View source for Gough Island

{{short description|Island in the South Atlantic}}
{{EngvarB|date=May 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox islands
|name          = Gough Island <br /> <small>Gonçalo Álvares</small>
|map           = South Atlantic
|image_name    = [[file:Gough.png|300px]]
|image_caption = Map of Gough Island
|image_alt     = Map of Gough Island
|area_km2      = 65
|length_km     = 13
|width_km      = 5
|elevation_m   = 910
|highest_mount = [[Edinburgh Peak]]
|location      = [[South Atlantic Ocean]]
|archipelago   = [[Tristan da Cunha]]
|coordinates   = {{coord|40|19|12|S|09|56|24|W|region:SH_type:isle_dim:50000|display=inline,title}}
|country       = United Kingdom
|country_admin_divisions = [[St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]]
|footnotes     = 
|module        = 
{{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 |child        = yes
 |ID = 740
 |Year = 1995
 |Criteria = Natural: (vii), (x)
 }}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Inaccessible Island
| iucn_category = Ia
| designated = 
| child = yes
|embedded=
{{Designation list
|embed = yes
|designation1 = Ramsar
|designation1_date = 20 November 2008
|designation1_number = 1868<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gough Island |website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1868 |access-date=25 April 2018 |archive-date=30 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530035352/https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1868 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
}}
}}
[[File:Gough island top view.png|thumb|300px|View of Gough Island]]

'''Gough Island''' ({{IPAc-en|ɡ|ɒ|f}} {{respell|GOF}}), also known historically as '''Gonçalo Álvares''', is a rugged [[volcanic island]] in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a dependency of [[Tristan da Cunha]] and part of the [[British overseas territory]] of [[Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]]. It is approximately {{cvt|400|km|mi}} south-east of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago (which includes [[Nightingale Island]] and [[Inaccessible Island]]), {{cvt|2400|km|mi}} north-east from [[South Georgia Island]], {{cvt|2700|km|mi}} west from [[Cape Town]], and over {{cvt|3200|km|mi}} from the nearest point of South America.

Gough Island is uninhabited, except for the personnel of a [[weather station]] (usually six people) that the [[South African National Antarctic Programme]] has maintained, with British permission, continually on the island since 1956. It is one of the most remote places with a constant human presence. It is part of the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] of "Gough and Inaccessible Islands". It is one of the most important [[Bird colony|seabird colonies]] in the world.<ref>Swales, M. K. (1965). The sea‐birds of Gough Island. Ibis, 107(2), 215–229.</ref><ref>BirdLife International, 2017. "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gough Island." [http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/6829]</ref><ref>Caravaggi, A., Cuthbert, R. J., Ryan, P. G., Cooper, J., & Bond, A. L. (2019). The impacts of introduced House Mice on the breeding success of nesting seabirds on Gough Island. Ibis, 161(3), 648–661.</ref>

==Name==
The island was first named ''Ilha de Gonçalo Álvares'' on Portuguese maps. [[Gonçalo Álvares]] was a [[Portugal in the Age of Discovery|Portuguese explorer]] who discovered the island in 1505. Confusion of the unusual Portuguese saint name [[Gonçalo de Amarante|Gonçalo]] with Spanish Diego led to the misnomer '''Diego Alvarez Island''' in English-language sources from the 1800s to 1930s.<ref>Report on the geological collections made during the voyage of the ... British Museum (Natural History), Walter Campbell Smith, British Museum (Natural History) – 1930 "DIEGO ALVAREZ OR GOUGH ISLAND. By W. Campbell Smith. Gough Island, as it seems to be more usually called, lies about 200 miles south of the Tristan da Cunha group in latitude 40° S., longitude 10° W.1 It is about 8 miles long by 3 ..."</ref><ref>Plants of Gough Island: (Diego Alvarez) Erling Christophersen – 1934</ref><ref>The Antarctic dictionary: a complete guide to Antarctic English – Page 150 Bernadette Hince – 2000 -"I went for adventure. to have fun, Gough Island Gough Island was named I. de Goncalo Alvarez on early maps. after its discoverer. Portuguese navigator Goncalo Alvarez. The name was later corrupted to I. Diego Alvarez. and there was confusion about the locality. It was renamed after Captain Charles Gough of the British barque Richmond. who sighted the island in 1713".</ref> However, the most likely explanation is that it was simply a misreading of "Is. de Go. Alvarez", the name by which the island is represented on some of the early charts, the "de Go" mutating into "Diego".<ref>Raymond John Howgego, ''Historical Encyclopedia of Atlantic Vigias'', London, 2015</ref>

The name "Gough island" refers to the British mariner Captain [[Gough-Calthorpe family|Charles Gough]] of the ''Richmond'', who sighted the island in 1732.

==History==
The details of the discovery of Gough Island are unclear, but the most likely occasion is July 1505 by the Portuguese explorer [[Gonçalo Álvares]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hänel |first1=Christine |title=Gough Island 500 years after its discovery: a bibliography of scientific and popular literature 1505 to 2005 |journal=South African Journal of Science |date=October 2008 |volume=104 |issue=9–10 |pages=329–332 |url=http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S0038-23532008000500005&script=sci_arttext |access-date=16 December 2011 |archive-date=13 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513150345/http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?pid=S0038-23532008000500005&script=sci_arttext |url-status=live }}</ref> Maps during the next three centuries named the island after him. On some later maps, this was erroneously given as Diego Alvarez.

According to some historians, the British merchant [[Anthony de la Roché]] was the first to land on the island, in the austral autumn of 1675.<ref name="wacenm">{{cite journal |author=Wace N.M. |year=1969 |title=The discovery, exploitation and settlement of the Tristan da Cunha Islands |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia (South Australian Branch) |volume=10 |pages=11–40 |oclc=42370435}}</ref><ref name="multiple">Capt. Francisco de Seixas y Lovera, [https://books.google.com/books?id=l7PWN7_1wAoC&dq=Descripcion%20geographica%2C%20y%20derrotero%20de%20la%20region%20austral%20Magallanica&pg=PT96 ''Descripcion geographica, y derrotero de la region austral Magallanica. Que se dirige al Rey nuestro señor, gran monarca de España, y sus dominios en Europa, Emperador del Nuevo Mundo Americano, y Rey de los reynos de la Filipinas y Malucas''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216042158/https://books.google.com/books?id=l7PWN7_1wAoC&dq=Descripcion%20geographica%2C%20y%20derrotero%20de%20la%20region%20austral%20Magallanica&pg=PT96 |date=16 February 2017 }}, Madrid, Antonio de Zafra, 1690. ([[wikisource:Anthony de la Roché and Roché Island (South Georgia) in 1675|Relevant fragment]])</ref><ref name="Laperouse">J.-F.G. de la Pérouse, F.A.M. de la Rúa. [https://books.google.com/books?id=VqdCAQAAMAAJ A Voyage Round the World, Performed in the Years 1785, 1786, 1787, and 1788, by the ''Boussole'' and ''Astrolabe'': Under the Command of J.-F.G. de la Pérouse, Volume 1.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204003325/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VqdCAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0 |date=4 February 2017 }} London: Lackington, Allen, and Company, 1807. pp.71–81.</ref>

[[Gough-Calthorpe family|Charles Gough]] rediscovered the island on 3 March 1732, thinking it was a new find.<ref>Gough's log is preserved in the East India Collection at the British Library. The entry for 3 March 1732 is printed in {{cite book |last1=Wright |first1=Gabriel |title=A new nautical directory for the East-India and China navigation |date=1804 |publisher=W. Gilbert |oclc=680511332 |page=394}}</ref> It had been named Gonçalo Álvares since 1505 after the captain of [[Vasco da Gama]]'s flagship on his epic voyage to the east, and under this name, it was marked with reasonable accuracy on the charts of the South Atlantic during the following 230 or so years. Then, in 1732, Captain Gough of the British ship ''Richmond'' reported the discovery of a new island, which he placed {{convert|400|mi|km}} to the east of Gonçalo Álvares. Fifty years later, cartographers realised that the two islands were the same, and despite the priority of the Portuguese discovery, and the greater accuracy of the position given by them, "Gough's Island" was the name adopted.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Heaney |first1=J. B. |last2=Holdgate |first2=M. W. |title=The Gough Island Scientific Survey |journal=The Geographical Journal |date=1957 |volume=123 |issue=1 |pages=20–31 |doi=10.2307/1790718 |jstor=1790718|bibcode=1957GeogJ.123...20H }}</ref> It is still known by its old name ''Ilha de Gonçalo Álvares'' in Portuguese, though Portugal lays no claim to any of the islands in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago.

In the early 19th century, sealers sometimes briefly inhabited the island. The earliest known example is a sealing gang from the U.S. ship ''Rambler'' (Captain Joseph Bowditch) which remained on the island in the 1804–1805 season.<ref>R.K. Headland (Ed.) ''Historical Antarctic Sealing Industry'', Scott Polar Research Institute (University of Cambridge), 2018, p.176. {{ISBN|978-0-901021-26-7}}</ref> The sealing era lasted from 1804 to 1910 during which 34 sealing vessels are known to have visited the island, one of which was lost offshore.<ref>Headland, p.167.</ref>

The [[Scottish National Antarctic Expedition]] on the ''[[Scotia (barque)|Scotia]]'' made the first visit to the island by a scientific party on 21 April 1904, when [[William Speirs Bruce]] and others collected specimens.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rudmose Brown |first1=R. N. |last2=Pirie |first2=J. H. |last3=Mossman |first3=R. C. |title=The Voyage of the Scotia |publisher=Mercat Press |location=Edinburgh |year=2002 |isbn=978-1-84183-044-5 |pages=132–34}}</ref> The [[Shackleton–Rowett Expedition]] also stopped at the island in 1922.<ref>{{cite book |author=Wild, Frank |title=Shackleton's last voyage: The Story of the ''Quest'' |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/shackletonslastv00wilduoft/shackletonslastv00wilduoft_djvu.txt |chapter=Chapter XIII: Diego Alvarez or Gough Island |year=1923 |access-date=18 December 2016}}</ref> There was a brief period of human occupation for two years from 1936 to 1938 when farming was done to hunt for birds, their eggs, and to extract driftwood, guano and apples.<ref name="Unesco2">{{Cite web |title=Gough and Inaccessible Islands |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/740 |access-date=26 August 2013 |publisher=UNESCO Organization |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802131938/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/740 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[1955 Gough Expedition]] mapped out the internal geography of the island and also studied its biota over several months.

Gough Island was formally claimed in 1938 for the United Kingdom, during a visit by {{HMS |Milford |L51}} of the Royal Navy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/gough_island/gough_island.html |title=Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean |publisher=Btinternet.com |access-date=2012-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012070944/http://www.btinternet.com/~sa_sa/gough_island/gough_island.html |archive-date=12 October 2012}}</ref>

In 1995, the island was inscribed as a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]]. In 2004, the site was extended to include [[Inaccessible Island]], and the marine zone of Gough Island was extended from {{convert|3|to|12|nmi}}. The site was renamed Gough and Inaccessible Islands. The selection criteria for the site do not include its geomorphic interest. As it happens, Gough and Inaccessible Islands are included in a possible "serial trans-boundary nomination" for the [[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]], which would include other volcanic sites in the Atlantic.<ref name="MAR">{{cite web |title=Mid-Atlantic Ridge |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/504/ |access-date=19 January 2015 |archive-date=5 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305005121/http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/504 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Gough Island is the only land outside South America from which the [[solar eclipse of September 12, 2034|solar eclipse of 12 September 2034]] (excluding partial phases), will be visible; the centre of the path of totality crosses over the island.

==Geography and geology==
One of the most remote islands in the world, Gough Island is in the [[South Atlantic Ocean]]. While the central part of the island is a plateau, the western part has a highland with the peaks and cliffs rising over 350 metres. Gough Island is roughly rectangular with a length of {{cvt|13|km|mi}} and a width of {{cvt|5|km|mi}}. It has an area of {{cvt|65|km2|sqmi}} <ref>official website [https://www.tristandc.com/gough.php]</ref> and rises to a highest point over {{cvt|900|m|ft}} above sea level.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_gough/sanap_gough.html |title=Gough Island |publisher=Sanap.ac.za |access-date=2012-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912193226/http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_gough/sanap_gough.html |archive-date=12 September 2017}}</ref> [[Glen]]s cut deep into the inland mountains from the northern and eastern sides.<ref name="Gough">{{Cite web |title=Gough Island Scientific Survey, 1955–56 |url=http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/resources/expeditions/goughisland/|access-date=25 August 2013|publisher=Scott Polar Research Institute University of Cambridge |archive-date=6 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130706180239/http://www.spri.cam.ac.uk/resources/expeditions/goughisland/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Geological formations on the island are of volcanic origin.<ref name="Gough" />

Topographic features include its highest peak, Edinburgh Peak ({{cvt|2986|ft|m}}), as well as Hags Tooth, Mount Rowett, Sea Elephant Bay, Quest Bay, and Hawkins Bay.<ref name="island">{{cite web |title=Gough Island |url=http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_gough/sanap_gough.html |access-date=26 August 2013 |publisher=Sanap.ac.za |archive-date=12 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912193226/http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_gough/sanap_gough.html }}</ref><ref name="Gough" />

Surrounding Gough are small satellite islands and rocks, such as Southwest Island, Saddle Island (to the South), Tristiana Rock, Isolda Rock (West), Round Island, Cone Island, Lot's Wife, Church Rock (North), Penguin Island (Northeast), and The Admirals (East).<ref name="island"/>

The average temperature is {{cvt|12|C|F}} while the average rainfall is {{cvt|3000|mm|in}}. Snow falls in the highlands in winter.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gillespie |first1=Rosemary G. |last2=Clague |first2=David A. |title=Encyclopedia of Islands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g9ZogGs_fz8C |date=2009 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25649-1 |page=930}}</ref>

===Climate===
According to the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen system]], Gough Island features an [[oceanic climate]] (''Cfb''). Gough Island's maximum temperatures are between {{cvt|11|C|F}} and {{cvt|17|C|F}} during the day year-round, due to its isolated position far out in the South Atlantic. As a result, summers are never hot and are highly susceptible to cold fronts. The Atlantic is much cooler in the southern hemisphere than in the northern, but frosts are still very rare due to heavy cloud cover. Precipitation is high throughout the year, and sunshine hours are few. Snow frequently falls on the peaks and plateau all year round (with occurrences of summer snow on the 900-metre peaks), but is uncommon at sea-level.<ref>{{cite book |url={{Google books |fRJtB2MNdJMC |page=471 |plainurl=yes}} |title=Encyclopedia of the Antarctic |first=Beau |last=Riffenburgh |date=20 May 2018 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |via=Google Books |isbn=978-0-415-97024-2}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Gough Island, elevation {{convert|54|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1956–1990)
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|Jan record high C = 26.4
|Feb record high C = 25.7
|Mar record high C = 25.9
|Apr record high C = 22.6
|May record high C = 20.5
|Jun record high C = 20.6
|Jul record high C = 19.3
|Aug record high C = 21.7
|Sep record high C = 19.3
|Oct record high C = 21.4
|Nov record high C = 23.9
|Dec record high C = 25.1
|year record high C = 26.4
| Jan high C = 18.1
| Feb high C = 18.3
| Mar high C = 17.3
| Apr high C = 15.7
| May high C = 13.9
| Jun high C = 12.7
| Jul high C = 12.1
| Aug high C = 11.8
| Sep high C = 12.1
| Oct high C = 13.4
| Nov high C = 15.1
| Dec high C = 17.2
| year high C = 14.8
| Jan mean C = 15.0
| Feb mean C = 15.2
| Mar mean C = 14.5
| Apr mean C = 13.2
| May mean C = 11.5
| Jun mean C = 10.4
| Jul mean C = 9.7
| Aug mean C = 9.4
| Sep mean C = 9.6
| Oct mean C = 10.8
| Nov mean C = 12.4
| Dec mean C = 14.2
| year mean C = 12.2
| Jan low C = 11.9
| Feb low C = 12.2
| Mar low C = 11.8
| Apr low C = 10.7
| May low C = 9.1
| Jun low C = 8.0
| Jul low C = 7.4
| Aug low C = 7.0
| Sep low C = 7.1
| Oct low C = 8.2
| Nov low C = 9.6
| Dec low C = 11.2
| year low C = 9.5
|Jan record low C = 5.3
|Feb record low C = 5.1
|Mar record low C = 4.8
|Apr record low C = 3.7
|May record low C = 1.4
|Jun record low C = 0.1
|Jul record low C = -0.9
|Aug record low C = -2.7
|Sep record low C = 0.2
|Oct record low C = 0.5
|Nov record low C = 2.4
|Dec record low C = 4.1
|year record low C = -2.7
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 210.8
| Feb precipitation mm = 179.4
| Mar precipitation mm = 238.4
| Apr precipitation mm = 273.3
| May precipitation mm = 317.1
| Jun precipitation mm = 321.7
| Jul precipitation mm = 286.7
| Aug precipitation mm = 295.1
| Sep precipitation mm = 271.6
| Oct precipitation mm = 274.0
| Nov precipitation mm = 235.3
| Dec precipitation mm = 214.2
| year precipitation mm = 3117.5
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 14.5
| Feb precipitation days = 13.5
| Mar precipitation days = 15.0
| Apr precipitation days = 17.6
| May precipitation days = 22.0
| Jun precipitation days = 21.1
| Jul precipitation days = 21.5
| Aug precipitation days = 22.1
| Sep precipitation days = 18.8
| Oct precipitation days = 16.8
| Nov precipitation days = 15.2
| Dec precipitation days = 14.0
| year precipitation days = 212.1
|Jan humidity = 81
|Feb humidity = 82
|Mar humidity = 82
|Apr humidity = 82
|May humidity = 82
|Jun humidity = 83
|Jul humidity = 83
|Aug humidity = 83
|Sep humidity = 81
|Oct humidity = 81
|Nov humidity = 81
|Dec humidity = 81
|year humidity = 82
| Jan sun = 177.2
| Feb sun = 154.4
| Mar sun = 126.3
| Apr sun = 100.9
| May sun = 82.5
| Jun sun = 67.6
| Jul sun = 71.1
| Aug sun = 90.5
| Sep sun = 103.0
| Oct sun = 127.9
| Nov sun = 157.7
| Dec sun = 172.5
| year sun = 1442.4
|source 1 = [[NOAA]] (humidity 1961–1990),<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/4.4/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/SouthAfrica/CSV/GoughIsland_68906.csv
| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020
| publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]
| access-date = March 30, 2023
}}</ref><ref name="NOAA">{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/UA/68906.TXT |title=Gough Island Climate Normals 1961–1990 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113163324/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG__I/UA/68906.TXT |archive-date=2020-11-13 |access-date=21 November 2013}}</ref> [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (extremes)<ref name = DWD>{{cite web |url=http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_689060_kt.pdf |title=Klimatafel von Gough Island / Südatlantik / Großbritannien |work=Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world |publisher=Deutscher Wetterdienst |language=de |access-date=18 November 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817122613/https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_689060_kt.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

==Fauna and flora==
{{main|Tristan da Cunha–Gough Islands shrub and grasslands}}
[[File:Blechnum and Phylica.png|thumb|upright|The fern ''[[Blechnum]]'' and tree ''[[Phylica]]'' on Gough Island]]
Gough and [[Inaccessible Island]] are a protected [[wildlife reserve]], which has been designated a [[World Heritage Site]] by [[UNESCO]].<ref name=Unesco>{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/740 |title=Gough and Inaccessible Islands |access-date=3 January 2017 |publisher=UNESCO Organization |archive-date=2 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802131938/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/740 |url-status=live }}</ref> It has been described as one of the least disrupted [[ecosystem]]s of its kind and one of the best shelters for nesting [[seabird]]s in the Atlantic. In particular, it is host to almost the entire world population of the [[Tristan albatross]] (''Diomedea dabbenena'') and the [[Atlantic petrel]] (''Pterodroma incerta'').<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cuthbert |first1=Richard J. |last2=Sommer |first2=Erica S. |title=Population size and trends of four globally threatened seabirds at Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean |journal=Marine Ornithology |date=15 April 2004 |volume=32 |pages=97–103 |url=http://www.marineornithology.org/content/get.cgi?rn=602 |access-date=15 November 2020 |archive-date=15 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115140230/http://www.marineornithology.org/content/get.cgi?rn=602 |url-status=live }}</ref> The island is also home to the almost flightless [[Gough moorhen]],<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sb1IJYzXZhUC&q=%22george+Comer%22+antartica&pg=RA1-PA60 |title=Flightless birds |author=Roots, Clive |location=Westport, Conn. |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-313-33545-7 |access-date=2008-03-31 |page=60 |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217091420/https://books.google.com/books?id=Sb1IJYzXZhUC&q=%22george+Comer%22+antartica&pg=RA1-PA60 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the critically endangered [[Gough bunting]].

===Birds===
[[File:Gough Bunting Male.JPG|thumb|left|upright|A male Gough Bunting on the island]]
The island has been identified as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] for its endemic landbirds and as a breeding site for [[seabird]]s. Birds for which the IBA has conservation significance include [[northern rockhopper penguin]]s (30,000 breeding pairs), [[Tristan albatross]]es (1,500–2,000 pairs), [[sooty albatross]]es (5,000 pairs), [[Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross]]es (5,000 pairs), [[broad-billed prion]]s (1,750,000 pairs), [[Kerguelen petrel]]s (20,000 pairs), [[soft-plumaged petrel]]s (400,000 pairs), [[Atlantic petrel]]s (900,000 pairs), [[great-winged petrel]]s (5,000 pairs), [[grey petrel]]s (10,000 pairs), [[great shearwater]]s (100,000 pairs), [[little shearwater]]s (10,000 pairs), [[grey-backed storm petrel]]s (10,000 pairs), [[white-faced storm petrel]]s (10,000 pairs), [[white-bellied storm petrel]]s (10,000 pairs), [[Antarctic tern]]s (500 pairs), [[southern skua]]s (500 pairs), [[Gough moorhen]]s (2,500 pairs), and [[Gough bunting]]s (3,000 individuals).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.birdlife.org |title=Gough Island |access-date=2012-10-25 |work=Important Bird Areas factsheet |publisher=BirdLife International |year=2012 |archive-date=10 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710124603/http://www.birdlife.org/|url-status=live }}</ref>

===Mammals===
[[File:1954stampGoughTristan.jpg|thumb|Elephant seal at Gough Island depicted on a 1954 Tristan da Cunha stamp]]
The island has a large breeding population of [[subantarctic fur seal]]s, and some [[southern right whale]]s still migrate around the island.

House mice are currently present on the island (see [[#Invasive species|Invasive Species]]).

===Invasive species===

====Pearlwort (''Sagina procumbens'')====
In 1998, a number of [[Sagina procumbens|procumbent pearlwort (''Sagina procumbens'')]] plants were found on the island which are capable of dramatically transforming the upland plant ecosystem (as it has on the [[Prince Edward Islands]]).<ref>Cooper, J. et al., [http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/island_invasives/pdfhqprint/2cooper.pdf "Earth, fire and water: applying novel techniques to eradicate the invasive plant, procumbent pearlwort ''Sagina procumbens'', on Gough Island, a World Heritage Site in the South Atlantic"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054542/http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/island_invasives/pdfhqprint/2cooper.pdf|date=4 March 2016}}, [[Invasive Species Specialist Group]], 2010, Retrieved on 12 February 2014.</ref> Eradication efforts are ongoing but are expected to require years of 'concerted effort'. By 2010, through removing plants manually with some soil and then treating the area with boiling water, it had been restricted to one small area of coastal cliffs. As a result, the seed load had been reduced in a decade by 3 orders of magnitude. This nevertheless could result in 200 plants germinating per square metre. To reduce the population further, a study indicated that a combination of soil removal and herbicide could be effective.<ref>Bisser, P. et al., [http://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/2327 "Strategies to eradicate the invasive plant procumbent pearlwort ''Sagina procumbens'' on Gough Island, 2010"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222201637/http://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/2327 |date=22 February 2014 }}, Retrieved on 12 February 2014.</ref> A report in 2020 noted that continued removal was still needed as well as biosecurity measures to avoid re-introduction.<ref name="Report-2020">{{cite web |title=Gough and Inaccessible Islands  2020 Conservation Outlook Assessment |url=https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/explore-sites/gough-and-inaccessible-islands |website=UNESCO – World Heritage Convention |access-date=11 June 2025}}</ref>

====Other non-native plants====
By 2020 the following non-native plants with potential to become invasive had been recorded recently on the island: ''[[Verbena bonariensis]]'', ''[[Potato|Solanum tuberosum]]'', ''[[Juncus effusus]]'', ''[[Agrostis gigantea]]'', ''[[Brassica rapa]]'', and ''[[Cynodon dactylon]]''.<ref name="Report-2020" />

====House mice====
In April 2007, researchers published evidence that predation by introduced [[house mouse|house mice]] on seabird chicks is occurring at levels that might drive the Tristan albatross and the Atlantic petrel to extinction.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=R M Wanless |author2=A Angel |author3=R J Cuthbert |author4=G M Hilton |author5=P G Ryan |title=Can predation by invasive mice drive seabird extinctions? |year=2007 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=241–244 |doi=10.1098/rsbl.2007.0120 |pmid=17412667 |pmc=2464706 |journal=Biology Letters}}</ref> As of October 2018, it is estimated that as many as 2,000,000 fewer eggs and chicks are being raised due to the impact of mice on the island, threatening the extinction of several species of seabirds that breed exclusively or nearly exclusively on Gough Island.<ref name="killer">{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/ibi.12664 |title=The impacts of introduced House Mice on the breeding success of nesting seabirds on Gough Island |last=Caravaggi |first=Anthony |date=22 October 2018 |journal=Ibis |volume=161 |issue=3 |pages=648–661 |publisher=IBIS International Journal of Avian Science|doi-access=free|hdl=10468/8478 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> 

The [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds]] (RSPB) awarded £62,000 by the UK government's Overseas Territories Environment Programme to fund additional research on the Gough Island mice and a feasibility study of how best to deal with them. This grant also paid for the assessment of a [[rat]] problem on Tristan da Cunha island. Trials for a method of eradicating the mice through baiting were commenced,<ref>R. J. Cuthbert1
, P. Visser et al., [http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/Island_Invasives/pdfwebview/1Cuthbert.pdf "Preparations for the eradication of mice from Gough Island: results of bait acceptance trials above ground and around cave systems"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223004925/http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/Island_Invasives/pdfwebview/1Cuthbert.pdf |date=23 February 2014 }}, 2011, Retrieved on 12 February 2014.</ref> and ultimately a £9.2 million eradication programme was planned, set to begin in 2020, with the island expected to be mouse-free by 2022. However, the start date was delayed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/19/covid-19-stalls-rspb-rescue-of-albatross-chicks-from-giant-mice-gough-island |title=Covid-19 stalls RSPB rescue of albatross chicks from giant mice |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=19 May 2020 |access-date=21 November 2020 |archive-date=18 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118104223/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/19/covid-19-stalls-rspb-rescue-of-albatross-chicks-from-giant-mice-gough-island |url-status=live }}</ref> The programme used helicopters to drop cereal pellets<ref>{{Cite web |last=McClelland |first=Pete |date=2021-09-10 |title=Now, we wait |url=https://www.goughisland.com/post/now-we-wait |access-date=2021-11-02 |website=Gough Island |language=en |archive-date=2 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102022752/https://www.goughisland.com/post/now-we-wait |url-status=live }}</ref> containing the rodenticide [[brodifacoum]]. Gough has also been identified as the third-most important island in the world (out of 107 islands) to be targeted for the removal of non-native invasive mammals in order to save threatened species from extinction and to make major progress towards achieving global conservation targets.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Holmes |first1=Nick D. |last2=Spatz |first2=Dena R. |last3=Oppel |first3=Steffen |last4=Tershy |first4=Bernie |last5=Croll |first5=Donald A. |last6=Keitt |first6=Brad |last7=Genovesi |first7=Piero |last8=Burfield |first8=Ian J. |last9=Will |first9=David J. |last10=Bond |first10=Alexander L. |last11=Wegmann |first11=Alex |last12=Aguirre-Muñoz |first12=Alfonso |last13=Raine |first13=André F. |last14=Knapp |first14=Charles R. |last15=Hung |first15=Chung-Hang |last16=Wingate |first16=David |last17=Hagen |first17=Erin |last18=Méndez-Sánchez |first18=Federico |last19=Rocamora |first19=Gerard |last20=Yuan |first20=Hsiao-Wei |last21=Fric |first21=Jakob |last22=Millett |first22=James |last23=Russell |first23=James |last24=Liske-Clark |first24=Jill |last25=Vidal |first25=Eric |last26=Jourdan |first26=Hervé |last27=Campbell |first27=Karl |last28=Springer |first28=Keith |last29=Swinnerton |first29=Kirsty |last30=Gibbons-Decherong |first30=Lolita |last31=Langrand |first31=Olivier |last32=Brooke |first32=M. de L. |last33=McMinn |first33=Miguel |last34=Bunbury |first34=Nancy |last35=Oliveira |first35=Nuno |last36=Sposimo |first36=Paolo |last37=Geraldes |first37=Pedro |last38=McClelland |first38=Pete |last39=Hodum |first39=Peter |last40=Ryan |first40=Peter G. |last41=Borroto-Páez |first41=Rafael |last42=Pierce |first42=Ray |last43=Griffiths |first43=Richard |last44=Fisher |first44=Robert N. |last45=Wanless |first45=Ross |last46=Pasachnik |first46=Stesha A. |last47=Cranwell |first47=Steve |last48=Micol |first48=Thierry |last49=Butchart |first49=Stuart H. M. |title=Globally important islands where eradicating invasive mammals will benefit highly threatened vertebrates |journal=PLOS ONE |date=27 March 2019 |volume=14 |issue=3 |article-number=e0212128 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0212128 |pmid=30917126 |bibcode=2019PLoSO..1412128H |doi-access=free |pmc=6436766}}</ref> The proposed cull was criticised by the director of [[Animal Aid]], stating, "We don't feel we have the right to choose some animals over others ... We don't agree with any culling for so-called conservation purposes. The conservation priority should be making sure wild spaces are protected, but allowing nature to do its thing."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Barkham |first1=Patrick |title=Should we cull one species to save another? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/28/should-we-cull-one-species-to-save-another-huge-mice-killing-birds-gough-island |work=The Observer |date=28 June 2020 |access-date=29 June 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629170846/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/28/should-we-cull-one-species-to-save-another-huge-mice-killing-birds-gough-island |url-status=live }}</ref>

As of December 2021, the head of the project to cull the population of mice considers this to have been a failure, since a living mouse was spotted after the completion of the project, which implied that there are other mice still alive on Gough.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Jonah |title=Heartbreak over failed bid to remove Gough Island's mice |url=https://news.yahoo.com/heartbreak-over-failed-bid-remove-162855994.html|work=BBC News|date=15 December 2021|access-date=17 December 2021|archive-date=17 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217052351/https://news.yahoo.com/heartbreak-over-failed-bid-remove-162855994.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nevertheless, the [[Royal Society for the Protection of Birds|RSPB]] is planning a future restoration attempt by applying rodenticide bait, after doing some research to improve this operation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gough Island restoration programme |access-date=2023-04-29 |editor=The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) |url=https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/projects/gough-island-restoration-programme/}}</ref>

==Weather station==
{{Infobox settlement
|name                    = Gough Island Base
|settlement_type         = [[Research stations in Antarctica|Antarctic base]]
|image_skyline           =
|image_caption           =
|image_map               = Gough.png
|map_caption             = Location on Gough Island
|coordinates             = {{Coord|-40.349353|-9.880367|format=dms|display=inline}}
|subdivision_type        = Country
|subdivision_name        = {{flagcountry|South Africa}}
|subdivision_type1       = Operator
|subdivision_name1       = [[South African National Antarctic Programme|SANAP]]
|established_title       = Established
|established_date        = {{start date|1956|df=y}}
|extinct_title           = Evacuated
|extinct_date            =
|unit_pref               = Metric
|elevation_footnotes     =
|elevation_m             = 54
|population_footnotes    =
|population_as_of        =
|population_blank1_title = Summer
|population_blank1       = 10
|population_blank2_title = Winter
|population_blank2       = 10
|utc_offset1             = 0
|code1_name              = [[UN/LOCODE]]
|code1_info              = SH TDC
|blank_name_sec1         = Active times
|blank_info_sec1         = All year-round
|blank1_name_sec1        = Status
|blank1_info_sec1        = Operational
|blank_name_sec2         = Activities
|blank_info_sec2         = Meteorology
|website                 = {{URL|https://www.sanap.ac.za/explore/stations|sanap.ac.za}}
}}
A [[weather station]] has been operating on Gough Island since 1956. It is operated as part of the network of the [[South African Weather Service]]. Because [[cold front]]s approach South Africa from the south-west, the Gough station is particularly important in forecasting winter weather. Initially it was housed in the station at The Glen, but moved in 1963 to the South lowlands of the island, more precisely {{coord|40|20|59|S|9|52|49|W|display=inline}}. The new location improved the validity and reliability of the data acquired for use in modelling.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

===Human presence===
Each year, a new overwintering team arrives by ship from [[Cape Town]] (since 2012, on the ''[[S. A. Agulhas II]]'') to staff the weather station and perform scientific research. The team for a particular year may be termed as "Gough" and an expedition number: For example, the 1956 team was designated "Gough 01", and the team for 2013 was "Gough 58". Each new team directly replaces the departing one, thereby maintaining a continual human presence on the island.<ref>[http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_gough/sanap_gough.html "South Africa National Antarctic Programme – Gough Island Teams"] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912193226/http://www.sanap.ac.za/sanap_gough/sanap_gough.html |date=12 September 2017 }}, Retrieved 12 February 2014</ref><ref>Chris Bell, [http://goughisland58.blogspot.co.uk/ "Chris Bell's Blog from Gough 58"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222201918/http://goughisland58.blogspot.co.uk/ |date=22 February 2014 }}, Retrieved 12 February 2014</ref>

A team normally consists of:
*A senior [[meteorologist]]
*Two junior meteorologists
*A [[radio technician]]
*A [[medic]]
*A [[diesel mechanic]]
*A number of [[biologist]]s (depending on ongoing research projects)

The team is supplied with enough food to last the whole year. People and cargo are landed either by helicopter, from a helideck-equipped supply ship, or by a fixed crane atop a cliff near the station (a place aptly called "Crane Point").

On 11 February 2014, a member of the research team choked to death on the island and his body was taken back to South Africa.<ref name=iol2014-02-13/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.enca.com/south-africa-technology/sa-man-dies-gough-island |title=SA man dies on Gough Island |website=www.enca.com |access-date=9 December 2016 |archive-date=14 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161214010241/http://www.enca.com/south-africa-technology/sa-man-dies-gough-island }}</ref>

==Maps==
<gallery>
File:Gough Island map.svg|Relief map
File:Orthographic projection over Gough Island.png|Orthographic projection
File:Gough Island Landsat.jpg|Satellite map
</gallery>

==See also==
*{{annotated link|South African National Antarctic Programme}}
*{{annotated link|SANAE}}
*{{annotated link|Marion Island}}
*{{annotated link|S. A. Agulhas|''S. A. Agulhas''}}
*{{annotated link|S. A. Agulhas II|''S. A. Agulhas II''}}
*{{annotated link|Nigel Morritt Wace}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=iol2014-02-13>{{cite news |url=https://www.iol.co.za/travel/south-africa/gough-island-radio-man-chokes-to-death-1646260 |title=Gough Island radio man chokes to death |work=[[Independent Online]] |author=John Yeld |date=2014-02-13 |location=[[Cape Town]] |access-date=2020-10-19 |quote=Spokesman Zolile Nqayi said they had received a report from the medic on the island that Hoffman, who had been found dead in his bed, appeared to have choked to death on food. |archive-date=30 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030032130/https://www.iol.co.za/travel/south-africa/gough-island-radio-man-chokes-to-death-1646260 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*[http://www.goughisland.com www.goughisland.com] – The Gough Island Restoration Project website
*[https://www.sanap.ac.za/about/gallery-gough-island Gough Island Gallery]
*[https://www.facebook.com/groups/57386398567 Facebook Groups] – Gough Island team discussions
*[https://whc.unesco.org/sites/740.htm Gough and Inaccessible Islands] – UNESCO wildlife reserve publication
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/chantal_steyn/sets/72157612980545317/ Photographs of Gough Island] – Flickr publication by Chantal van Staden.

{{Tristan da Cunha}}
{{Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha}}
{{Outlying territories of European countries}}
{{World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom}}
{{SANAP navbox}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Islands of Tristan da Cunha]]
[[Category:Volcanoes of Tristan da Cunha]]
[[Category:Seabird colonies]]
[[Category:South African National Antarctic Programme]]
[[Category:Maritime history of South Africa]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Saint Helena]]
[[Category:Ramsar sites in dependent territories of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Seal hunting]]
[[Category:Mid-Atlantic Ridge]]
[[Category:Penguin colonies]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of subantarctic islands]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in dependent territories of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Uninhabited islands of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]]