Island environments

Abstract ‘Island environments’ examines variation in environmental properties of islands, highlighting the range of distinctive classes of island in terms of geology, topography, and climate, and how they contrast with mainland environments. It discusses edaphic properties linked to their distinctive geological origins, noting the importance of marine and atmospheric subsidies to their nutrient cycles. It describes island climate regimes and climate zonation compression on high islands and shows that island position in relation to large-scale features of the climate, marine and atmospheric currents, and hurricane systems, are all key features of island environments. It highlights the importance of continued volcanism and mega-landslides for many islands. It describes how Quaternary climate change has impacted island environments both directly and through fluctuations in sea level, sometimes to slightly higher and for lengthy periods much lower levels than present. Finally, it briefly introduces the theme of anthropogenic environmental change on islands.