The 2020 State of Environment Report is the first for Papua New Guinea.
This report focuses on addressing the critical challenges of sustainable water resources management on Tutuila, the main island in the Territory of American Samoa. It presents an updated conceptual hydrogeological model of the island's groundwater and surface water resources by integrating existing hydrological information with recently acquired subsurface datasets, shedding light on the complex nature of Tutuila's hydrogeology, which varies significantly across different locations on the island.
In response to climate change impacts like rising sea levels, efforts are being made in the Pacific Islands region to assess and adapt to the effects on mangroves. This includes improving management practices, reducing stress on mangroves, and integrating climate data into land-use planning to minimize risks to coastal ecosystems and human safety.
The absence of historical sea-level data for the Pacific over the past 1,000 years hinders our understanding of late Neogene sea-level changes. Data from tectonically stable sites in various Pacific locations suggest that sea level was close to its present level around 1,000 years ago, rose to approximately 0.9 meters above present levels around 700 years ago during the Little Climatic Optimum, then fell during the Little Ice Age before gradually rising again over the past 200 years. Tags: Pacific, sea-level change, historical data, Little Climatic Optimum, Little Ice Age.
American Samoa boasts rich coral reefs fringing its islands, with coral reef protection integrated into a national system, including management by the National Park of American Samoa and the National Marine Sanctuary Program. The division between American Samoa and independent Samoa is relatively recent, with intertwined pre-Western histories and cultural connections that endure today among all Samoan Islands.
This dataset comprises water temperature data collected through subsurface temperature recorders (STRs) for monitoring seawater temperature variability at permanent coral reef sites in American Samoa. Deployed as part of the NOAA National Coral Reef Monitoring Program (NCRMP), these high-accuracy temperature loggers, manufactured by SeaBird Electronics (SBE), operate at depths of 0 to 30 meters along depth transects at Ocean and Climate Change monitoring survey sites for 3 years. Recovered STRs are replaced with new deployments in the same location.
Sea level anomalies in the tropical Pacific, influenced by events like El Niño and La Niña, pose risks to islands due to fluctuations in mean sea level. Advanced climate models and a multimodel ensemble approach offer improved forecasting, aiding Pacific island communities in mitigating the impacts of sea level extremes.
The ability of corals to adapt to climate change relies on the existing genetic variation for climate-related resistance. By genotyping 15,399 single nucleotide polymorphisms in Acropora hyacinthus corals within a naturally variable temperature environment, 114 highly divergent SNPs were identified as potential candidates for environmental selection, indicating the presence of alleles preadapted to high temperatures in the population.
The preservation of our environment is a vital and growing concern in the United States. This report is to assist in the implementation of the regulation of these areas, the U.S. Army Corps commissioned a survey and preparation of a report on the wetlands of American Samoa.
The data includes tide gauge readings from before 1950 until the present in Pago Pago.
State of Environment Reports
This Early Recovery Framework was presented to the Government, donors and the wider community the costed options designed to bring about an early recovery process that was both effective in meeting the needs of the population affected by the 29 September 2009 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and sustainable in the long-term development of affected communities and the economy of Samoa
Since the adoption of Agenda 21 following the United Nations Conference on Environment and development in 1992, this report constitutes the first opportunity for Samoa to assess its situation with regard to sustainable development in the past decade
An assessment framework based on key habitats in Samoa:
* cloud forest and uplands
* lowlands, coastal strand
* nearshore marine, offshore marine, and rivers and streams
* climate change, air quality, waste disposal, renewable energy, and population pressures.
It also assesses the status of Samoa’s species of high conservation value, especially those that are endemic and critically endangered.
Environment related legislation review of Samoa.
**Please submit new information or corrections as the reviews will be updated annually.**
This dataset hosts the published NEMs of Tuvalu;
This dataset hosts Palau's State of Environment (SOE) reports.
The Mauritius Strategy for Implementation (MSI) was adopted during the second global conference on the sustainable development of the small island developing states (SIDs). It is broad‐based. Its 20 chapters address a wide range of issues that have unique ramifications in the context of small islands. Cross-cutting issues include planning for sustainability, climate change, sea level rise, energy, transportation, communications, and information. Environmental issues include biodiversity, water and land resources, and waste management.
Documentation on getting started with the Inform Data Portal.
Government Report to UNCCD - prepared by the Dept. Economic Development and Environment. 2003