarnarey and
Page 18 and 19: 150 m 100 m 50 m 0 m - 50 m - 100 m
Page 20 and 21: Typical ropy lava surface at the so
Page 22 and 23: Geological definitions Accretionary
Page 24 and 25: (Friedman and Williams 1970). Altho
Page 26 and 27: sorting than the original tephra, w
Page 30 and 31: older and more eroded. It is likely
Page 32 and 33: The lichen Xanthoria parietina and
Page 34 and 35: study plots revealed four main vege
Page 36 and 37: carefully recording any observation
Page 38 and 39: carried out. In the early years of
Page 40 and 41: Amara quenseli Atheta graminicola B
Page 42 and 43: 1 2 3 4 6 - 8 northern sublittoral
Page 44 and 45: Marine mammals Marine mammals have
Page 46 and 47: 2.b History and development Geologi
Page 48 and 49: Lava effusion on Surtsey, April 21,
Page 50 and 51: 0 m -100 m -200 m -300 m 6/’65 (D
Page 52 and 53: 17 February 1964: hydromagmatic eru
Page 54 and 55: The hydrothermal area at the surfac
Page 56 and 57: Area [km 2 ] 3 2 1 0 1960 1970 1980
Page 58 and 59: History of life Influx of terrestri
Page 60 and 61: Number of vascular plant species 60
Page 62 and 63: upon later attempts after growing c
Page 64 and 65: colony, a community composed mainly
Page 66 and 67: Erling Ólafsson 1982; Gjelstrup 20
Page 68 and 69: Number of species 60 50 40 30 20 10
Page 70 and 71: 13 Justification for inscription 3.
Page 72 and 73: Surtsey's emergence has provided a
Page 74 and 75: forms and biological communities. T
Page 76 and 77: Italians landed and named it Ferdin
Page 78 and 79:
These include, to name but a few: s
Page 80 and 81:
The tephra cones have been converte
Page 82 and 83:
4 State of conservation and factors
Page 84 and 85:
Fig. 4.2. Mean yearly catches of fi
Page 86 and 87:
(iii) Natural disasters and prepari
Page 88 and 89:
15 5.a Ownership Protection and man
Page 90 and 91:
“A room with a view.” (Photo fr
Page 92 and 93:
The Surtsey Research Society has co
Page 94 and 95:
6 Monitoring 6.a Key indicators for
Page 96 and 97:
71Documentation 7.a Supplementary m
Page 98 and 99:
except by permission of the Environ
Page 100 and 101:
Gjelstrup, P. 2000. Soil mites and
Page 102 and 103:
8 8.a Preparer Contact information
Page 104 and 105:
9 Signature on behalf of the State
Page 106 and 107:
List of figures Lists of figures, t
Page 108 and 109:
Appendices Appendix 1a. Declaration
Page 110 and 111:
APPENDICES Species status in 2005 A
Page 112 and 113:
Appendix 4. Lichens species recorde
Page 114 and 115:
Appendix 6. Bird species seen on or
Page 116 and 117:
Coccinellidae Coccinella undecimpun
Page 118 and 119:
Neomolgus littoralis (Linnaeus) Any
Page 120 and 121:
APPENDICES Appendix 9a. Marine zoob
Page 122 and 123:
Crustacea/Amphipoda amphipod Hippom
Page 124:
effects on natural features, landsc
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