Hydrogeology and management of freshwater lenses on atoll islands: Review of current knowledge and research needs

Adapting to climate change impacts in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia: the importance of environmental conditions and intangible cultural heritage

“…On the MI, a 2013-2014 survey conducted in 117 of 120 villages indicates that saltwater intrusion, though highly spatially variable, is reported to be impacting taro patches up to, and sometimes exceeding, 5 m elevation (Ruegorong et al, 2016). The sensitivity of atolls, in general, to saltwater intrusion and drought is well documented (e.g., Chui & Terry, 2015;Terry & Falkland, 2009;Werner et al, 2017). Of particular concern is the coincident occurrence of extreme high tides, rising sea levels, and strong storm surges, potentially leading to the overtopping of atolls by saltwater (Werner et al, 2017).…”

“…The sensitivity of atolls, in general, to saltwater intrusion and drought is well documented (e.g., Chui & Terry, 2015;Terry & Falkland, 2009;Werner et al, 2017). Of particular concern is the coincident occurrence of extreme high tides, rising sea levels, and strong storm surges, potentially leading to the overtopping of atolls by saltwater (Werner et al, 2017). Within Yap State, saltwater intrusion during such an event in 2007 led to the mortality of 90% of the taro crop on the islet of Falalop, Ulithi atoll, and 75% of the taro crop on the islet of Falalop, Woleai atoll (Hezel, 2009).…”

“…In the tropical western Pacific, sea levels are rising at a rate three to four times the global average (i.e., 10-12 mm/yr vs. 3.3 mm/yr, respectively) (Cazenave & Remy, 2011), saltwater intrusion is impacting freshwater supplies and food production (Hezel, 2009;Ruegorong et al, unpublished data, 2016;Werner et al, 2017), and beach erosion is a major concern (Hezel, 2009;Keener et al, 2012). Even if rates of sea-level rise in the western Pacific decrease within the next few decades to more closely match global averages (Timmermann et al, 2010), climate change impacts on SIDS are projected to continue through the 21 st century (Nurse et al, 2014).…”

La reconstruction de chaînes d'impacts au service de l'évaluation de la résilience des territoires et de la réduction des risques météo-marins : le cas des atolls des Tuamotu, Polynésie française

“…En effet, la résilience de l'écosystème récifal (qui joue un rôle central) face aux perturbations climatiques et anthropiques détermine directement celle des sociétés humaines, en raison de la forte dépendance que cellesci entretiennent avec les composantes physiques du système. C'est finalement l'un des rares territoires occupés par des sociétés humaines dont l'habitabilité future sera conditionnée par les réponses de l'écosystème-support aux pressions qu'il subit [Duvat, 2015 ;Gattuso et al, 2015 ;Storlazzi et al, 2015 ;Karnauskas, 2016 ;Werner et al, 2017]. Le type de perturbation examiné ici est le cyclone tropical.…”

Saltwater Intrusion and Freshwater Storage in Sand Sediments along the Coastline: Hydrogeological Investigations and Groundwater Modeling of Nauru Island

“…Falkland [3] and White et al [4] described the main concerns that currently constrain the achievement of the goal of sustainable integrated water resources management in these countries: in many islands, there are insufficient hydrological data available for the analysis and planning of water governance reforms. Werner et al [5] have shown in their review of the state of knowledge of atoll island groundwater that over fifty years of investigation have led to important advancements in the understanding of atoll hydrogeology, but a paucity of hydrogeological data persists on all but a small number of atoll islands. The lack of data is usually due to the difficulties related to the accessibility and the lack of instruments for parameter survey.…”