Gough Island, also known historically as Gonçalo Álvares after the Portuguese explorer, 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 about 400 km (250 mi) south-east of the Tristan da Cunha archipelago (which includes Nightingale Island and Inaccessible Island), 2,400 km (1,500 mi) north-east from South Georgia Island, 2,700 km (1,700 mi) west from Cape Town, and over 3,200 km (2,000 mi) from the nearest point of South America. Gough Island is uninhabited except for the personnel of a weather station (usually six people) which 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.
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 fronts 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 40°20'57.68"S 9°52'49.13"W. The new location improved the validity and reliability of the data acquired for use in modeling.
Each year a new overwintering team arrives by ship (the S. A. Agulhas II) to staff the weather station and perform scientific research. . Each new team directly replaces the departing one, thereby maintaining a continual human presence on the island. The team is supplied with enough food to last the whole year. People and cargo are landed either by helicopter, from a supply ship, or by a fixed crane atop a cliff near the station (a place aptly called "Crane Point").
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 fronts 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 40°20'57.68"S 9°52'49.13"W. The new location improved the validity and reliability of the data acquired for use in modeling.
Each year a new overwintering team arrives by ship (the S. A. Agulhas II) to staff the weather station and perform scientific research. . Each new team directly replaces the departing one, thereby maintaining a continual human presence on the island. The team is supplied with enough food to last the whole year. People and cargo are landed either by helicopter, from a supply ship, or by a fixed crane atop a cliff near the station (a place aptly called "Crane Point").