The South Atlantic and Southern Ocean contain a number of small islands. These small landmasses occur in a vast windswept ocean. The islands are remote and inhospitable, however they represent a valuable resource. On these remote islands occur many rare plant, bird and mammal species and provide a valuable breeding ground for many species. It is in the vast Southern Ocean that the Prince Edward Island can be found.

Marion Island (46° 54'S, 37° 45'E) is a small (290 square km), isolated volcanic island in the "Roaring Forties" in the Southern Ocean and lies just above the Antarctic Poar Zone (blue line in the figure below). The island is the larger of the two islands in the Prince Edward Island (PEI) group, situated 1770 km south east of South Africa. The island has a low mean annual air temperature (c. 5.7 °C), high humidity (83%) and an annual precipitation of approximately 1900 mm. The island is characterized by a high degree of cloudiness and strong, predominantly westerly winds which reach gale force proportions for much of the year.