ABSTRACT
The Cook Islands lie to the west of French Polynesia and include 15 widely spread atolls that are lumped into northern and southern groups. Most of the Northern Cook Islands are found on a plateau about the size of Texas, and they include five atolls, Penrhyn, Rakahanga, Manihiki, Pukapuka, and Suwarrow. Of these, three have closed rims and two are open. One of these, Pukapuka Atoll, is shown on the cover. The Southern Cook Islands contain a variety of island types, including volcanic high islands and almost-atolls, but there are only two atolls: Palmerston, which is semi-closed, and Manuae, which is closed. The north and northwesterly flow of the South Equatorial Current dominates the ocean surface movement to these atolls. The large area is markedly influenced by movement of the South Pacific Convergence Zone, which controls winds and influences wind waves. Large swell can come from the northwest and southwest, and the area is affected by tropical cyclones. Tides across the area commonly are less than 1 m.
