Life on Surtsey: Iceland's Upstart Island

by Loree Griffin Burns

Overview

On November 14, 1963, a volcano fifteen miles off the shore of Iceland exploded under the sea, resulting in a brand-new island. Scientists immediately recognized Surtsey for what it was: an opportunity to observe the way life takes hold.  

Loree Griffin Burns follows entomologist Erling Ólafsson on a five-day trip to Surtsey, where since 1970 he has studied the arrival and survival of insects and other species. Readers see how demanding conditions on Surtsey can be, what it’s like to eat and work while making the smallest impact possible, and the passion driving these remarkable scientists in one of the world’s most unique fields ever! 
 
  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358348238
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/24/2021
Series:	Scientists in the Field Series
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

LOREE GRIFFIN BURNS, Ph.D., did her doctoral at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The author of Beetle Busters, Tracking Trash, and The Hive Detectives, she is an award-winning writer whose books for young people have won many accolades, including ALA Notable designations, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book Award, an IRA Children’s Book Award, a Green Earth Book Award and two Science Books & Films (SB&F) Prizes.

Loree holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry and her books draw heavily on both her passion for science and nature and her experiences as a working scientist. She lives with her husband and their three kids in a farmhouse in central New England, where she gardens, keeps chickens, and writes about science and scientists. She likes to think that one day she’ll fill the big old barn on their property with horses.

Learn more about Loree at loreegriffinburns.com and follow her on Twitter @loreegburns.

Editorial Reviews

"An amazing science adventure well worth the trip." — Kirkus, starred review "Burns clearly conveys the long hours and spare conditions for such work... as well as the research team’s unmitigated enthusiasm....Appendices offer insights into Iceland’s culture and extreme climate, all of which enrich this unique demonstration of life’s awe-inspiring tenacity." —Booklist, starred review "A plethora of curriculum connections make this a STEM title not to miss; budding scientists will return to this again and again."—School Library Journal, STARRED review "Burns, who traveled with Icelandic researchers to Surtsey, meticulously documents every detail of life in a remote field station, from the particulars of trapping insects to the extremes taken to minimize human impact on the island."—Horn Book —

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2017
Gr 4–7—A baby boy was born in Iceland on September 28, 1949. As is Icelandic tradition, he was not named until his parents got to know him better—eventually, he become Erling. In 1963, when he was 14 years old, an epic volcanic eruption gave birth to a new island, named Surtsey, just off the coast of Iceland. This provided scientists with a rare opportunity to study how life takes hold in a sterile environment, and so the Icelandic government made Surtsey a preserve. Science writer Burns tells two parallel stories in this fascinating and informative entry in series—that of Erling's life and of his lifelong fascination with and study of Surtsey. The author traveled to Surtsey with Erling and a team of scientists in the summer of 2015. They stayed on the island for five days meticulously collecting samples of plants, insects, and soil, as well as counting birds and their nests. The fascinating, careful text not only explains the science cogently but adds insight into Icelandic culture and language. The book's design is clean and eye catching, and full-color photographs of the island, the scientists at work, their living quarters, and the flora and fauna that they study are sprinkled throughout. VERDICT A plethora of curriculum connections make this a STEM title not to miss; budding scientists will return to this again and again.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

School Library Journal

★ 2017-10-01
Visit a nearly pristine world with an entomologist who's studied this new island almost since its birth in 1963.Burns describes field research on Surtsey, weaving the geological and ecological history of the island, raised from the ocean by volcanic eruption, into a fascinating account of scientists at work, with particular emphasis on the life's work of Erling Ólaffson, who studies the island's insects. The author was privileged to join him and eight other researchers in July 2015 for a five-day visit to this natural laboratory for watching the progression of life; this once-barren island is still open only to scientists. She's chosen details that will particularly interest her readers: the mechanics of insect capture, discovery of new species, day-to-day life. The seven men and three women (Icelandic except for the American writer and a Polish botanist; all are white) came by helicopter, stayed in a hut built for researchers, used designated bathroom areas (No. 2 goes under rocks near the ocean to be washed away), and left nothing but wooden stakes marking research squares and new-to-island plants. Photographs by the writer and several team members, especially the entomologist who first visited Surtsey in 1970, include gorgeous scenery, the changing face of the island, team members, and close-ups of plants, animals, and even the lava itself to help readers picture this unique experience. An amazing science adventure well worth the trip. (glossary, further information resources, source notes, bibliography, acknowledgements, photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)

Kirkus Reviews