Abstract
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After an introduction on scientific studies in these islands, there are separatly authored chapters on various aspects of the physical environment: climate, hydrology and water resources; late Quaternary morphology of Cocos lagoon from seismic profiles; reef growth and atoll geomorphology; description and mapping of physical and major vegetation characteristics of the reef islands; descriptions of the vegetation and flora of the 22 vegetated islands, with numerical classifications; an update of birds, based on a 1984 survey; marine vegetation habitats of the main Cocos atoll from aerial photography and field survey; description and mapping of sediment facies from the Cocos lagoon, based on aerial photography; and hydrodynamic processes in the Cocos lagoon. This is followed by short chapters featuring comprehensive surveys of groups of marine animals, namely hermatypic corals, molluscs, echinoderms, fishes, barnacles and decapod crustaceans. -J.W.Cooper