Editing Northwestern Hawaiian Islands

{{short description|Small islands and atolls in Hawaii}}
{{Infobox islands
| name                              = Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
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| image_map                         = Hawaiianislandchain USGS.png
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| image_map_caption                 = The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands form part of the [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaiian island chain]]
| pushpin_map                       = Pacific Ocean#USA Hawaiian Islands
| pushpin_label                     = NW Hawaiian Islands
| pushpin_label_position            = left
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| pushpin_map_caption               = Location of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean
| coordinates                       = {{Coord|25|N|168|W|type:isle|display=it}}
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| location                          = [[Pacific Ocean]]
| archipelago                       = [[Hawaiian Islands]]
| waterbody                         = Pacific Ocean
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| country                           = [[United States]]
| country_admin_divisions_title     = State/Territory
| country_admin_divisions           = [[Hawaii]] and [[Midway Island]]
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}}

The '''Northwestern Hawaiian Islands''' also known as the '''Leeward Hawaiian Islands,''' are a series of [[island]]s and [[atoll]]s located northwest of [[Kauai]] and [[Niihau|Ni{{okina}}ihau]] in the [[Hawaiian Islands|Hawaiian island chain]]. Politically, these islands are part of [[Honolulu County, Hawaii|Honolulu County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Hawaii]], with the exception of [[Midway Atoll]]. Midway Atoll is a [[Territories of the United States|territory]] distinct from the State of Hawaii, and is classified as one of the [[United States Minor Outlying Islands]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/visit/ |title=Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument |website=www.papahanaumokuakea.gov |access-date=2019-12-15 |archive-date=2019-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215055439/https://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/visit/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[United States Census Bureau]] designates this area, excluding Midway Atoll, as Census Tract 114.98 of Honolulu County. The total land area of these islands is 3.1075 square miles (8.048 km²). With the exception of [[Nihoa]], all these islands lie north of the [[Tropic of Cancer]], making them the only islands in Hawaii situated outside the [[tropics]].

The Northwestern or Leeward Hawaiian Islands include
*[[Nihoa]] (Moku Manu) at {{coord|23|03|38|N|161|55|19|W|region:US-HI_type:isle|name=Nihoa}}
*[[French Frigate Shoals]] (Kānemiloha{{okina}}i) at {{coord|23|52|12|N|166|17|06|W|region:US-HI_type:isle|name=French Frigate Shoals}}
*[[Gardner Pinnacles]] (Pūhāhonu) at {{coord|24|59|57|N|167|59|56|W|region:US-HI_type:isle}}
*[[Maro Reef]] (Nalukākala) at {{coord|25|26|15|N|170|35|24|W|region:US-HI_type:isle}}
*[[Laysan]] (Kauō) at {{coord|25|46|12|N|171|44|06|W|region:US-HI_type:isle}}
*[[Lisianski Island|Lisianski]] (Papa{{okina}}āpoho) at {{coord|26|03|45|N|173|57|54|W|region:US-HI_type:isle}}
*[[Pearl and Hermes Atoll]] (Holoikauaua) at {{coord|27|47|24|N|175|49|12|W|region:US-HI_type:isle}}
*[[Midway Atoll]] (Pihemanu) at {{coord|28|12|27|N|177|21|00|W|type:isle}} - not part of the State of Hawaii
*[[Kure Atoll]] (Mokupāpapa) at {{coord|28|23|24|N|178|17|42|W|region:US-HI_type:isle|name=Kure Atoll}}

==The islands==
[[File:Laysan Island Interior.jpg|thumb|right|The interior of Laysan, showing the [[hypersaline lake]]]]

*{{convert|156|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[Nihoa]] is the youngest of the NWHI, and the tallest, with {{convert|900|ft|m|adj=on}} vertical cliffs. It is the southwestern remnant of the island's former volcanic cone. Ancient Hawaiians might have stayed here long-term.
*{{convert|40|acre|m2|adj=on}} [[Necker Island (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands)|Necker Island]] is hook-shaped and {{convert|270|ft|m}} tall at its summit. Barren of vegetation, it was used by Ancient Hawaiians for religious purposes, but not for long-term habitation.
*[[French Frigate Shoals]] is an atoll, the largest region of coral reefs in Hawaii, at {{convert|200|sqmi|km2}}. The atoll is composed of a dozen or so small islands, one of which (Tern Island) contains an airport and human habitations.
*[[Gardner Pinnacles]] is made up of two small [[basalt]] peaks, the last rocky island in Hawaii. While the island itself is tiny, the surrounding reef is expansive and diverse.
*{{convert|166|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} [[Maro Reef]] is an extremely fertile reef system that has been described as a "coral garden".
*[[Laysan]] is a {{convert|913|acre|km2|adj=on}}, low, sandy island with a natural lake in its interior, one of only five such lakes in Hawaii. It has arguably the most diverse ecosystem in the NWHI, and hosts about two million seabirds of seventeen species.<ref>Rauzon, 100</ref>
*[[Lisianski Island]], only {{convert|400|acre|km2}}, is geologically akin to Laysan, without the lake. Though the island is slightly less biodiverse, the surrounding reef is very fertile.
*[[Pearl and Hermes Atoll]] is an atoll very similar to French Frigate Shoals, but with much less dry land. For this reason, it was mostly ignored by guano miners and feather hunters.
*[[Midway Atoll]] is the most commonly known of the NWHI, and is also the largest. The [[Battle of Midway]] was fought here and in its surrounding waters, and the island remains permanently inhabited, albeit by persons who are there in consequence of their service with the [[United States Government]], not an indigenous population.
*Circular [[Kure Atoll]] contains the {{convert|236|acre|km2|adj=on}} Green Island, which used to host a [[LORAN]] station and a runway, but these have since been decommissioned. Kure is one of the less biodiverse islands of the NWHI.

[[File:Hawaiian_Islands_Reservation_EO_1019_illustration.jpg|thumb|1909 map of the [[Hawaiian Islands Reservation]].]]
Other islands or reefs were previously mapped as part of this chain but are now considered to be either [[phantom island]]s or misidentifications of existing islands. The following reefs continued to appear on maps as late as 1934:<ref>{{cite book |title=Rand McNally World Atlas Pictorial Edition |year=1934 |location=Chicago |publisher=Rand McNally & Company |page=57}}</ref>
*Two Brothers Reef, site of the 1823 ''[[Two Brothers (ship)|Two Brothers]]'' shipwreck, originally placed west of French Frigate Shoals but later proven to be identical with the latter.<ref>Gleason, Kelly. [https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/a-sounding-lead-on-a-distant-reef-captain-pollards-lessons-learned "A Sounding Lead on a Distant Reef, Captain Pollard’s Lessons Learned"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020030727/https://nha.org/research/nantucket-history/history-topics/a-sounding-lead-on-a-distant-reef-captain-pollards-lessons-learned/ |date=2020-10-20 }}, [[Nantucket Historical Association]]</ref>
*"Krusenstern Reef," "Krusenstern Rock," or "Krusenstern Island" was a [[phantom island|phantom reef]] at {{Coord|22|15|N|175|37|W}}, south of Lisianski Island; an investigation in 1923 declared it nonexistent.<ref>[[Robert Cushman Murphy|Murphy, Robert Cushman]] (1951). "Birds collected during the Whitney South Sea Expedition 59: The populations of the Wedge-tailed Shearwater (''[[Puffinus pacificus]]'')." ''[[American Museum Novitates]]'' '''1512''': 1–21. [http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/3910/1/N1512.pdf PDF fulltext] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070611234128/http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/dspace/bitstream/2246/3910/1/N1512.pdf |date=2007-06-11 }}</ref><ref>Charles A. Ely, A. Binion Amerson, Jr. (October 1, 1970). "[https://doi.org/10.2307/4083716 New light on Snow's Krusenstern Island]." ''[[The Auk]]'' '''87''':800–804.</ref>
[[File:Photo_of_JRO_Globe_ca_1960_west_of_Hawaii.jpg|thumb|JRO globe ca. 1960]]
As late as 1960, a German globe showed islands west of Kure Atoll that had long been proven nonexistent:
*[[Byers's Island]]
*[[Morrell's Island]]

==Geology==
The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were formed approximately 7 to 30 million years ago, as [[shield volcano]]es over the same volcanic [[Hotspot (geology)|hotspot]] that formed the [[Emperor Seamounts]] to the north and the Main Hawaiian Islands to the south.<ref>Clague, D.A. and Dalrymple, G.B. (1989) ''Tectonics, geochronology, and origin of the Hawaiian-Emperor Chain'' in Winterer, E.L. et al. (editors) (1989) ''The Eastern Pacific Ocean and Hawaii'', Boulder, Geological Society of America.</ref> As the [[Pacific Plate]] moved north and later northwest over the hot spot, [[volcano|volcanic]] eruptions built up islands in a linear chain. The isolated land masses gradually eroded and subsided, evolving from high islands in the south, much like the Main Islands of Hawaii, to [[atoll]]s (or [[seamount]]s) north of the [[Darwin Point]]. Each of the NWHI are in various stages of erosion. [[Nihoa]], [[Necker Island (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands)|Necker]], and [[Gardner Pinnacles]] are rocky, [[basalt]] islands that have not eroded enough to form an atoll, or that lack a substantial coral reef. [[Laysan]] and [[Lisianski Island|Lisianski]] are low, sandy islands that have been eroded longer. [[French Frigate Shoals]], [[Pearl and Hermes Atoll|Pearl and Hermes]], [[Midway Atoll|Midway]], and [[Kure Atoll|Kure]] are atolls.

North of the Darwin Point, the coral reef grows more slowly than the island's subsidence, and as the Pacific Plate moves northwest, the island becomes a seamount when it crosses this line. Kure Atoll straddles the Darwin Point, and will sink beneath the ocean when its coral reef cannot keep up with the rate of subsidence, a destiny that awaits every Hawaiian island.<ref>Rauzon, 3</ref>

==Biodiversity and endemism==
[[File:Telespiza ultima.gif|thumb|upright|The [[Nihoa finch]]]]

The Hawaiian Islands are about {{convert|2500|mi|km}} from North America and {{convert|3800|mi|km}} from Asia, and it is because of this isolation that the Hawaiian Islands have extraordinary numbers of unique species.<ref>Rauzon, 4</ref> Only a species that could fly or swim immense distances could reach the archipelago. But whereas Polynesians, and later, Europeans, have largely altered the ecosystem of the Main Hawaiian islands by introducing alien species, the ecosystems of the NWHI remain, for the most part, intact. The extensive coral reefs found in Papahānaumokuākea are home to over 7,000 marine species.<ref name="website">{{cite web |url=http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/ |title=Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument |publisher=official web site, [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=2009-07-28 |archive-date=2013-10-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131011234913/http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Of the many [[List of species of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands|species that live here]], over 1,700 species of organisms are [[endemism|endemic]] to the Hawaiian Islands (i.e., they are found nowhere else). For this reason, the region has been dubbed "America's [[Galápagos]]".

Though not subject to nearly as much [[extinction]] as the main islands, the Leeward Islands have had their share of abuse. From the late 19th to the early 20th centuries, fishermen, [[guano]] miners, and feather hunters killed most of the birds and sea life living in the NWHI. Rabbits were introduced to Laysan and Lisianski, where they multiplied and devoured most of the vegetation, permanently extinguishing several species. However, most of the damage was reversed, and the islands were restored largely to their pre-exploitation state.

=== Important Bird Area===
The NWHI has been recognized as an [[Important Bird Area]] (IBA) by [[BirdLife International]] because of its seabirds and endemic landbirds. The [[seabird]] [[bird colony|colonies]] in the IBA form one of the largest assemblages of tropical seabirds in the world, with over 14 million birds of 21 species.<ref name=bli>{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/northwestern-hawaiian-islands-iba-usa |title=Northwestern Hawaiian Islands) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2020 |website=BirdLife Data Zone |publisher=BirdLife International |access-date=16 December 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604034509/http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/northwestern-hawaiian-islands-iba-usa |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some of the endemic species of the NWHI include the [[Nihoa finch|Nihoa]] and [[Laysan finch]], the [[Laysan duck]] (the "rarest native waterfowl in the United States"),<ref>{{cite web |author=FWS |title=Laysan Duck - Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge |publisher=[[U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service]] |year=2009 |url=http://www.fws.gov/midway/ladu.html |access-date=2010-02-16 |archive-date=2009-11-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091101054100/http://www.fws.gov/midway/ladu.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the [[Nihoa fan palm]]. Other notable species are the [[Laysan albatross]], the highly endangered [[Hawaiian monk seal]], and the [[green sea turtle]]. The only native [[trapdoor spider]]s in the Hawaiian archipelago (''Nihoa'' spp.), recently discovered, are found here. Most endemic species are highly vulnerable to extinction as one major catastrophic event could wipe out all of the vegetation on each small island. Additionally, seventy percent of all coral reefs in the United States are found here.

==Exploration==
[[File:Lisianski Island Reserve Sign.jpg|thumb|right|The reserve sign on Lisianski]]

Archeological evidence suggests [[ancient Hawaii]]ans visited but did not live on Mokumanamana (Necker) and French Frigate Shoals, and the islands were deserted when Europeans arrived in the 18th century. Agricultural terraces indicate Hawaiians lived on Nihoa for extended periods of time. Mokumanamana lacks vegetation and is unsuitable for agriculture, and archeological studies indicate early Hawaiians only visited and used the island for religious purposes.

The first of the Leeward Isles to be discovered by Europeans was Nihoa. [[James Colnett]] discovered it in 1786, although historically the credit has gone to William Douglas. Later that year, [[Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse|La Pérouse]] discovered Necker, and named it for [[Jacques Necker]], the French Minister of Finance. La Pérouse then went on to discover French Frigate Shoals. The last of the NWHI to be discovered was Midway Atoll, which was found by N.C. Middlebrooks in 1859. In 1925, the [[Tanager Expedition]] travelled to many of the NWHI. The islands were mapped, new species were discovered and described, and the archeological sites on Nihoa and Necker were found.

===Naming system===
Most of the islands have several names: one in English and one or more in Hawaiian (indicated in parentheses above). The majority of the Hawaiian names used as alternatives to the English ones were created in modern times; the original names that ancient Hawaiians gave to all of these islands that they encountered prior to Western contact are found in various oli (chants) and moʻolelo (stories).

==National Monument==
{{wikinews|Bush proclaims Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a National Monument}}
On June 15, 2006, American President [[George W. Bush]] issued a public proclamation creating [[Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument]] under the [[Antiquities Act]] of 1906. The Monument encompasses the islands and surrounding waters, forming the largest marine wildlife reserve in the world. President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] had declared the Northwestern Hawaiian chain a bird sanctuary in 1909, and the islands had been protected since 2000 with a designation as an 'ecosystem reserve' by President [[Bill Clinton]], but increasing it to national monument status provides unprecedented control. {{convert|139000|sqmi|km2|-3}} of ocean was at that time set aside for protection, about the size of the U.S. state of [[California]].

In August 2016, President [[Barack Obama]] expanded the area of the monument by roughly four times. The expanded monument was at that time the world's largest [[marine protected area]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.civilbeat.org/2016/08/obama-to-create-worlds-largest-protected-marine-area-off-hawaii |title=Obama To Create World's Largest Protected Marine Area Off Hawaii |last=Eagle |first=Nathan |date=August 26, 2016 |language=en-US |access-date=August 26, 2016 |archive-date=August 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827204512/http://www.civilbeat.org/2016/08/obama-to-create-worlds-largest-protected-marine-area-off-hawaii/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/08/26/fact-sheet-president-obama-create-worlds-largest-marine-protected-area |title=Fact Sheet: President Obama to Create the World's Largest Marine Protected Area |date=August 26, 2016 |via=[[NARA|National Archives]] |work=[[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date=September 3, 2016 |archive-date=January 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120220151/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/08/26/fact-sheet-president-obama-create-worlds-largest-marine-protected-area |url-status=live }}</ref>

Entry to the Monument is limited through a permit system, jointly administered by [[NOAA]], [[FWS]], and the state of [[Hawaii]]. Anyone who comes to the islands must follow stringent procedures designed to prevent any stray species from entering and disrupting the ecosystem. All clothes must be bought new, and kept wrapped until before arrival. In fact, all "soft" items (camera strap, blanket) must be bought new, and all "hard" items (camera, binoculars) must be cleaned thoroughly. Then, every item must be frozen for 48 hours. A new set of equipment must be prepared for each island one is going to, to prevent inter-island species introduction. However, French Frigate Shoals and Midway Atoll are exempted from these rules, as they are deemed too altered by humans already to worry about introducing new species.

==See also==
{{Portal|Hawaii|Islands}}
*[[Bibliography of Midway Atoll]]
*[[Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument|Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge]]
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Hawaii#Northwestern Hawaiian Islands|National Register of Historic Places listings in Hawaii § Northwestern Hawaiian Islands]]
*[[Desert island]]
*[[List of islands]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*[https://www.census.gov Census Tract 114.98 and Block 1001 (Necker Island), Honolulu County, Hawaii], United States Census Bureau.
*{{Cite book |last1=Rauzon |first1=Mark J. |title=Isles of Refuge: Wildlife and History of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780824823306}}.


==External links==
{{commons category|Northwestern Hawaiian Islands}}
*[https://www.pbs.org/kqed/oceanadventures/episodes/kure/diaries/ Interactive Map from the PBS Ocean Adventures site]
*[http://www.navigatingchange.org/nc_edumessage.asp Navigating Change]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060919230828/http://www.hawaiireef.noaa.gov/welcome.html National Monument NOAA Webpage]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100714170309/http://www.hawaiianatolls.org/index.html Northwest Hawaiian Islands Multi-Agency Education Project]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110903082931/http://pmnmims.org/ Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Information Management System]

{{Northwestern Hawaiian Islands}}
{{Hawaii}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Northwestern Hawaiian Islands| ]]
[[Category:Geography of Honolulu County, Hawaii]]
[[Category:Seabird colonies]]
[[Category:Neogene volcanoes]]
[[Category:Neogene Oceania]]
[[Category:Cenozoic Hawaii]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Hawaii]]
[[Category:Important Bird Areas of Oceania]]