 The microcontinent was originally part of the Greenland Plate, but now forms part of the Eurasian Plate.The island was identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it is a breeding site for large numbers of seabirds, supporting populations of northern fulmars (78,000–160,000 pairs), little auks (10,000–100,000 pairs), thick-billed guillemot (74,000–147,000 pairs) and black guillemots (100–1,000 pairs).Jan Mayen has a hyperoceanic polar climate, similar to Greenland and Svalbard, with a Köppen classification of "ET".