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This report identifies needs and opportunities in the United States Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) region relative to climate change science, management, and adaptation strategies. The region includes the territories of Guam and American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI), and the independent states of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). This inventory is responsive to the Pacific Islands Climate Science Center (PICSC) Strategic Science Agenda and its articulation with the region.
Abstract (from http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0088.1): A comprehensive understanding of the spatial, seasonal, and diurnal patterns in cloud cover frequency over the Hawaiian Islands was developed using high-resolution image data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites. The Terra and Aqua MODIS cloud mask products, which provide the confidence that a given 1-km pixel is unobstructed by cloud, were obtained for the entire MODIS time series (10-plus years) over the main Hawaiian Islands. Monthly statistics were generated from the daily cloud mask data, including mean cloud cover...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Cloud Cover,
Other Water,
Pacific Islands CASC,
Plants,
Remote Sensing,
A cocktail of land-based sources of pollution threatens coral reef ecosystems, and addressing these has become a key management and policy challenge in the State of Hawaii, other US territories, and globally. In West Maui, Hawai'i, nearly one quarter of all living corals were lost between 1995 and 2008. Onsite disposal systems (OSDS) for sewage leak contaminants into drinking water sources and nearshore waters. In recognition of this risk, the Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) is prioritizing areas for cesspool upgrades. Independently, we applied a decision analysis process to identify priority areas to address sewage pollution from OSDS in West Maui, with the objective of reducing nearshore coral reef exposure...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Coral Reefs,
Data Visualization & Tools,
Pacific Islands CASC,
Science Tools For Managers,
Water, Coasts and Ice
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation
As the impacts and risks from climate change increase, the climate assessment landscape has expanded in scope and application, resulting in the desire for more information relevant to local decision-making. Some regions lack detailed climate projections and a body of consensus findings about sector-specific impacts, and there is a need for actionable, culturally cognizant, translated climate information suitable for integration into operations and management, budgeting, funding proposals, and domestic and international policy. The Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment, or PIRCA, is the subject of this decade-long case study illustrating the need, development, and benefit of creating and sustaining a nuanced,...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation
This project used climate models to produce projections of increases in sea temperatures for coral reef areas in Micronesia and abroad. The results suggest that projected sea temperature increases will cause coral bleaching to occur annually in Guam and CNMI by the early 2040s, if current greenhouse gas emissions growth continues. Coral reefs are expected to change dramatically once severe bleaching occurs annually, resulting in loss of biodiversity and ecosystem goods and services. Reefs in Micronesia would have at least a decade more time to adapt or acclimate to climate change if the emissions reductions pledges made under the Paris Agreement become reality. Importantly, the projections reveal that coral reef...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Pacific Islands CASC,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Water, Coasts and Ice
Episodic runoff carries suspended sediment to the nearshore, where it blocks light used for photosynthesis, smothers corals, inhibits coral recruitment, and triggers increases in macroalgae. Even small rainfalls create visible plumes over a few hours. Sediment affects coastal user enjoyment by deteriorating both ecosystem quality and visibility. Sources of erosion include unimproved roads, fallow and active agricultural fields, disturbed forests, local development, and streambanks. In this project, USGS used mapping, field experiments and monitoring, and analysis of recent (July 19–20, 2014) and historic rainfall to estimate sources of land-based pollution for watersheds in West Maui, Hawaii. USGS constructed an...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Coral Reefs,
Pacific Islands CASC,
Rivers, Streams and Lakes,
Water, Coasts and Ice
Chapter 27 of the Fourth National Climate Assessment describes changes already being felt in Hawai‘i and Pacific Islands, as well as what lies ahead. The top findings include: Dependable and safe water supplies are threatened by rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, sea level rise, and increased risk of extreme drought and flooding. Islands are already experiencing saltwater contamination due to sea level rise, which is expected to catastrophically impact food and water security, especially on low-lying atolls. Sea level rise has accelerated and is now damaging critical infrastructure such as transportation and housing, as well as beaches, ecosystems and cultural sites. In Hawai‘i, the value of all structures...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation
Cloud-water interception (CWI) is the process by which fog or cloud water droplets are captured and accumulate on the leaves and branches of plants, some of which drips to the ground. Prior studies in Hawai'i indicate that CWI is highly variable and can contribute substantially to total precipitation. In this study, we monitored CWI and other processes at five mountain field sites on the Islands of Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi to explore how CWI (1) varies with different climate and vegetation characteristics, (2) affects plant water use and growth, and (3) contributes to water resources. Results show that annual CWI varied from 158 to 910 mm, accounting for 3-34% of total water input at individual sites. This large...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation
Clouds often come in contact with vegetation (often named fogs) within a certain elevation range on Hawaii’s mountains. Propelled by strong winds, cloud droplets are driven onto the stems and leaves of plants where they are deposited. Some of the water that accumulates on the plants in this way drips to the ground, adding additional water over and above the water supplied by rainfall. Prior observations show that the amount of cloud water intercepted by vegetation is substantial, but also quite variable from place to place. It is, therefore, important to create a map for the complex spatial patterns of cloud water interception (CWI) in Hawaii. In this project, we created the CWI map at 0.8-km resolution based on...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Climate and Ecosystem Modeling,
Other Water,
Pacific Islands CASC,
Water, Coasts and Ice
This report identifies geospatial data and training needs and offers recommendations for the USAPI in Micronesia. The island nations include the Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM: Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae), and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The purpose of this framework is to facilitate the creation and use of geospatial data and products for the islands of Micronesia to support policy and decision-making for adaptation to impacts of climate change.
Although tropical Pacific islands are generally perceived as having wet climates, they are vulnerable to periodic episodes of drought. This literature review strives to establish a base of information relating to such drought events in the U. S.- affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI), a vast expanse of the oceanic Pacific larger than the North American continent, spanning five time zones and the International Date Line roughly between the southern Tropic of Capricorn across the equator to the northern Tropic of Cancer. The USAPI include the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Freely Associated States of the Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia,...
Abstract (from http://journals.ametsoc.org/doi/abs/10.1175/JAMC-D-16-0284.1): Sea level anomaly extremes impact tropical Pacific Ocean islands, often with too little warning to mitigate risks. With El Niño, such as the strong 2015/16 event, comes weaker trade winds and mean sea level drops exceeding 30 cm in the western Pacific that expose shallow-water ecosystems at low tides. Nearly opposite climate conditions accompany La Niña events, which cause sea level high stands (10–20 cm) and result in more frequent tide- and storm-related inundations that threaten coastlines. In the past, these effects have been exacerbated by decadal sea level variability, as well as continuing global sea level rise. Climate models,...
Categories: Publication;
Types: Citation;
Tags: Pacific Islands CASC,
Sea-Level Rise and Coasts,
Water, Coasts and Ice
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