Editing Clipperton Island (section)

==Environment==
The environment of Clipperton Island has been studied extensively with the first recordings and sample collection being done in the 1800s.<ref name=":6" /> Modern research on Clipperton is focused primarily on climate science and migratory wildlife.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Eckert |first1=Scott A. |title=Telemetry and satellite tracking of whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico, and the north Pacific Ocean |date=2001 |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-94-017-3245-1_17 |work=The behavior and sensory biology of elasmobranch fishes: an anthology in memory of Donald Richard Nelson |volume=20 |pages=299–308 |editor-last=Tricas |editor-first=Timothy C. |access-date=2023-05-29 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |doi=10.1007/978-94-017-3245-1_17 |isbn=978-90-481-5655-9 |last2=Stewart |first2=Brent S. |series=Developments in environmental biology of fishes |editor2-last=Gruber |editor2-first=Samuel H. |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707144242/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-017-3245-1_17 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Maul |first1=George A. |title=A Note on Sea Level Variability at Clipperton Island from Geosat and In-Situ Observations |date=2013-03-21 |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/GM069p0145 |work=Geophysical Monograph Series |pages=145–154 |editor-last=Woodworth |editor-first=P.L. |access-date=2023-05-29 |place=Washington, D.C. |publisher=American Geophysical Union |doi=10.1029/gm069p0145 |isbn=978-1-118-66652-4 |last2=Hansen |first2=Donald V. |last3=Bravo |first3=Nicolas J. |editor2-last=Pugh |editor2-first=D.T. |editor3-last=DeRonde |editor3-first=J.G. |editor4-last=Warrick |editor4-first=R.G. |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707144306/https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/GM069p0145 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Temmen |first1=John |last2=Montenegro |first2=Alvaro |last3=Juras |first3=Sreya |last4=Field |first4=Julie S. |last5=DeGrand |first5=Jim |date=2022 |title=Floating the sweet potato to Polynesia: Considering the feasibility of oceanic drift for the prehistoric introduction of the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) to Pacific Islands |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277379122003407 |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews|volume=295 |pages=107709 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107709 |bibcode=2022QSRv..29507709T |s2cid=252548506 |access-date=29 May 2023 |archive-date=30 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530230439/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277379122003407 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The SURPACLIP oceanographic expedition, a joint undertaking by the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] and the [[University of New Caledonia|University of New Caledonia Nouméa]], made extensive studies of the island in 1997.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lebigre |first1=Jean-Michel |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/492187765 |title=Les aires protégées insulaires et littorales tropicales actes du colloque |last2=Decoudras |first2=Pierre-Marie |date=March 2, 2004 |publisher=Centre de recherches sur les espaces tropicaux de [[Bordeaux Montaigne University|l'Université Michel de Montaigney]] |isbn=2-905081-45-7 |location=Bordeaux |language=fr |trans-title=Tropical island and coastal protected areas conference proceedings |oclc=492187765}}</ref> In 2001, [[French National Centre for Scientific Research]] geographer [[Christian Jost (geographer)|Christian Jost]] extended the 1997 studies through the French Passion 2001 expedition, which focused on the evolution of Clipperton's [[ecosystem]].<ref name="Bienvenue">{{Cite web |last=Jost |first=Christian |authorlink=Christian Jost (geographer) |date=2014 |title=Bienvenue sur l'île de La Passion ... Clipperton! |trans-title=Welcome to Passion Island ... Clipperton! |url=http://clipperton.fr/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112160113/http://clipperton.fr/ |archive-date=12 January 2018 |access-date=11 January 2018 |language=fr}}</ref> In 2003, cinematographer Lance Milbrand stayed on the island for 41&nbsp;days, recording the adventure for the ''[[National Geographic Explorer]]'' and plotting a [[GPS]] map of Clipperton for the [[National Geographic Society]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Milbrand |first=Lance |title=Lance Milbrand: Special Projects |url=http://www.milbrandcinema.com/special-projects/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514132844/http://www.milbrandcinema.com/ |archive-date=14 May 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012 |website=Milbrand Cinema}}</ref>

In 2005, a four-month scientific mission organised by [[Jean-Louis Étienne]] made a complete inventory of Clipperton's mineral, plant, and animal species; studied algae as deep as {{Convert|100|m|ft|0|lk=on|abbr=on}} below sea level; and examined the effects of pollution.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Étienne |first=Jean-Louis |authorlink=Jean-Louis Étienne |date=2005 |title=Expédition Clipperton |url=http://www.JeanLouisEtienne.com/clipperton/default.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512085648/http://www.jeanlouisetienne.com/clipperton/default.cfm |archive-date=12 May 2008 |access-date=23 May 2005 |website=JeanLouisEtienne.com |publisher=[[Jean-Louis Étienne]] |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=de la Ronciere |first=Bertrand |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1373650260 |title=Les Oceans Français en 36 Interviews |date=2008 |publisher=Editions l'Harmattan |isbn=978-2-296-21555-9 |language=fr |trans-title=The French Oceans in 36 Interviews |oclc=1373650260}}</ref> A 2008 expedition from the [[University of Washington]]'s School of Oceanography collected sediment cores from the lagoon to study climate change over the past millennium.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Nelson |first1=Dan |last2=Sachs |first2=Julian |date=2 April 2008 |title=Clipperton Atoll Expedition – 2008 |url=http://faculty.washington.edu/jsachs/lab/www/Research/Clipperton_2008/Clipperton_2008.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007020921/http://faculty.washington.edu/jsachs/lab/www/Research/Clipperton_2008/Clipperton_2008.html |archive-date=7 October 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012 |website=Faculty.Washington.edu |publisher=School of Oceanography, [[University of Washington]]}}</ref>

===Lagoon===
[[File:2022-04-20-00 00 2022-04-20-23 59 Sentinel-2 L2A True color.jpg|thumb|Clipperton Island photographed by the [[Sentinel-2]] satellite.|left]]Clipperton is a ring-shaped [[atoll]] that completely encloses a [[Water stagnation|stagnant]] [[fresh water]] lagoon and measures {{Convert|12|km|mi|lk=on|abbr=on}} in circumference and {{convert|720|ha|sqmi}} in area.<ref>{{cite archive |first=Edward |last=Belcher |item = Letter from Capt. E. Belcher (Oahu) to F. Beaufort|item-url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1064184619 |type=Textual record |item-id=1064184619 |date=10 June 1839 |file=Surveyors' Letters |box=Letters of Capt. E. Belcher|collection=Records of the Hydrographic Department of Great Britain relating to surveys in the Pacific and Indian Oceans (as filmed by the AJCP), 1779–1946  |collection-url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-771782615/findingaid?digitised=y |institution=National Library of Australia |location =Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia}}</ref>{{sfnp|Jost|2003}} The island is the only coral island in the eastern Pacific.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Shor |first=Elizabeth Noble |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/4145154 |title=Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Probing the Oceans, 1936 to 1976 |date=1978 |publisher=Tofua Press |isbn=0-914488-17-1 |location=San Diego, California |oclc=4145154 |access-date=5 April 2023 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410154042/https://www.worldcat.org/title/4145154 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Maragos |first1=James E. |title=Pacific Coral Reefs: An Introduction |date=2011 |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-90-481-2639-2_122 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Modern Coral Reefs |pages=753–776 |editor-last=Hopley |editor-first=David |access-date=2023-04-01 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-2639-2_122 |isbn=978-90-481-2638-5 |last2=Williams |first2=Gareth J.|series=Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series }}</ref> The lagoon is devoid of fish, and is shallow over large parts except for some deep basins with depths of {{Convert|43|-|72|m|ft|lk=on|abbr=on}},<ref name=":15" /> including a spot known as {{lang|fr|Trou Sans Fond|italic=no}} ('the bottomless hole') with [[acid]]ic water at its base.<ref name=":16" /> The water is described as being almost fresh at the surface and highly [[Eutrophication|eutrophic]]. Seaweed beds cover approximately 45% of the lagoon's surface. The rim averages {{Convert|150|m|ft|lk=on|abbr=on}} in width, reaching {{Convert|400|m|ft|lk=on|abbr=on}} in the west, and narrowing to {{Convert|45|m|ft|lk=on|abbr=on}} in the north-east, where sea waves occasionally spill over into the lagoon.<ref name=ClippertonIsland/> Ten [[islets]] are present in the lagoon, six of which are covered with vegetation, including the Egg Islands ({{lang|fr|les îles aux Œufs}}).{{sfnp|Jost|Friedlander|Ballesteros|Brown|2016|pp=12, 18}}

The closure of the lagoon approximately 170 years ago and prevention of seawater from entering the lagoon has formed a [[meromictic lake]].<ref name=":16">{{Citation |last1=Charpy |first1=Loïc |title=Clipperton, a Meromictic Lagoon |date=2010 |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-90-481-8630-3_62 |work=Global Change: Mankind-Marine Environment Interactions |pages=351–356 |editor-last=Ceccaldi |editor-first=Hubert-Jean |access-date=2023-03-31 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands|doi=10.1007/978-90-481-8630-3_62 |isbn=978-90-481-8629-7 |last2=Rodier |first2=M. |last3=Sarazin |first3=G. |editor2-last=Dekeyser |editor2-first=Ivan |editor3-last=Girault |editor3-first=Mathias |editor4-last=Stora |editor4-first=Georges |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410154023/https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-90-481-8630-3_62 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Charpy |first1=L. |last2=Rodier |first2=M. |last3=Couté |first3=A. |last4=Perrette-Gallet |first4=C. |last5=Bley-Loëz |first5=C. |date=2010 |title=Clipperton, a possible future for atoll lagoons |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00338-010-0627-0 |journal=[[Coral Reefs]]|volume=29 |issue=3 |pages=771–783 |doi=10.1007/s00338-010-0627-0 |bibcode=2010CorRe..29..771C |s2cid=44581800 |issn=0722-4028 |access-date=31 March 2023 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410154017/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-010-0627-0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Galand |first1=Pierre E. |last2=Bourrain |first2=Muriel |last3=De Maistre |first3=Emmanuel |last4=Catala |first4=Philippe |last5=Desdevises |first5=Yves |last6=Elifantz |first6=Hila |last7=Kirchman |first7=David L. |last8=Lebaron |first8=Philippe |date=2012 |title=Phylogenetic and functional diversity of Bacteria and Archaea in a unique stratified lagoon, the Clipperton atoll (N Pacific) |journal=[[FEMS Microbiology Ecology]]|volume=79 |issue=1 |pages=203–217 |doi=10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01209.x |pmid=22029483 |bibcode=2012FEMME..79..203G |s2cid=954409 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The bottom of the shallow parts of the lake contain eroded [[coral heads]]<ref name=":19">{{Cite journal|last1=Snodgrass|first1=R. E.|name-list-style=amp|last2=Heller|first2=E.|date=30 September 1902|title=The birds of Clipperton and Cocos Islands|journal=Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044107162570;view=1up;seq=3|volume=IV|pages=501–520|series=Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galápagos expedition 1898–1899|access-date=2023-04-12 |archive-date=30 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530222447/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044107162570&view=1up&seq=3|url-status=live}}</ref> from when the lagoon was last connected with the ocean.<ref name=":15" /> During visits in 1897 and 1898 the depth at the middle of the lagoon was recorded as being between two inches and two feet due to the dead coral.<ref name=":19" /> The surface of the lagoon has a high concentration of phytoplankton that vary slightly with the seasons.<ref>{{Citation |last=NASA Ocean Biology Processing Group |title=VIIRS-SNPP Level 2 Ocean Color Data Version R2018.0 |date=2017 |url=https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/10.5067/NPP/VIIRS/L2/OC/2018 |access-date=2023-04-03 |publisher=NASA Ocean Biology DAAC |doi=10.5067/npp/viirs/l2/oc/2018 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017002548/https://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/10.5067/NPP/VIIRS/L2/OC/2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result of this the water columns are stratified and do not mix leaving the lagoon with an [[oxic]] and brackish upper water layer and a deep sulfuric anoxic saline layer.<ref name=":0" />{{sfnp|Fluckey|2012|p=17}}<ref name=Fluckey2004>{{cite interview |last=Fluckey |first=Owen |interviewer-last1=Misenhimer |interviewer-first1=Richard |interviewer-last2=Van Meter |interviewer-first2=Peg |title=Interview with Owen Fluckey |work=[[National Museum of the Pacific War]] |date=21 August 2004 |location=Fredericksburg, Texas |url=https://digitalarchive.pacificwarmuseum.org/digital/collection/p16769coll1/id/2880/rec/1 |access-date=2023-04-01 |page=4 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401060530/https://digitalarchive.pacificwarmuseum.org/digital/collection/p16769coll1/id/2880/rec/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> At a depth of approximately {{Convert|15|m|ft|lk=on|abbr=on}} the water shifts with [[salinity]] rising and both [[pH]] and oxygen quickly decreasing.<ref name=":0" /> The deepest levels of the lagoon record waters enriched with hydrogen sulfide which prevent the growth of coral. Before the lagoon was closed off to seawater, coral and clams were able to survive in the area as evident by fossilized specimens.<ref name=":15">{{Cite journal |last1=Carricart-Ganivet |first1=Juan P. |last2=Reyes-Bonilla |first2=Hector |date=1999 |title=New and Previous Records of Scleractinian Corals from Clipperton Atoll, Eastern Pacific |url=http://hdl.handle.net/10125/710 |journal=[[Pacific Science]]|volume=53 |issue=4 |pages=370–375 |hdl=10125/710 |issn=0030-8870 |access-date=2 April 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fergusson |first1=G. J. |last2=Libby |first2=W. F. |date=1962 |title=UCLA Radiocarbon Dates I |journal=[[Radiocarbon (journal)|Radiocarbon]]|volume=4 |pages=109–114 |doi=10.1017/S0033822200036572 |bibcode=1962Radcb...4..109F |s2cid=251136625 |issn=0033-8222 |doi-access=free }}</ref>{{rp|112}}

Studies of the water have found that microbial communities on the water's surface are similar to other water samples from around the world with deeper water samples showing a great diversity of both bacteria and [[archaea]].<ref name=":0" /> In 2005, a group of French scientists discovered three [[dinoflagellate]] microalgae species in the lagoon: ''Peridiniopsis cristata'', which was abundant; ''[[Durinskia|Durinskia baltica]]'', which was known to exist previously in other locations, but was new to Clipperton; and ''Peridiniopsis cristata'' var. ''tubulifera'', which is unique to the island.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Couté |first1=Alain |last2=Perrette |first2=Catherine |last3=Chomérat |first3=Nicolas |date=2012-02-01 |title=Three Dinophyceae from Clipperton Island lagoon (eastern Pacific Ocean), including a description of Peridiniopsis cristata var. tubulifera var. nov. |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/bot-2011-121/html |journal= Botanica Marina|volume=55 |issue=1 |pages=59–71 |doi=10.1515/bot-2011-121 |s2cid=84994803 |issn=1437-4323 |access-date=31 March 2023 |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331051137/https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/bot-2011-121/html |url-status=live }}</ref> The lagoon also harbours millions of [[isopod]]s, which are reported to deliver a painful sting.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Goode|first=Michael|url=http://www.qsl.net/clipperton2000/previous/n9ns-1992.html|title=1992 Clipperton Island expedition|website=QSL.net|publisher=2000 DXpedition to Clipperton Island|access-date=17 June 2012|archive-date=26 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726034655/http://www.qsl.net/clipperton2000/previous/n9ns-1992.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

While some sources have rated the lagoon water as non-[[drinking water|potable]],<ref>{{Cite web|last=Milbrand|first=Lance|date=29 August 2003|title=Clipperton Journal: The daily record of life on a Pacific atoll|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0828_030829_milbrandjournal1.html|website=News.NationalGeographic.com|publisher=National Geographic News|access-date=27 April 2022|archive-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112042936/https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0828_030829_milbrandjournal1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> testimony from the crew of the tuna clipper M/V ''Monarch,'' stranded for 23&nbsp;days in 1962 after their boat sank, indicates otherwise. Their report reveals that the lagoon water, while "muddy and dirty", was drinkable, despite not tasting very good. Several of the castaways drank it, with no apparent ill effects.<ref name=No94>{{Cite report|url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/33685/Atoll_no94.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|title=Atoll Research Bulletin |volume=94|publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=15 December 1962|pages=8–10|access-date=3 December 2021|archive-date=3 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203001530/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/33685/Atoll_no94.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|url-status=live}}</ref> Survivors of a Mexican military colony in 1917 (see below) indicated that they were dependent upon rain for their water supply, catching it in old boats.<ref name=No94/> American servicemen on the island during World War II had to use evaporators to desalinate the lagoon's water.<ref name="Fluckey2012" /> Aside from the lagoon and water caught from rain, no freshwater sources are known to exist.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":0" />

=== Climate ===
The island has a tropical oceanic climate, with average temperatures of {{Convert|20|–|32|C|F|lk=on|abbr=on}} and highs up to {{Convert|37.8|C|F|lk=on|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Sachet |first=Marie-Hélène |author-link=Marie-Hélène Sachet |date=1962a |title=Geography and land ecology of Clipperton Island |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5479/si.00775630.86.1 |journal=Atoll Research Bulletin |volume=86 |pages=1–115 |doi=10.5479/si.00775630.86.1 |issn=0077-5630 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410154022/https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/5030 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people=Mitchell, Beverly Marecheau (director), Arnaldo-Guizar, Chico (director), Ling, Lisa (host), Milbrand, Lance (reporter) |date=2004 |title=National Geographic Ultimate Explorer: Island Castaway |type=Television production|url=https://search.alexanderstreet.com/preview/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cvideo_work%7C2086884 |access-date=2023-04-14 |time= |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Geographic |via=Alexander Street}}</ref> Annual rainfall is {{convert|3000|to|5000|mm|in}}, and the humidity level is generally between 85&nbsp;per&nbsp;cent and 95&nbsp;per&nbsp;cent with December to March being the drier months. The prevailing winds are the southeast [[trade winds]].<ref name="Bienvenue"/><ref name="Tchékémian2021"/> The rainy season occurs from May to October,<ref name=":6" /> and the region is subject to tropical cyclones from April to September, but such storms often pass to the northeast of Clipperton.<ref name="Bienvenue"/> In 1997 Clipperton was in the path of the start of [[Hurricane Felicia (1997)|Hurricane Felicia]], as well as [[Hurricane Sandra (2015)|Hurricane Sandra]] in 2015.<ref>{{cite AV media |people= |date=November 25, 2015 |title=Action News at 12:30 PM |type=Television news production|url=https://archive.org/details/WPVI_20151125_173000_Action_News_at_1230_PM/start/1200/end/1260 |access-date=2023-04-15 |time=20:00 |publisher=ABC News (WPVI)}}</ref> In addition, Clipperton has been subjected to multiple tropical storms and depressions, including [[Tropical Storm Andres (2003)|Tropical Storm Andres]] in 2003.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Irwin |first1=Rossman P. |last2=Davis |first2=Robert E. |date=1999-08-01 |title=The relationship between the Southern Oscillation Index and tropical cyclone tracks in the eastern North Pacific |journal=[[Geophysical Research Letters]]|volume=26 |issue=15 |pages=2251–2254 |doi=10.1029/1999GL900533|bibcode=1999GeoRL..26.2251I |s2cid=140602960 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Deangelis |first=Richard |date=1972 |title=Stalking the Wild Hurricane |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00431672.1972.9931595 |journal=Weatherwise|volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=156–161 |doi=10.1080/00431672.1972.9931595 |bibcode=1972Weawi..25d.156D |issn=0043-1672 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401235428/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00431672.1972.9931595 |url-status=live }}</ref>  Surrounding ocean waters are warm, pushed by equatorial and counter-equatorial currents and have seen temperature increases due to global warming.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wu |first1=Henry C. |last2=Moreau |first2=Mélanie |last3=Linsley |first3=Braddock K. |last4=Schrag |first4=Daniel P. |last5=Corrège |first5=Thierry |date=2014 |title=Investigation of sea surface temperature changes from replicated coral Sr/Ca variations in the eastern equatorial Pacific (Clipperton Atoll) since 1874 |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031018214003940 |journal=[[Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology]]|volume=412 |pages=208–222 |doi=10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.07.039 |bibcode=2014PPP...412..208W |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=28 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028045512/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031018214003940 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Linsley |first1=Braddock K. |last2=Ren |first2=Lei |last3=Dunbar |first3=Robert B. |last4=Howe |first4=Stephen S. |date=2000 |title=El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and decadal-scale climate variability at 10°N in the eastern Pacific from 1893 to 1994: A coral-based reconstruction from Clipperton Atoll |journal=[[Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology|Paleoceanography]]|volume=15 |issue=3 |pages=322–335 |doi=10.1029/1999PA000428|bibcode=2000PalOc..15..322L |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Linsley |first1=B. K. |last2=Messier |first2=R. G. |last3=Dunbar |first3=R. B. |date=1999-04-22 |title=Assessing between-colony oxygen isotope variability in the coral Porites lobata at Clipperton Atoll |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s003380050148 |journal=Coral Reefs |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=13–27 |doi=10.1007/s003380050148 |bibcode=1999CorRe..18...13L |s2cid=32697159 |issn=0722-4028}}</ref>

===Flora and fauna===
{{see also|List of endemic species of Clipperton Island}}
[[File:Jielbeaumadier crabe de clipperton mjp paris 2014.jpeg|left|thumb|A bright-orange [[Johngarthia oceanica|Clipperton crab]] (''Johngarthia oceanica'')]]
When Snodgrass and Heller visited in 1898, they reported that "no land plant is native to the island".{{sfnp|Snodgrass|Heller|1902}} Historical accounts from 1711, 1825, and 1839 show a low grassy or suffrutescent (partially woody) flora. During [[Marie-Hélène Sachet]]{{'s}} visit in 1958, the vegetation was found to consist of a sparse cover of spiny grass and low thickets, a creeping plant (''[[Ipomoea]] spp.''), and stands of coconut palm. This low-lying herbaceous flora seems to be a pioneer in nature, and most of it is believed to be composed of recently introduced species. Sachet suspected that ''[[Heliotropium curassavicum]]'', and possibly ''[[Portulaca oleracea]]'', were native. [[Coconut]] palms and [[pig]]s introduced in the 1890s by [[guano]] miners were still present in the 1940s.{{sfnp|Fluckey|2012|p=17}} The largest coconut grove is Bougainville Wood ({{lang|fr|Bois de Bougainville}}) on the southwestern end of the island.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jost |first1=Christian H. |author-link=Christian Jost (geographer) |last2=Andréfouët |first2=Serge |date=2006 |title=Long-term natural and human perturbations and current status of Clipperton Atoll, a remote island of the Eastern Pacific |url=http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=PC060207 |journal=Pacific Conservation Biology|volume=12 |issue=3 |pages=207–218 |doi=10.1071/PC060207 |issn=1038-2097 }}</ref> On the northwest side of the atoll, the most abundant plant species are ''[[Cenchrus echinatus]]'', ''[[Sida rhombifolia]]'', and ''[[Corchorus]] aestuans''. These plants compose a shrub cover up to {{Convert|30|cm|lk=on|abbr=on}} in height, and are intermixed with ''[[Eclipta (plant)|Eclipta]]'', ''[[Phyllanthus]]'', and ''[[Solanum]]'', as well as the taller ''[[Brassica juncea]]''. The islets in the lagoon are primarily vegetated with [[Cyperaceae]], [[Scrophulariaceae]], and ''[[Ipomoea pes-caprae]]''.{{sfnp|Jost|Friedlander|Ballesteros|Brown|2016|p=12}} A unique feature of Clipperton is that the vegetation is arranged in parallel rows of species, with dense rows of taller species alternating with lower, more open vegetation. This was assumed to be a result of the trench-digging method of [[phosphate]] mining used by guano hunters.<ref name=ClippertonIsland/>

The only land animals known to exist are two species of reptiles (the [[Gehyra insulensis|Pacific stump-toed gecko]] and the [[Emoia cyanura|copper-tailed skink]]),<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ineich |first1=Ivan |last2=Zug |first2=George R. |date=1991-12-13 |title=Nomenclatural Status of Emoia cyanura (Lacertilia, Scincidae) Populations in the Central Pacific |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1446114 |journal=Copeia |volume=1991 |issue=4 |pages=1132 |doi=10.2307/1446114|jstor=1446114 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Zug|first=George R.|year=2013|title=Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands: A Comprehensive Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jpts77fVJ94C&pg=PP45|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-520-95540-0|page=45}}</ref> bright-orange land crabs known as [[Johngarthia oceanica|Clipperton crabs]] (''Johngarthia oceanica'', prior to 2019 classified as ''Johngartia planata''),<ref>{{Cite WoRMS|last=Davie|first=P.|year=2015|title=''Johngarthia planata'' (Stimpson, 1860)|id=444454|access-date=22 February 2017|db=DecaNet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite WoRMS|last=Perger|first=R.|year=2019|title=''Johngarthia oceanica'' (Perger, 2019)|id=1344370|access-date=2023-06-01|db=DecaNet}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sanvicente-Añorve |first1=Laura |last2=Lemus-Santana |first2=Elia |last3=Solìs-Weiss |first3=Vivianne |date=2016 |title=Body Growth Pattern of an Isolated Land Crab Species (''Johngarthia planata'') (Decapoda, Gercarcinidae) From the Eastern Tropical Pacific: an Ecological Approach |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44250144 |journal=Crustaceana |volume=89 |issue=13 |pages=1525–1539 |doi=10.1163/15685403-00003602 |jstor=44250144 |issn=0011-216X |access-date=31 March 2023 |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331142940/https://www.jstor.org/stable/44250144 |url-status=live }}</ref> birds, and [[black rats|ship rats]]. The rats probably arrived when large fishing boats wrecked on the island in 1999 and 2000.<ref name="Pitman et al. 2005"/>

The pigs introduced in the 1890s reduced the crab population, which in turn allowed [[grassland]] to gradually cover about 80&nbsp;per&nbsp;cent of the land surface.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sachet |first= Marie-Hélène |author-link=Marie-Hélène Sachet |date=7 March 1962b |title=Flora and vegetation of Clipperton Island |url=https://archive.org/details/biostor-78159/page/n37/mode/2up |journal=[[Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences]] |series=4th |volume=31 |issue=10 |pages=249–307 |publisher=[[California Academy of Sciences]] |location=[[San Francisco]], California |access-date=12 January 2018 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=McNeill |first=J.R. |title=Of Rats and Men: A Synoptic Environmental History of the Island Pacific* |date=2022-02-02 |work=Environmental History in the Pacific World |pages=69–119 |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315256313/chapters/10.4324/9781315256313-3 |access-date=2024-09-23 |edition=1 |place=London |publisher=Routledge |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315256313-3 |isbn=978-1-315-25631-3}}</ref> The elimination of these pigs in 1958, the result of a personal project by [[Kenneth E. Stager]],<ref name=":17" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Demelash |first=Mebea |date=2024-05-09 |title=Remembering Kenneth E. Stager: A legacy of passion and inspiration |url=https://www.dvidshub.net/news/471237/remembering-kenneth-e-stager-legacy-passion-and-inspiration |access-date=2024-09-22 |work=Defense Visual Information Distribution Service |publisher=United States Department of Defense}}</ref> caused most of this vegetation to disappear as the population of land crabs recovered.<ref name="Pitman et al. 2005">{{Cite journal|last1=Pitman|first1=Robert L.|last2=Ballance|first2=Lisa T.|last3=Bost|first3=Charly|year=2005|title=Clipperton Island: Pigsty, Rat Hole, and Booby Prize|journal=[[Marine Ornithology]]|volume=33|issue=2|pages=193–194|citeseerx=10.1.1.600.7376|url=http://www.clipperton.fr/downloads/ArtPitman2006.pdf|access-date=2023-06-21|archive-date=17 June 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090617175740/http://www.clipperton.fr/downloads/ArtPitman2006.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> As a result, Clipperton is mostly a sandy desert with only 674&nbsp;palms counted by [[Christian Jost (geographer)|Christian Jost]] during the Passion 2001 French mission and five islets in the lagoon with grass that the terrestrial crabs cannot reach. A 2005 report by the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]{{'s}} Southwest Fisheries Science Center indicated that after the introduction of rats and their increased presence has led to a decline in both crab and bird populations, causing a corresponding increase in both vegetation and coconut palms. This report urgently recommended eradication of rats, which have been destroying bird nesting sites and the crab population,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Harper |first1=Grant A. |last2=Bunbury |first2=Nancy |date=2015 |title=Invasive rats on tropical islands: Their population biology and impacts on native species |journal=Global Ecology and Conservation |language=en |volume=3 |pages=607–627 |doi=10.1016/j.gecco.2015.02.010|doi-access=free |bibcode=2015GEcoC...3..607H }}</ref><ref name=":18" /> so that vegetation might be reduced, and the island might return to its 'pre-human' state.<ref name="Pitman et al. 2005" />

In 1825, [[Benjamin Morrell]] reported finding green sea turtles nesting on Clipperton, but later expeditions have not found nesting turtles there, possibly due to disruption from guano extraction, as well as the introduction of pigs and rats. Sea turtles found on the island appear to have been injured due to fishing practices.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lorvelec |first1=Olivier |last2=Pascal |first2=Michel |last3=Fretey |first3=Jacques |date=2009 |title=Sea turtles on Clipperton Island (Eastern Tropical Pacific) |url=http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn124/mtn124p10.shtml |journal=Marine Turtle Newsletter |volume=10 |issue=13 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014540/http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn124/mtn124p10.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Morrell also reported fur and elephant seals on the island in 1825, but they too have not been recorded by later expeditions.{{sfnp|Lorvelec|Pascal|Fretey|2009}}<ref name=Morrell1841 />
[[File:Enchelynassa canina head.jpg|thumb|The head of a [[Enchelynassa canina|viper moray]] (''Enchelynassa canina'')]]
Birds are common on the island; Morrell noted in 1825: "The whole island is literally covered with sea-birds, such as gulls, whale-birds, gannets, and the booby".<ref name=Morrell1841 /> Thirteen species of birds are known to breed on the island and 26 others have been observed as visitors.<ref name=":18">{{cite report |first1=Christian H. |last1=Jost |author-link1=Christian Jost (geographer) |first2=Alan |last2=Friedlander |first3=Enric |last3=Ballesteros |first4=Eric |last4=Brown |first5=Jenn |last5=Caselle |first6=Brad |last6=Henning |first7=Mauricio |last7=Hoyos |first8=Pelayo |last8=Salinas de León |first9=Paul |last9=Rose |first10=Chris |last10=Thompson |first11=Enric |last11=Sala |language=fr |title=L'Atoll de Clipperton (Île de la Passion) : Biodiversité, Menaces, et Recommandations pour sa Conservation. Rapport au Gouvernement de la France. Août 2016. |trans-title=Clipperton Atol (Île de la Passion) : Biodiversity, Threats, and Recommendations for its Convservation. Report to the French Government. August 2016. |year=2016 |publisher=CRIOBE |location=Papetō{{'eta}}ai, Mo{{'eta}}orea, French Polynesia |page=10 |url=https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/PristineSeasClippertonScientificReport.pdf |access-date=2023-04-10 |archive-date=26 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210726053930/https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/file/PristineSeasClippertonScientificReport.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The island has been identified as an [[Important Bird Area]] by [[BirdLife International]] because of the large breeding colony of masked boobies, with 110,000&nbsp;individual birds recorded.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/clipperton-iba-french-polynesia/details|title=Important Bird Areas factsheet: Clipperton|website=Datazone.BirdLife.org|publisher=[[BirdLife International]]|year=2018|access-date=11 January 2018|archive-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112100916/http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/clipperton-iba-french-polynesia/details|url-status=live}}</ref> Observed bird species include [[white tern]]s, [[Masked booby|masked boobies]], [[sooty tern]]s, [[Brown booby|brown boobies]], [[Brown noddy|brown noddies]], [[Black noddy|black noddies]], [[Greater frigatebird|great frigatebirds]], [[coot]]s, [[Swallow|martins]] (swallows), [[cuckoo]]s, and [[yellow warbler]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bustamante |first1=Paco |last2=Le Verge |first2=Thibault |last3=Bost |first3=Charles-André |last4=Brault-Favrou |first4=Maud |last5=Le Corre |first5=Matthieu |last6=Weimerskirch |first6=Henri |last7=Cherel |first7=Yves |date=2023-10-24 |title=Mercury contamination in the tropical seabird community from Clipperton Island, eastern Pacific Ocean |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10646-023-02691-2 |journal=Ecotoxicology|volume=32 |issue=8 |pages=1050–1061 |doi=10.1007/s10646-023-02691-2 |pmid=37615819 |bibcode=2023Ecotx..32.1050B |s2cid=261098767 |issn=0963-9292}}</ref><ref name=":13">{{Cite journal |last=Stager |first=Kenneth E. |date=1964 |title=The Birds of Clipperton Island, Eastern Pacific |url=https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/66/5/357-371/5229076 |journal=[[The Condor (journal)|The Condor]] |volume=66 |issue=5 |pages=357–371 |doi=10.2307/1365428 |jstor=1365428 |issn=1938-5129 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410154039/https://academic.oup.com/condor/article-abstract/66/5/357/5229076?redirectedFrom=fulltext |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite journal |last=Ehrhardt |first=Jean P. |date=December 1971 |title=Census of the Birds of Clipperton Island, 1968 |url=https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/73/4/476-480/5202677 |journal=[[The Condor (journal)|The Condor]] |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=476–480 |doi=10.2307/1366675 |jstor=1366675 |issn=1938-5129}}</ref> Ducks and moorhens have been reported in the lagoon.<ref name=ClippertonIsland/>

The coral reef on the north side of the island includes colonies more than {{convert|2|m|ft|}} high. The 2018 Tara Pacific expedition located five colonies of ''[[Millepora platyphylla]]'' at depths of {{convert|28|–|32|m|ft}}, the first of this fire coral species known in the region.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rouan |first1=Alice |last2=Pousse |first2=Melanie |last3=Djerbi |first3=Nadir |last4=Porro |first4=Barbara |last5=Bourdin |first5=Guillaume |last6=Carradec |first6=Quentin |last7=Hume |first7=Benjamin CC. |last8=Poulain |first8=Julie |last9=Lê-Hoang |first9=Julie |last10=Armstrong |first10=Eric |last11=Agostini |first11=Sylvain |last12=Salazar |first12=Guillem |last13=Ruscheweyh |first13=Hans-Joachim |last14=Aury |first14=Jean-Marc |last15=Paz-García |first15=David A. |date=2023-06-01 |title=Telomere DNA length regulation is influenced by seasonal temperature differences in short-lived but not in long-lived reef-building corals |journal=Nature Communications|volume=14 |issue=1 |page=3038 |doi=10.1038/s41467-023-38499-1 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=10235076 |pmid=37263999|bibcode=2023NatCo..14.3038R }}</ref> Among the ''[[Porites]] spp.'' stony corals, some [[coral bleaching|bleaching]] was observed, along with other indications of disease or stress, including parasitic worms and microalgae.<ref name=":5">{{Cite report |url=http://rgdoi.net/10.13140/RG.2.2.20403.89127 |title=Mission Tara Pacific sur l'atoll de Clipperton (île de La Passion – France) du 06 au 13 août 2018. Rapport de mission |trans-title=Tara Pacific Mission on Clipperton Atoll (île de La Passion – France) 6–13 August 2018. Mission report. |first1=Eric |last1=Clua |first2=François |last2=Aurat |first3=Nicolas |last3=Bin |first4=Sophie |last4=Bin |first5=Emilie |last5=Boissin |first6=Yann |last6=Chavance |first7=Daniel |last7=Cron |first8=Amanda |last8=Eleneau |first9=Martin |last9=Hertau |first10=Jonathan |last10=Lancelot |first11=Jean-Marc |last11=Moro |first12=Clémentine |last12=Moulin |first13=Alexis |last13=Pey |first14=Claudia |last14=Pogoreutz |first15=Thibaut |last15=Pollina |first16=Romain |last16=Troublé |first17=Serge |last17=Planes |date=2018 |doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.20403.89127 |language=fr |docket=CRIOBE USR3278. RA272 |publisher=Tara Exhibitions Foundation |pages=52–53}}</ref>

The reefs that surround Clipperton have some of the highest concentration of [[Endemism|endemic species]] found anywhere with more than 115 species identified.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Allen |first=Gerald R. |date=2008 |title=Conservation hotspots of biodiversity and endemism for Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.880 |journal=Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems|volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=541–556 |doi=10.1002/aqc.880 |bibcode=2008ACMFE..18..541A |issn=1052-7613 |access-date=31 March 2023 |archive-date=31 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331054821/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.880 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Crane |first1=Nicole L. |last2=Tariel |first2=Juliette |last3=Caselle |first3=Jennifer E. |last4=Friedlander |first4=Alan M. |last5=Robertson |first5=D. Ross |last6=Bernardi |first6=Giacomo |date=2018-06-27 |editor-last=Patterson |editor-first=Heather M. |title=Clipperton Atoll as a model to study small marine populations: Endemism and the genomic consequences of small population size |journal=PLOS One|volume=13 |issue=6 |pages=e0198901 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0198901 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=6021044 |pmid=29949612 |bibcode=2018PLoSO..1398901C |doi-access=free }}</ref>{{sfnp|Allen|Robertson|1997}} Many species are recorded in the area, including five or six endemics, such as [[Clipperton angelfish]] (''Holacanthus limbaughi''), Clipperton grouper (''[[Epinephelus]] clippertonensis''), Clipperton damselfish (''[[Stegastes]] baldwini'') and Robertson's wrasse (''[[Thalassoma robertsoni]]''). Widespread species around the reefs include [[Paranthias colonus|Pacific creolefish]], [[Blue and gold snapper|blue-and-gold snapper]], and various species of [[Mulloidichthys|goatfish]]. In the water column, [[Caranx|trevallies]] are predominant, including [[Caranx lugubris|black jacks]], [[bigeye trevally]], and [[bluefin trevally]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Béarez |first1=Philippe |title=Clipperton: environnement et biodiversité d'un microcosme océanique |last2=Séret |first2=Bernard |date=2009 |publisher=Publications scientifiques du Muséum national d'histoire naturelle IRD éd |isbn=978-2-85653-612-4 |editor-last=Charpy |editor-first=Loïc |series=Patrimoines naturels |location=Paris Marseille |language=French |trans-title=Clipperton: environment and biodiversity of an oceanic microcosm |chapter=Les poissons}}</ref> Also common around Clipperton are [[black triggerfish]];, several species of [[grouper]]s, including [[Dermatolepis dermatolepis|leather bass]] and [[Epinephelus labriformis|starry groupers]]; [[Mexican hogfish]]; [[Whitecheek surgeonfish|whitecheek]], [[Acanthurus triostegus|convict]], and [[Ctenochaetus marginatus|striped-fin surgeonfish]]; [[yellow longnose butterflyfish|yellow longnose]] and [[Johnrandallia|blacknosed butterflyfish]]; [[coral hawkfish]]; [[Arothron meleagris|golden pufferfish]]; [[Moorish idol]]s; [[parrotfish]]; and moray eels, especially [[speckled moray eel]]s.{{sfnp|Clua|Aurat|Bin|Bin|2018|pp=54–57}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Allen |first1=Gerald R. |last2=Robertson |first2=D. Ross |year=1997 |title=An annotated checklist of the fishes of Clipperton Atoll, tropical eastern Pacific |journal=Revista de Biología Tropical |issn=2215-2075 |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=813–843 |url=https://tropicalstudies.org/rbt/attachments/volumes/vol45-2/08_Allen_Clipperton_Atoll.pdf |access-date=2023-04-12 |archive-date=6 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406184341/https://tropicalstudies.org/rbt/attachments/volumes/vol45-2/08_Allen_Clipperton_Atoll.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The waters around the island are an important nursery for sharks, particularly the [[Oceanic whitetip shark|white tip shark]]. [[Galapagos shark]]s,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Morales-Serrano |first1=Naití |last2=Gonzalez-Pestana |first2=Adriana |date=2024-06-05 |title=Identification of the first nursery area of the Galápagos shark (''Carcharhinus galapagensis'') in the south-east Pacific Ocean |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.15820 |journal=Journal of Fish Biology |volume=105 |issue=3 |pages=1008–1013 |language=en |doi=10.1111/jfb.15820 |pmid=38840424 |bibcode=2024JFBio.105.1008M |issn=0022-1112}}</ref> [[Triaenodon obesus|reef sharks]], [[whale shark]]s,<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-05-01 |title=Rastrean al pez más grande del mundo |trans-title=The world's largest fish is being tracked |url=https://eldiariodesonora.com.mx/rastrean-al-pez-mas-grande-del-mundo |access-date=2024-09-03 |work=El Diario de Sonora |location=Heroica Nogales, Sonora, Mexico |language=es-MX |quote=Anne permaneció en aguas panameñas durante 116 días, luego nadó hacia la Isla Clipperton (Francia), cerca de la Isla del Coco (Costa Rica) en su ruta hacia la Isla Darwin en Galápagos (Ecuador), un sitio conocido por atraer grupos de tiburones. 266 días después de que la etiquetaron, la señal desapareció, lo que indica que Anne navegaba demasiado profunda para seguirla. Después de 235 días de silencio, las transmisiones comenzaron de nuevo, al sur de Hawai. |trans-quote=Anne stayed in Panamanian waters for 116 days, then swam to Clipperton Island (France), near Cocos Island (Costa Rica) on her way to Darwin Island in the Galapagos (Ecuador), a site known to attract groups of sharks. 266 days after she was tagged, the signal disappeared, indicating that Anne was sailing too deep to be followed. After 235 days of silence, transmissions began again, south of Hawaii.}}</ref> and [[hammerhead shark]]s are also present around Clipperton.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hutchinson |first1=Melanie |last2=Coffey |first2=Daniel M. |last3=Holland |first3=Kim |last4=Itano |first4=David |last5=Leroy |first5=Bruno |last6=Kohin |first6=Suzanne |last7=Vetter |first7=Russell |last8=Williams |first8=Ashley J. |last9=Wren |first9=Johanna |date=2019 |title=Movements and habitat use of juvenile silky sharks in the Pacific Ocean inform conservation strategies |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165783618302856 |journal=Fisheries Research|volume=210 |pages=131–142 |doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2018.10.016 |bibcode=2019FishR.210..131H |s2cid=92285864 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=2 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220802094517/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0165783618302856 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{sfnp|Clua|Aurat|Bin|Bin|2018|pp=62–63}}

Three expeditions to Clipperton have collected [[sponge]] specimens, including U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]]'s visit in 1938. Of the 190 specimens collected, 20 species were noted, including nine found only at Clipperton. One of the endemic sponges, collected during the 1938 visit, was named ''Callyspongia roosevelti'' in honor of Roosevelt.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=De Laubenfels |first=Max Walker |date=1939 |title=Sponges collected on the presidential cruise of 1938 |url=https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/23677/SMC_98_deLaubenfels_1939_15_1-7.pdf |journal=Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections |location=Baltimore, Maryland |volume=98 |issue=15 |access-date=1 April 2023 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014539/https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/23677/SMC_98_deLaubenfels_1939_15_1-7.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Quentin |date=2012-08-11 |title=New to Nature no. 80: Callyspongia roosevelti|work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/12/new-to-nature-callyspongia-roosevelti |access-date=2023-04-07 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=1 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401014539/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/12/new-to-nature-callyspongia-roosevelti |url-status=live }}</ref>

In April 2009, Steven Robinson, a tropical fish dealer from [[Hayward, California]], traveled to Clipperton to collect [[Clipperton angelfish]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hayward Fish Dealer Facing Prison For Importing Rare Species |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/hayward-fish-dealer-facing-prison-for-importing-rare-species/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402042202/https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/hayward-fish-dealer-facing-prison-for-importing-rare-species/ |archive-date=2 April 2023 |access-date=2023-04-02 |publisher=CBS News |date=22 August 2011}}</ref> Upon his return to the United States, he described the 52 illegally collected fish to federal wildlife authorities as [[king angelfish]],<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Kurhi |first=Eric |date=20 Aug 2011 |title=Fish wholesaler in hot water |volume=137 |page=7 |work=Oakland Tribune |issue=181 |location=Oakland, California |editor-last=Butler |editor-first=David |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123691649/ |access-date=2023-04-01 |quote=There's a value that's created and that's for select customers who want something ugly but rare. |via=Newspapers.com |archive-date=7 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707144308/https://www.newspapers.com/article/123691649/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news |date=2012 |title=United States v. Steven Robinson, No. 11-CR-00513 (N.D. Calif.) |pages=17 |work=Environmental Crimes Section Monthly Bulletin |publisher=United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/enrd/legacy/2015/04/13/jan_2012_508.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=2023-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402042225/https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/enrd/legacy/2015/04/13/jan_2012_508.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2023}}</ref> not the rarer Clipperton angelfish, which he intended to sell for $10,000.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Friedlander |first1=Alan M. |last2=Giddens |first2=Jonatha |last3=Ballesteros |first3=Enric |last4=Blum |first4=Shmulik |last5=Brown |first5=Eric K. |last6=Caselle |first6=Jennifer E. |last7=Henning |first7=Bradley |last8=Jost |first8=Christian |last9=Salinas-de-León |first9=Pelayo |last10=Sala |first10=Enric |date=2019-07-16 |title=Marine biodiversity from zero to a thousand meters at Clipperton Atoll (Île de La Passion), Tropical Eastern Pacific |journal=[[PeerJ]]|volume=7 |pages=e7279 |doi=10.7717/peerj.7279 |issn=2167-8359 |pmc=6640628 |pmid=31341739 |doi-access=free }}</ref> On 15 December 2011, Robinson was sentenced to 45 days of incarceration, one year of probation, and a $2,000 fine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-12-15 |title=Hayward man sentenced for smuggling rare exotic fish |url=https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2011/12/15/hayward-man-sentenced-for-smuggling-rare-exotic-fish/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402042223/https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2011/12/15/hayward-man-sentenced-for-smuggling-rare-exotic-fish/ |archive-date=2 April 2023 |access-date=2023-04-02 |website=East Bay Times}}</ref>

=== Environmental threats ===
[[File:Sichem Osprey.jpg|thumb|Freighter ''Sichem Osprey'' grounded on Clipperton Island in 2010.|left]]
During the night of 10&nbsp;February 2010, the ''Sichem Osprey'',<ref>{{cite ship register|register=RINA|id=9320544|shipname=Costa Concordia|access-date=2023-04-02}}</ref> a Maltese [[chemical tanker]], ran aground en route from the [[Panama Canal]] to [[South Korea]]. The {{Convert|170|m|ft|0|lk=on|abbr=on}} ship contained {{convert|10513|MT|ST}} of [[xylene]], {{convert|6005|MT|ST}} of soybean oil, and {{convert|6000|MT|ST}} of tallow.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.bea-mer.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/RET_SICHEM_OSPREY_05-2010_Site.pdf |title=Report of safety investigation Stranding of the chemical tanker vessel Sichem Osprey on 10 February 2010 on Clipperton Island |publisher=Bureau d'enquêtes sur les événements de mer |docket= |access-date=2023-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402062803/https://www.bea-mer.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/RET_SICHEM_OSPREY_05-2010_Site.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|43}} All 19&nbsp;crew members were reported safe, and the vessel reported no leaks.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 March 2010 |title=Re: Probe into Sichem Osprey grounding |url=http://diver.net/bbs/posts002/81342.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305082505/http://diver.net/bbs/posts002/81342.shtml |archive-date=5 March 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012 |website=Diver.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=22 February 2010 |title=Xylene tanker runs aground on Clipperton Island |url=http://reeftools.com/news/xylene-tanker-runs-aground-on-clipperton-island/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713160803/http://reeftools.com/news/xylene-tanker-runs-aground-on-clipperton-island/ |archive-date=13 July 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012 |website=ReefTools.com}}</ref> The vessel was re-floated on 6&nbsp;March<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 March 2010 |title=Eitzen tanker Sichem Osprey refloated |url=https://LloydsList.MaritimeIntelligence.Informa.com/LL105629/Eitzen-tanker-Sichem-Osprey-refloated |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112214709/https://lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/LL105629/Eitzen-tanker-Sichem-Osprey-refloated |archive-date=12 January 2018 |access-date=17 June 2012 |website=LloydsList.MaritimeIntelligence.Informa.com |publisher=[[Lloyds List]]}}</ref> and returned to service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Easterly Osprey: Vessel Information, Ex-Name History |date=2022-02-24 |url=https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:288953/mmsi:538009895/imo:9396024/vessel:EASTERLY_OSPREY#VesselInfo |access-date=12 June 2023 |website=[[MarineTraffic]] |archive-date=12 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612203908/https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:288953/mmsi:538009895/imo:9396024/vessel:EASTERLY_OSPREY#VesselInfo |url-status=live }}</ref>

In mid-March 2012, the crew from the Clipperton Project noted the widespread presence of refuse, particularly on the northeast shore, and around the Clipperton Rock. Debris, including plastic bottles and containers, create a potentially harmful environment for the island's flora and fauna.<ref name=":11" /> This trash is common to only two beaches (northeast and southwest), and the rest of the island is fairly clean. Other refuse has been left after the occupations by Americans 1944–1945, French 1966–1969, and the 2008 scientific expedition.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2012 |title=Plastic surveying and collection |url=http://www.ClippertonProject.com/plastic-surveying-and-collection/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502053953/http://www.clippertonproject.com/plastic-surveying-and-collection/ |archive-date=2 May 2012 |access-date=17 June 2012 |website=ClippertonProject.com |publisher=The Clipperton Project}}</ref> During a 2015 scientific and amateur radio expedition to Clipperton, the operating team discovered a package that contained {{convert|1.2|kg|lbs}} of cocaine. It is suspected that the package washed up after being discarded at sea.<ref name="Tchékémian2021">{{Cite book |last=Tchékémian |first=Anthony |url=https://www.cairn.info/clipperton-les-restes-de-la-passion--9791095177180-p-51.htm  |title=Clipperton, les restes de La Passion : regards sur le seul atoll corallien français dans l'océan Pacifique nord-oriental |publisher=Presses universitaires des Antilles |year=2021 |isbn=979-10-95177-18-0 |location=Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe |language=fr |trans-title=Clipperton, the remains of La Passion: a look at the only French coral atoll in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean |oclc=1289359277}}</ref> In April 2023, the Passion 23 mission by France's {{ill|Armed Forces in the Antilles|fr|Forces armées aux Antilles}} and the surveillance frigate ''[[French frigate Germinal|Germinal]]'' collected more than {{convert|200|kg|lbs}} of plastic waste from the island's beaches along with a bale of cocaine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-24 |title=Mission PASSION 23 : Le Germinal pose le pied sur l'atoll de Clipperton |trans-title=Mission PASSION 23: The Germinal sets foot on Clipperton Atoll |url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actualites/mission-passion-23-germinal-pose-pied-latoll-clipperton |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=Ministère des armées: Marine nationale: Actualités |archive-date=29 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429012637/https://www.defense.gouv.fr/marine/actualites/mission-passion-23-germinal-pose-pied-latoll-clipperton |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Sea Around Us (organization)|Sea Around Us Project]] estimates the Clipperton EEZ produces a harvest of {{convert|50000|MT|ST}} of fish per year; however, because French naval patrols in the area are infrequent, this includes a significant amount of illegal fishing,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Song |first=Y.-h. |date=2010-12-01 |title=The Application of Article 121 of the Law of the Sea Convention to the Selected Geographical Features Situated in the Pacific Ocean |url=https://academic.oup.com/chinesejil/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/chinesejil/jmq031 |journal=Chinese Journal of International Law |language=en |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=663–698 |doi=10.1093/chinesejil/jmq031 |issn=1540-1650}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-06-10 |title=French minister questions Pacific fishing policies |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/184155/french-minister-questions-pacific-fishing-policies |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref> along with lobster harvesting and [[shark finning]], resulting in estimated losses for France of €0.42 per kilogram of fish caught.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pauly |first=Daniel |url=https://sau-technical-reports.s3.amazonaws.com/898_Pauly_2009_ClippertonFrance_FCRR.pdf |title=Fisheries catch reconstructions: Islands, Part I |date=2009 |publisher=Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia |editor1-last=Zeller |editor1-first=Dirk |series=Fisheries Centre Research Reports |volume=17 |pages=35–37 |chapter=The fisheries resources of the Clipperton Island EEZ (France) |issn=1198-6727 |access-date=2023-04-10 |editor2-last=Harper |editor2-first=Sarah |number=5 |archive-date=10 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410171637/https://sau-technical-reports.s3.amazonaws.com/898_Pauly_2009_ClippertonFrance_FCRR.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

As deep-sea mining of [[polymetallic nodule]]s increases in the adjacent [[Clarion–Clipperton zone]], similar mining activity within France's [[exclusive economic zone]] surrounding the atoll may have an impact on marine life around Clipperton. Polymetallic nodules were discovered in the Clipperton EEZ during the Passion 2015 expedition.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Friedlander |first1=Alan M. |last2=Giddens |first2=Jonatha |last3=Ballesteros |first3=Enric |last4=Blum |first4=Shmulik |last5=Brown |first5=Eric K. |last6=Caselle |first6=Jennifer E. |last7=Henning |first7=Bradley |last8=Jost |first8=Christian |last9=Salinas-de-León |first9=Pelayo |last10=Sala |first10=Enric |display-authors=3 |date=2019-07-16 |title=Marine Biodiversity from Zero to a Thousand Meters at Clipperton Atoll (Île de La Passion), Tropical Eastern Pacific |journal=PeerJ|volume=7 |pages=e7279 |doi=10.7717/peerj.7279 |pmc=6640628 |pmid=31341739 |issn=2167-8359 |doi-access=free }}</ref>