West Polynesia (7,821 – 6,094 BCE): Early Holocene — Cloud-Forest Belts and Productive Reef–Valley Coupling

Geographic & Environmental Context

West Polynesia includes Hawaiʻi Island (the Big Island); Tonga (Tongatapu, Haʻapai, Vavaʻu); Samoa (Savaiʻi, Upolu, Tutuila/Manuʻa); Tuvalu and Tokelau (low atolls); the Cook Islands (Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Mangaia, etc.); Society Islands (Raiatea–Tahiti–Moʻorea–Bora Bora); and the Marquesas (Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa).

• Anchors: Hawaiʻi Island windward ravines; Savaiʻi–Upolu perennial streams; Tongatapu–Haʻapai shelf lagoons; Raiatea–Tahiti deep valleys; Rarotonga–Mangaia alluvial fans; Nuku Hiva–Hiva Oa amphitheaters; Tuvalu–Tokelau atoll flats.

Climate & Environmental Shifts

• Thermal optimum: predictable trades, strong orographic rain on windward slopes, moderate ENSO.

Biota & Baseline (No Human Presence)

• Endemic montane and mesic forests at peak; valley floors carry wetlands; reef productivity high; seabird guano subsidizes nutrient cycling on islets.

Long-Term Significance

An integrated ridge–stream–reef continuum matures across all high islands.