The Earth Story

Caution!! Crabs Crossing!!

Every year at the beginning of the wet season, around October or November, the Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis), begins its migration from the forest to the coast to breed. Although only endemic to Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean, there is estimated to be more than 120 million red crabs on the rain forest floor of Christmas Island(National Geographic). The migration of the crabs is usually synchronised throughout the Island, with the rain providing moist conditions enabling them to make the long and difficult journey.

The mass migration is headed by the males, quickly followed by the females. The crabs spend several painstaking weeks scuttling to the ocean, which can be as far as 9 km away.

In order to mitigate human interference with the migration, road closures and designated “crab crossings” are put in place and local radio stations report on the crabs movements.

-Jean

Image source: https://bit.ly/2Sl1Zif Check out this great video on the migration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sJ7zXUdtUkg For more information, including their life cycle go here: http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/christmas/nature-science/fauna/red-crabs.html

Caution!! Crabs Crossing!!

Every year at the beginning of the wet season, around October or November, the Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis), begins its migration from the forest to the coast to breed.

Although only endemic to Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean, there is estimated to be more than 120 million red crabs on the rain forest floor of Christmas Island(National Geographic). The migration of the crabs is usually synchronised throughout the Island, with the rain providing moist conditions enabling them to make the long and difficult journey.

The mass migration is headed by the males, quickly followed by the females. The crabs spend several painstaking weeks scuttling to the ocean, which can be as far as 9 km away.

In order to mitigate human interference with the migration, road closures and designated “crab crossings” are put in place and local radio stations report on the crabs movements.

-Jean

Check out this great video on the migration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sJ7zXUdtUkg

For more information, including their life cycle go here: http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/christmas/nature-science/fauna/red-crabs.html

Migrating red crabs, Christmas Island

A ‘’white’’ Christmas Island

If you are celebrating on Christmas Island, your white Christmas won’t be caused by snow, but by a white sandy beach!

Temperatures here are always pleasantly between 24 and 30°C and you get to celebrate the New Year as one of the first persons on the planet. This coral atoll, also known as Kiritimati, is located in the Northern Pacific Ocean and is part of the Republic of Kiribati (not to be confused with another Christmas Island located near the Indonesian island of Java).

According to Darwin, atolls form when volcanic islands go extinct. The volcano starts to subside and coral starts to grow, usually in a shallow lagoon surrounding the subsiding island. As the volcano continues to subside, the reef becomes larger and the lagoon deeper. Finally when the volcano has completely disappeared into the ocean the remaining lagoon is enclosed by a ring-shaped barrier reef.

Although Kiritimati’s surface is only about the size of the city of San Francisco, it is the world’s largest coral atoll. But that is not all. As mentioned Kiritimati is also the first on the planet to experience the New Year, since it has the farthest forward time zone. So why is it known as Christmas Island? Well Kiritimati literally translates as Christmas in Kiribati language (pronounced as Ki-ris-mas) and ok, it was visited by Captain James Cook on Christmas Eve 1777.

The highest point on the atoll is 13m which is pretty average for an atoll (they don’t get much higher). The atoll’s lagoon is about the same size as the island (320 km2) and is partially dried out. It contains numerous tidal flats, salt pans and hypersaline (very salty) brine ponds.

In the sixties Kiritimati and its neighboring islands were used by the UK and the US for testing nuclear bombs. Although at the time only about two to three hundred plantation laborers inhabited the island, no evacuation took place. It is highly likely that both countries did not fully grasp the potential dangers of the weapons they were testing. In recent years many accounts of veterans of the nuclear testing have surfaced, many of which have suffered from illnesses. Until this day the veterans remain uncompensated. More information about the effects of the nuclear tests is available here: http://bit.ly/2i6wKpE.

-OW-

Image: NASA. 1. Christmas Island as seen from the International Space Station. (Courtesy of NASA) 2. Image by Dennis Hobbs. Taken in 1956 when nuclear testing was ongoing. The white beaches are clearly visible. References: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-satellite-spots-christmas http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=2301 http://bit.ly/2i6wKpE Darwin, Charles R (1842). The structure and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. Fitzroy, R.N. during the years 1832 to 1836. London: Smith Elder and Co

Caution!! Crabs Crossing!!

Christmas Island

What would be a better place to spend your Christmas than on Christmas Island? Imagine yourself surrounded by tropical rainforest instead of pine trees and on a sandy white beach instead of covered in snow. Also known as Kiritmati, this raised coral atoll lies in the Indian Ocean about 230 km from the Indonesian Island of Java. The island got its name on Christmas Day 1643 when it was passed by the British ship Royal Mary. The first time the island was actually laid foot on (it was uninhabited) was around 1699. After phosphate was discovered in the late 1800s many Malay and Chinese workers arrived. Soon afterwards Britain annexed it. In the Second World War the Japanese tried to occupy the island, mainly due to the rich phosphate deposits. Nowadays Christmas Island is Australian Territory.

The most commonly (literally tens of millions!) encountered species on the atoll is the red crab. From October to December they begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the beach where they breed and spawn. A national park that covers 63% of the island protects these animals. Due to its isolated geographical location and the fact that the island was left undisturbed for a long time flora and fauna have a high level of endemism (you only find them on the island).

By the way, Christmas Island is also one of the best places in the world to celebrate the New Year; since it is the first place on earth to experience it (it has the farthest time zone of UTC +14)

--BO

Image: NASA Earth Observatory. Christmas Island as seen from the International Space Station.

References: http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/christmas/ http://www.christmas.net.au/

Christmas Island What would be a better place to spend your Christmas than on Christmas Island? Imagine yourself surrounded by tropical rainforest instead of pine trees and on a sandy white beach instead of covered in snow. Also known as Kiritmati, this raised coral atoll lies in the Indian Ocean about 230 km from the Indonesian Island of Java. The island got its name on Christmas Day 1643 when it was passed by the British ship Royal Mary. The first time the island was actually laid foot on (it was uninhabited) was around 1699. After phosphate was discovered in the late 1800s many Malay and Chinese workers arrived. Soon afterwards Britain annexed it. In the Second World War the Japanese tried to occupy the island, mainly due to the rich phosphate deposits. Nowadays Christmas Island is Australian Territory. The most commonly (literally tens of millions!) encountered species on the atoll is the red crab. From October to December they begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the beach where they breed and spawn. A national park that covers 63% of the island protects these animals. Due to its isolated geographical location and the fact that the island was left undisturbed for a long time flora and fauna have a high level of endemism (you only find them on the island). By the way, Christmas Island is also one of the best places in the world to celebrate the New Year; since it is the first place on earth to experience it (it has the farthest time zone of UTC +14) --BO Image: NASA Earth Observatory. Christmas Island as seen from the International Space Station. References: http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/christmas/ http://www.christmas.net.au/

Caution!! Crabs Crossing!! Every year at the beginning of the wet season, around October or November, the Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis), begins its migration from the forest to the coast to breed. Although only endemic to Christmas Island and the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean, there is estimated to be more than 120 million red crabs on the rain forest floor of Christmas Island(National Geographic). The migration of the crabs is usually synchronised throughout the Island, with the rain providing moist conditions enabling them to make the long and difficult journey. The mass migration is headed by the males, quickly followed by the females. The crabs spend several painstaking weeks scuttling to the ocean, which can be as far as 9 km away. In order to mitigate human interference with the migration, road closures and designated “crab crossings” are put in place and local radio stations report on the crabs movements. -Jean Check out this great video on the migration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sJ7zXUdtUkg For more information, including their life cycle go here: http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/christmas/nature-science/fauna/red-crabs.html

Christmas Island What would be a better place to spend your Christmas than on Christmas Island? Imagine yourself surrounded by tropical rainforest instead of pine trees and on a sandy white beach instead of covered in snow. Also known as Kiritmati, this raised coral atoll lies in the Indian Ocean about 230 km from the Indonesian Island of Java. The island got its name on Christmas Day 1643 when it was passed by the British ship Royal Mary. The first time the island was actually laid foot on (it was uninhabited) was around 1699. After phosphate was discovered in the late 1800s many Malay and Chinese workers arrived. Soon afterwards Britain annexed it. In the Second World War the Japanese tried to occupy the island, mainly due to the rich phosphate deposits. Nowadays Christmas Island is Australian Territory. The most commonly (literally tens of millions!) encountered species on the atoll is the red crab. From October to December they begin a spectacular migration from the forest to the beach where they breed and spawn. A national park that covers 63% of the island protects these animals. Due to its isolated geographical location and the fact that the island was left undisturbed for a long time flora and fauna have a high level of endemism (you only find them on the island). By the way, Christmas Island is also one of the best places in the world to celebrate the New Year; since it is the first place on earth to experience it (it has the farthest time zone of UTC +14) --BO Image: NASA Earth Observatory. Christmas Island as seen from the International Space Station. References: http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/christmas/ http://www.christmas.net.au/