Subantarctic Macquarie Island Environment and Biology [Paperback]

This fascinating and readable account will appeal to all those interested in the Antarctic region in general.Macquarie Island, a speck of land rising from the Southern Ocean about 1,000 km south-east of Tasmania, is a wild and beautiful place. Declared a nature reserve in 1933, the island is of immense scientific interest, providing scientists with an opportunity to study unique geological features and to examine the special characteristics of a southern island ecosystem.Macquarie Island, a speck of land rising from the Southern Ocean about 1,000 km south-east of Tasmania, is a wild and beautiful place. Declared a nature reserve in 1933, the island is of immense scientific interest, providing scientists with an opportunity to study unique geological features and to examine the special characteristics of a southern island ecosystem.This is a fascinating account of the history, geology and biology of Macquarie Island, a speck of land rising from the Southern Ocean, about 1,000 km southeast of Tasmania. The wild and beautiful island was declared a nature reserve in 1933 and possesses immense scientific interest because of its unique geological and biological features. A brief description of the island, its setting, the history of its discovery and subsequent human occupation precedes more detailed accounts of the geomorphology and Quaternary history, the vegetation, avifauna, mammals, microbiology, and marine and freshwater environment. In the concluding chapter the authors discuss past mismanagement and future management strategies, with a view to conserving the island's unique environment and biology. This informative account will be essential reading for polar scientists, island biologists and geologists, and conservationists.List of figures; List of tables; Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Discovery and human occupation; 3. The island and its setting; 4. The island's origin and geology; 5. Geomorphology and quaternary history; 6. The island's vegetation; 7. Lakes; lsH