Kasatochi Island

Kasatochi Island is an active volcanic island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain whose compact terrain once supported unusually rich habitats, major auklet colonies, and a Steller sea lion rookery. In August 2008, an explosive eruption sent ash high into the atmosphere, buried most of the island under thick deposits, forced two biologists to evacuate, and appeared to destroy nearly all visible life while enlarging the island and altering its crater. Because scientists had studied Kasatochi since 1996, they could closely track its recovery afterward. Research from 2009 onward has made the island a notable example of how ecosystems rebuild after major volcanic disturbance.