Life on Surtsey: Iceland's Upstart Island by Loree Griffin Burns (review)

The Scientists in the Field series travels to one of its most interesting fields ever in this volume following Erling Ólafsson, an entomologist who studies insect life on the Icelandic island of Surtsey during brief annual visits with his fellow researchers. An uninhabited volcanic island formed in 1963, Surtsey has provided an unparalleled laboratory for observing the gradual population of an ecosystem by life as seeds wash up on the shore, birds nest, and, to Erling's delight, insects arrive. Burns traveled to Surtsey with the researchers and she gives full, glorious details about the island's history and landscape, and since Erling himself watched Surtsey's birth as a teenager and fell for the place when he visited there doing research at university, he's a perfect focus for discussion of the place's biology over time. The scientists' love for their work is clear and understandable, and readers will relish the front-row seat on the slowly developing ecology and gain a new understanding of an ecosystem not as a static list of inhabitants but as a dynamic pattern of interrelationships. Color photos document the scientists' work, the surroundings, and, most intriguingly, the changes in the island over the years. End matter includes appendices on subjects including Icelandic names and the Icelandic alphabet plus other recent "upstart islands"; a glossary; sources for quotes and for more information; and an index. DS