Laysan Island (& Northhampton Seamounts)

[ Bathymetry | Backscatter | Optical Validation | Geomorphology ]

Laysan Island, at 2.4km (1.5 miles) long and 1.6km (1 mile) wide, is the second largest land mass in the NWHI (4 sq km.). It has proportionally less reef area than most of the other NWHI, however, with narrow fringing reefs surrounded by extensive sand beds in the shallows. As a vegetated land mass Laysan is home to large populations of seabirds and migratory shorebirds, including the Laysan Albatross, Phoebastria immutabilis, which ranges across the North Pacific. The island contains a hypersaline lake in its center, which is home to one of only two colonies of the endangered Laysan Duck, Anas laysanensis, a species endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

Northampton Seamounts are a pair of submerged peaks (~ 300 sq km. and 170 sq km.) about 64 km (40 miles) southwest of Laysan Island. They lie 35 m and 27 m beneath the surface, and to date have only been surveyed by sonar mapping technology, remotely operated vehicles, and manned submersibles.