Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

The Cliffs of Moher (Irish: Aillte an Mhothair) are located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They rise 120 metres (390 ft) above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and reach their maximum height of 214 metres (702 ft) just north of O'Brien's Tower, eight kilometres to the north. The tower is a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O'Brien. From the cliffs and from atop the tower, visitors can see the Aran Islands in Galway Bay, the Maumturks andTwelve Pins mountain ranges to the north in County Galway, and Loop Head to the south. The cliffs rank amongst the top visited tourist sites in Ireland, and receive almost one million visitors a year.

The cliffs are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ireland and topped the list of attractions in 2006 by drawing almost one million visitors. Since 2011 they have formed a part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark, one of a family of geotourism destinations throughout Europe which are members of the European Geoparks Network.

In the 1990s, Clare County Council initiated development plans to enable visitors to experience the cliffs without significant intrusive man-made amenities. In keeping with this approach, the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience was built into a hillside approaching the cliffs. The centre is also intended to be environmentally sensitive in its use of renewable energy systems including geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and grey water recycling.

 

The €32 million facility was planned and built over a 17-year period, and officially opened in February 2007. Facility exhibits include interactive media displays covering the geology, history, flora and fauna of the cliffs. And a large multimedia screen displays a bird's eye view from the cliffs, as well as video from the underwater caves below the cliffs.

The visitor's centre charges €6 per adult, with children under 16 admitted free. Charges include parking, access to the visitor centre and Atlantic Edge exhibition, and a contribution towards conservation and safety at the cliffs.

The Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience won an award in the "Interpret Britain & Ireland Awards" 2007 awarded by the Association of Heritage Interpretation (AHI). Although the award was specifically for the Atlantic Edge exhibition, the AHI assessed the entire visitor centre and site. The citation stated that the entire visitor centre was "one of the best facilities that the judges had ever seen." Separate ferry trips also allow tourists to view the cliffs from sea level.

Read More

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru

Titicaca (in the hispanicized spelling) or Titiqaqa (Quechua) is a lake in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. By volume of water, it is the largest lake in South America. Lake Maracaibo has a larger surface area, but it is considered to be a large brackish bay due to its direct connection with the sea.

It is often called the highest navigable lake in the world, with a surface elevation of 3,812 metres (12,507 ft). Although this refers to navigation by large boats, it is generally considered to mean commercial craft. For many years the largest vessel afloat on the lake was the 2,200-ton, 79-metre (259 ft) SS Ollanta. Today the largest vessel is probably the similarly sized, but broader, train barge/float Manco Capac, operated by PeruRail (berthed, as of 17 June 2013, at 15°50′11″S 70°00′53″W, across the pier from theOllanta). At least two dozen bodies of water around the world are at higher elevations, but all are much smaller and shallower.

The lake is located at the northern end of the endorheic Altiplano basin high in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. The western part of the lake lies within the Puno Region of Peru, and the eastern side is located in the Bolivian La Paz Department.

The lake is composed of two nearly separate sub-basins connected by the Strait of Tiquina, which is 800 m (2,620 ft) across at the narrowest point. The larger sub-basin, Lago Grande (also called Lago Chucuito), has a mean depth of 135 m (443 ft) and a maximum depth of 284 m (932 ft). The smaller sub-basin, Wiñaymarka (also called Lago Pequeño, "little lake"), has a mean depth of 9 m (30 ft) and a maximum depth of 40 m (131 ft). The overall average depth of the lake is 107 m (351 ft).

Five major river systems feed into Lake Titicaca. In order of their relative flow volumes these are Ramis, Coata, Ilave, Huancané, and Suchez. More than twenty other smaller streams empty into Titicaca, and the lake has 41 islands, some of which are densely populated.

Having only a single season of free circulation, the lake is monomictic, and water passes through

Lago Huiñaimarca and flows out the single outlet at the Río Desaguadero, which then flows south through Bolivia to Lake Poopó. This only accounts for about 10% of the lake's water balance. Evapotranspiration, caused by strong winds and intense sunlight at high altitude, balances the remaining 90% of the water input. It is nearly a closed lake.

Since 2000 Lake Titicaca has experienced constantly receding water levels. Between April and November 2009 alone the water level dropped by 81 cm (32 in), reaching the lowest level since 1949. This drop is caused by shortened rainy seasons and the melting of glaciers feeding the tributaries of the lake. Water pollution is also an increasing concern because cities in the Titicaca watershed grow, sometimes outpacing solid waste and sewage treatment infrastructure.

The cold sources and winds over the lake give it an average surface temperature of 10 to 14 °C (50 to 57 °F). In the winter (June – September), mixing occurs with the deeper waters, which are always between 10 to 11 °C (50 to 52 °F).

Read More

Jeju Island Lava Tubes, South Korea

The island of Jejudo figures significantly in terms of the preservation of biodiversity. Almost half of all vascular plants found in Korea and about 200 endemic plant species are found on the island, together with half of Korea’s endangered and protected wild species. High on the summit of Mt. Hallasan live polar plant species that advanced southwards during the Ice Age, while numerous indigenous species and endangered species inhabit the lower altitudes. Without a doubt, Mt. Hallasan is a rich ecological treasure trove, with 1565 species of plants and 1,179 species of animals. On June 27, 2007, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee listed Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes as a World Natural Heritage in view of the site’s parasitic volcano and lava tubes, as well as for its outstanding geological features and special properties as a habitat for a variety of rare and endangered species. Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes largely comprises of three sites: Mount Hallasan Natural Reserve, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, and the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System. The lava tube system includes Geomunoreum, a parasitic cone, and the five lava caves of Bengdwigul, Manjanggul, Gimnyeonggul, Yongcheondonggul, and Dangcheomuldonggul.

Mount Hallasan Natural Reserve

At 1,950 meters, Mt. Hallasan is the tallest mountain in South Korea with gentle slopes formed by eons of volcanic activity. The summit area, however, is steep as it is formed of a steep trachyte edifice. A variety of animals and plants inhabit the natural reserve together with numerous endangered species. Because of the unique and mysterious landscape created by the surrounding 360 cinder cones and its outstanding research value, the Korean government designated the mountain as a national park in 1970, and it has been protected ever since.

Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak

Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, one of the 360 parasitic (cinder) cones on Jejudo Island, was uniquely created on the sea floor. Some 5,000 years ago, an underwater eruption on the shallow seabed resulted in a tuff ring. Rising 182 meters above sea level, the tuff ring was originally an island, but the gradual deposit of sand and gravel formed a connection to the land. Also called the Oreum of the Rising Sun, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak is one of the treasured landmarks of Jeju Island, which attracts numerous tourists for a view of the sunrise and sunset.

Geomunoreum Lava Tube System

The Geomunoreum Lava Tube System refers to the series of lava tubes formed some 100,000 to 300,000 years ago by huge amounts of basalt lava that spewed from Geomunoreum Volcano. Lava tubes designated as UNESCO World Natural Heritage are Bengdwigul, Manjanggul, Gimnyeonggul, Yongcheondonggul, and Dangcheomuldonggul. The largest tube in the Geomunoreum system is Manjanggul. In terms of both length and scale of the entrance, Manjanggul and Gimnyeonggul are among the most internationally recognized formations. Also notable is Bengdwigul, a labyrinth-type cave whose structure is the most complex of any in the world. Other caves that are outstanding in terms of geological value are Yongcheondonggul and Dangcheomuldonggul on the southern coast of Jeju. While Dangcheomuldonggul Cave is quite small, it has a spectacular display of limestone formations. In addition, the limestone structures and geological features found in Yongcheondonggul are unmatched by any in the world.

Yongcheon Cave

*The Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes were judged on the merits of their outstanding universal value and met UNESCOs criteria that a natural site being considered as a World Natural Heritage must contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance and be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant ongoing geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features. Source: http://visitkorea.or.kr/ena/CU/CU_EN_8_4_2.jsp

Read More