The U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) are meteorologically characterized by tropical latitudes, consistently warm temperatures, high humidity, and frequent extreme weather events influenced by factors like the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and tropical cyclones. Climate change effects, including rising sea levels and temperature, are impacting these islands, potentially leading to more severe droughts and intense precipitation events, particularly affecting freshwater resources and local ecosystems.
Draft report of the Regional Inform Meeting held August 2019 for comments from meeting participants
This project focuses on assessing American Samoa's vulnerability to natural hazards and the impacts of climate change. It engaged with the community through an online survey, interviews, and a preparedness workshop in Pago Pago. The goal is to help residents and professionals in American Samoa prepare for future hazard events and climate change impacts, providing information, stories, and guidance on disaster and climate change preparedness
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.
Climate services, which provide actionable information about climate impacts, are crucial for Pacific Islands' policy, planning, and decision-making. NOAA, in collaboration with regional partners, has undertaken projects to enhance climate services through capacity building, engagement with users, and tailored information delivery, resulting in better-informed decisions and increased regional coordination.
This study by WorldFish assesses the local impacts of logging on food security, fisheries and well-being in Malaita.
Comprehensive assessment of the risks and impacts of seabed mining on marine ecosystems by Fauna and Flora International.
Oregon State University's PRISM Group conducted a project to create updated climate maps for various Pacific island regions, including the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, CNMI, Palau, American Samoa, and the Federated States of Micronesia. These maps, produced at high resolution, encompassed temperature and precipitation data for the period of 1971-2000, aiding in climate analysis and resource management for these areas.
This guide helps communities understand the pressures people may place on beaches and suggests how natural processes or ecosystem based approaches can be used can encourage sand to come back and stay put.
The geospatial industry is a growing industry all over the world and here in the Pacific, there exists a hub (magazine) for women to collaborate, support, STEM and promote the profession to girls in school.
FUGRO has sponsored the printing of this magazine to enable the distribution of “Pacific Women in Geospatial” to the girls and women in remote areas that have limited access to the internet.
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.
This document, serving as both the Final Management Plan (FMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), outlines proposed revisions to sanctuary regulations led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and involves collaboration with the American Samoa Department of Commerce (AS DOC).
Marine biological surveys were conducted at American Samoa on the Island of Tutuila between 21 April - 5 May, 1974. The surveys were in response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers request for examination of the marine environment where potential storm damage mitigation projects are proposed.
This project has developed sub-regional bioregionalisations for the western-south Pacific Ocean, through expert workshops and novel statistical analysis of physical and biological data. This combines approaches CSIRO developed in Australia, used in the Bay of Bengal (in collaboration with BOBLME) with similar approaches that have been used throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans to derive a single combined bioregionalisation.
This booklet describes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' role in water resources development and the Pacific Ocean Division and Honolulu Engineer District have been assissting the Government of American Samoa in the management and development of the territory's water resources. The "urbanization" of American Samoa and the accompanying desires for modern conveniences have placed heavy demands on the territory's fragile infrastructure, including its vital resource.
The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) is the most comprehensive global database of marine and terrestrial protected areas, updated on a monthly basis, and is one of the key global biodiversity data sets being widely used by scientists, businesses, governments, International secretariats and others to inform planning, policy decisions and management. The WDPA is a joint project between UN Environment and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
This document details the appendices for the vulnerability assessment. It examines topics such as stakeholder summary notes, climate data inventory, sources, and relevant literature.
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.
This report details a wide variety of beach aspects in American Samoa. That includes flood control, beach erosion, and environmental protection.
This study of the baseline water quality in American Samoa covered the effects of wet and dry seasons and a variety of tide and weather conditions on water quality and exchange characteristics of several water classifications. Current measurements in the Tafuna area show a reversing tide related longshore current with net transport towards to the southwest.