Surtsey, Iceland

Coardinates:63.3023° N,
20.6011° W

BY: Japman and Balkeert

 Primary Succession
How it was formed
Surtsey emerged in a volcanic event between November 1963
and June 1967. Now, the island shelters life in every little nook
and cranny. It is believed that 27 percent of these plants were
brought in by sea, 64 percent by birds, and 9 percent via
diaspores spread by air and other methods. Many insects and
collembolans have been found on the island. Collembolans are
seen to get to the shorelines of Surtsey by floating on water. An
average of 70 collembolans have been found per square meter on
this island. There are different bird species, like puffins and
fulmars, nesting on this island; all these again represent other
plants' seeds, thus increasing the biodiversity. The island is a
supreme model of the primary succession process, which means
that the living species gradually colonized lands that never saw Volcanic eruptions
any form of life and were devoid of life. Over time, Surtsey's
initial barren volcanic landscape evolved into a dynamic, living The volcano displayed above is the
ecosystem. Over the years, pioneer species—mainly lichens and same one erupting that formed the
mosses—decomposed the volcanic rock, starting the process of island. Starting from molten rock,
soil formation. The newly formed soil supported other plant Surtsey is now crucial for
species to root, eventually making the plant community more understanding both primary and
complex and diverse. This process of succession has been secondary succession for humans. Life
observed to be sequential in nature, during which the new continues to thrive on Surtsey while
vegetation communities have built up an increasingly stable humans closely monitor all activity on
ecosystem, further indicating the dynamic but progressive
the island
nature of the primary succession that takes place on Surtsey.
 Secondary Succession
Erosion
Erosion at Surtsey has been one of the main determinants of the
island's ecological development after its dramatic formation in
1963. Initially about 2.7 square kilometers in size, the island has
been subject to much continuous reformation due to the strong
North Atlantic waves and the powerful winds characteristic of
Iceland. These forces remove much of the loose volcanic ash and
rock, leading to significant land loss, mainly in the south and
west of the island. This ongoing erosion decreases the island in
both its area and the size of the layer on which pioneer species
thrive on. The soil is removed by erosive processes, thus
removing the substrate for colonizing plant species, such as
mosses and lichens, which stabilize the soil and allow for further
ecological succession. The loss of these pioneer colonizers The changes in land
disrupts the colonization process, slowing down the whole
course of ecological succession. Moreover, this erosion has caused by erosion
adverse effects on seabirds that usually breed in such areas;
they play an essential role in nutrient cycling and seed The map shown above depicts the changes
distribution. New plants have been taking up the space where old in land caused by erosion from 1964 to
ones once stood, and now much of the life on the coasts of 1992. As we se the island rapidly
Surtsey has changed and been replaced by other life. Even if a decreases in spaces especially from the
part of the species manages to adapt to the changes of the top where a point is formed. This is the
environment on Surtsey, the life there can be seen to develop same erosion that is responsible for the
seamlessly, reflecting the resilience of the island secondary succession seen on the island.
 Conclusion

In conclusion, Surtsey has undergone both primary and secondary

succession due to a volcanic eruption that occurred in 1963 and
continues to shape the landscape up to 2024. Scientists are actively
studying the future changes in the land and the possibility of another
volcanic eruption. The primary succession on Surtsey originated from
a volcanic eruption. 27% of plants were brought in by sea, 67% by
birds and 9% via dispores by air. There are many birds on the island
such as puffins and fulmars which carry seeds and have fell which
increased biodiversity of trees and plants adding to the island .Over
time, lichens and mosses decomposed the volcanic rock and made it
into new soil expanding the island. Secondary Succesion occured due
to Erosion as the island has been subject to much continuous
reformation due to the strong North Atlantic waves and the powerful
winds characteristic of Iceland. These forces remove much of the
loose volcanic ash and rock, leading to significant land loss, mainly in
the south and west of the island. This ongoing erosion decreases the
island in both its area and the size of the layer on which pioneer
species thrive. The soil is removed by erosive processes, thus
removing the substrate for colonizing plant species, such as mosses
and lichens, which stabilize the soil and allow for further ecological
succession. Surtsey has experienced so much for the past 60 years
and is developing overtime to form biodiversity and configure a new
ecosystem full of trees and animals to add on to its succesion.
 Citations in APA format
1. Wasowicz, P., Thorsteinsson, S., Magnússon, B., Einarsson, E.,
Bjarnason, V., Bjarnason, Á., Guðmundsson, J., Richter, S.,
Jónasson, R., Sveinbjörnsson, B., & Magnússon, S. (2020, July 7).
Vascular plant colonisation of Surtsey Island (1965-1990) - A
dataset. Biodiversity Data Journal.
https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/54812/

2. Jorgen A. Surtsey - the Volcano Island, Iceland. plants. (n.d.).

https://www.vulkaner.no/n/surtsey/esurtplant.html

3. Byrd, D., & Gonzaga, S. (2021, November 15). Surtsey, Volcanic

Island, emerged in 1963. EarthSky.
https://earthsky.org/earth/surtsey-and-the-birth-of-new-islands/

4. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2009, May 13). Volcanic activity: The

formation of Surtsey. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=2LYsxUilo-o