Estimating the freshwater-lens thickness of atoll islands in the Federated States of Micronesia

The water resources of the 32 atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are under continual threat from El Niño-induced droughts and other natural hazards. With government policies emphasizing sustainable development of atoll-island communities, local managers are in need of tools for predi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrogeology journal 2013-03, Vol.21 (2), p.441-457
Main Authors: Bailey, R. T., Jenson, J. W., Taboroši, D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic Pollution
Atolls
Communities
Drought
Droughts
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
El Nino
Estimates
Freshwater resources
Geology
Geophysics/Geodesy
Groundwater
Groundwater availability
Hydrogeology
Hydrology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Islands
Lenses
Mathematical models
Sustainable development
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water Quality/Water Pollution
Water resources
Water resources management
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Summary:The water resources of the 32 atolls of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are under continual threat from El Niño-induced droughts and other natural hazards. With government policies emphasizing sustainable development of atoll-island communities, local managers are in need of tools for predicting changes in the availability of fresh groundwater, which communities depend upon during droughts that incapacitate rain-catchment systems. An application of a recently developed, readily portable algebraic model is demonstrated here, to estimate the freshwater-lens thickness of atoll islands in the FSM, a key component of FSM groundwater resource assessment. Specifically, the model provides estimates of the lens thickness of atoll islands in the FSM during normal and drought conditions. The model was tested for use in the FSM through comparison with available lens data under both average rainfall conditions and intense drought conditions, and then applied to major islands of each atoll within the FSM. Results indicate that out of 105 major islands on FSM atolls, only six would likely retain sufficient groundwater to sustain the local community during an intense drought.
ISSN:1431-2174
1435-0157
DOI:10.1007/s10040-012-0923-6