Hamberg Lakes

The Hamberg Lakes are three freshwater lakes to north of the Hamberg Glacier which run in a line north-east to south-west, on South Georgia.

The lakes were surveyed by a Swedish expedition in 1902. They were named collectively 'Hamberg See' by Szielasko in 1906, in association with the Hamberg Glacier; named 'Hamberg Lakes' following the South Georgia Survey of 1956-57. At this time only the Middle and Lower lakes (as they are now known) existed.

Landsat ETM+ satellite imagery in 2002 showed there to be an additional lake, the Upper lake, where glacial retreat had occurred in a south-westerly direction.

Lower Hamberg Lake

• Location map: 54°18’38"S, 36°30’59"W

An irregularly shaped freshwater lake, approximately 0.7 miles long and a maximum of 330 yards wide. This is the lowest and most northerly of the Hamberg Lakes.

Middle Hamberg Lake

• Location map: 54°19’31"S, 36°31’44"W

A lake approximately a mile and a half long and 900 yards wide at the widest point. It has several islands within it and spits from the shore.

Upper Hamberg Lake

• Location map: 54°20’10"S, 36°32’30"W

An oval freshwater lake approximately a thousand yards long and 700 yards wide. This is the highest and most southerly of the Hamberg Lakes. It was unknown at the time the lakes were first charted, becoming exposed during recent glacial retreat and shown for the first time on mapping in 2003.

Location

• Location map: 54°19’32"S, 36°31’30"W

References

• Gazetteer and Map of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Hamberg Lakes