Coral reef islands are low-lying, wave-deposited sedimentary landforms. Using an eco-morphodynamic framework, this review examines the sensitivity of islands to climatic and environmental change. Reef island formation and morphological dynamics are directly controlled by nearshore wave processes and ecologically mediated sediment supply. The review highlights that reef islands are intrinsically dynamic landforms, able to adjust their morphology (size, shape, and location) on reef surfaces in response to changes in these processes. A suite of ecological and oceanographic processes also indirectly impact hydrodynamic and sediment processes and thereby regulate morphological change, though the temporal scales and magnitudes of impacts on islands vary, leading to divergent morphodynamic outcomes. Climatic change will modify the direct and indirect processes, causing complex positive and negative outcomes on islands. Understanding this complexity is critical to improve predictive capabilities for island physical change and resolve the timescales of change and lag times for impacts to be expressed in island systems.

中文翻译：

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环境和气候变化对珊瑚礁岛屿的影响


珊瑚礁岛是低洼、波浪沉积的沉积地貌。本文使用生态形态动力学框架，研究了岛屿对气候和环境变化的敏感性。珊瑚礁岛的形成和形态动力学直接受到近岸波浪过程和生态介导的沉积物供应的控制。综述强调，珊瑚礁岛本质上是动态的地貌，能够根据这些过程的变化调整它们在珊瑚礁表面的形态（大小、形状和位置）。一系列生态学和海洋学过程也间接影响水动力学和沉积物过程，从而调节形态变化，尽管对岛屿影响的时间尺度和幅度各不相同，导致不同的形态动力学结果。气候变化将改变直接和间接过程，在岛屿上造成复杂的积极和消极结果。了解这种复杂性对于提高对岛屿物理变化的预测能力以及解决变化的时间尺度和影响在岛屿系统中表达的滞后时间至关重要。