Editing IPCC:AR6/WGI/Chapter-Atlas (section)

==== Atlas.10.1.1 Key Features of the Regional Climate ====

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Many small islands lie in tropical regions and their climate varies depending on a range of factors with location, extent and topography having major influences. In general, their climate is determined by that of the broader region in which they lie as they have little influence on the regional climate, although steep topography can induce higher rainfall totals locally. Temperature variability tends to be low due to the influence of the surrounding ocean, most marked in the tropics where oceanic temperature ranges are small. However, seasonal rainfall variability can often be significant, both through the annual cycle and also interannually through the influence of many modes of variability (Cross-Chapter Box [[#Atlas.2|Atlas.2]] :, [[IPCC:Wg1:Chapter:Annex-iv|Annex IV]] and [[#Atlas.7.1|Atlas.7.1]] for the Caribbean). Many small islands are exposed to tropical cyclones and the associated hazards of high winds, storm surges and extreme rainfall, and many low-lying islands are exposed to regular flooding from natural high-tide and wave activity. In the Pacific, phases of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation result in periods of warmer or cooler than average temperatures following the upper ocean warming of El Niño events or cooling of La Niña events, and respectively weaker and stronger trade winds. El Niño conditions also lead to drought in Melanesian islands and increased tropical cyclones and storm surges in French Polynesia with La Niña conditions causing drought in Kiribati. Other islands experience increased rainfall during these periods.

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