Location
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| Aerial of Davis during the summer. Photo D. Gillies |
Davis Station is located on the edge of the Vestfold Hills on the eastern side of Prydz Bay on the Ingrid Christensen Coast of Princess Elizabeth Land. It is bounded by the Sorsdal Glacier in the south, by the steep ice-covered slopes leading up to the continental plateau in the east some 24 km from the coast, and by the sea to the northwest. The area is roughly triangular in shape and lies between latitudes 68°20'S and 68°41'S and between longitudes 78°36'E and 77°48'E.
The Vestfold Hills area is bare, low-lying hilly country, deeply indented by sea-inlets. Numerous islands fringe the coast out to 5 km. An ice-free area of about 400 km2, the region is the largest coastal ice-free area in Antarctica, and has the greatest variety and number of lakes.
The region is biologically unique because of its freshwater and hyper-saline (very salty) lakes which support microscopic invertebrates. The temperature of Deep Lake, which is nearly as salty as the Dead Sea, falls to about minus 18 degrees C in winter, yet it still supports life and does not freeze due to its high salinity.
At Marine Plain, fossilised whales and dolphins have been found-the only known vertebrate fossils in the Antarctic from the last 40 million years. The unique setting of Davis puts it close also to penguin colonies, numerous Weddell seals and an elephant seal haul out area.
The station is about 24 km from the ice plateau which may be reached by foot across the Vestfold Hills throughout the year, or by oversnow vehicle on the sea-ice during the winter months.
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