Earth science research on Marion Island (1996–2020) : a synthesis and new findings

Abstract

Marion Island is a peak of a shield volcano located in the southern Indian Ocean. The island is strategically important for the collection of climatological data and marine and terrestrial research in a vast, oceanic region of the globe. This paper reviews the series of earth science programmes on Marion Island over the last 25 years, provides a synthesis of the research outcomes and demonstrates how field and laboratory methods have developed over time. Marion Island has, globally, one of the most active soil frost environments in a distinctive periglacial setting and understanding this contemporary periglacial environment has been a key objective of the research programmes. Geomorphological processes have important implications for local ecosystem functioning and define the regional and global significance for diurnal soil frost environments and climate change. Keeping abreast with the advancements of appropriate methodologies and technologies and the continued employment of a mix of new and established methods has driven the earth science research in this unique island environment. A series of short vignettes present the most recent advancements on old key questions and indicate that new techniques continuously challenge us to re-evaluate the most basic of assumptions that exist within our research.