This course is intended for MA or MSc students requiring detailed knowledge about the geology and geomorphology of atoll environments, particularly in the Pacific. It aims to provide students with an understanding of the variations in geology and geomorphology found on modern atolls, particularly in the central Pacific, an understanding of the history of ideas about atoll origins and development particularly the role of late Quaternary sea-level change, an understanding of the various ways in which atoll islands form in different places, experience of commonly-used methods of geoscientific field investigation and interpretation of reef islands.