Bouvet Island is located at the far southern side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and was officially designated a nature reserve over 40 years ago.The northwestern section of Bouvet Island, known as Nyrøysa, is the only spot where people can easily access the island. This area is mostly free of ice and is home to a weather station.Bouvet Island is also fairly rugged in this northwestern portion, characterized by gravel, lava stone, and boulders.Many researchers have worked in the Nyrøysa area of Bouvet Island: From 1996 to 2006, in fact, there was a field station located there, but it was destroyed in an earthquake.