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Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center

The Impact of Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change on Pacific Ocean Atolls that House Department of Defense Installations

About Our Research
Aerial photograph of Kwajalein Atoll showing its low-lying islands and coral reefs. Photograph showing the impact of a large wave at the south shore of Laysan Island, with endangered Laysan teal in the foreground. Photograph on Roi-Namur Island during an overwash event, March 2014. Photograph on Roi-Namur Island during an overwash event, March 2014. Photograph on Roi-Namur Island during an overwash event, March 2014.

This study is a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Deltares (an applied research institute in the Netherlands), and the University of Hawaii (UH). The goals of this study are to:

  1. provide basic understanding and specific information on storm-wave-induced overwash and inundation of atoll islets that house Department of Defense (DoD) installations, and
  2. assess the resulting impact of sea-level rise and storm-wave inundation on infrastructure and freshwater availability under a variety of sea-level rise and climatic scenarios, based on historical information, sea-level rise predictions, and global climate model (GCM) wind, wave, and precipitation output.

Read more in Overview.

News Photo.

Media coverage of threat to atoll islands from rising seas and wave-driven flooding

A deluge of media coverage followed publication of a USGS-led study showing that sea-level rise and wave-driven flooding could make many low-lying atoll islands uninhabitable by the mid-21st century by contaminating freshwater aquifers and damaging infrastructure.

Photo.

Many Low-Lying Atoll Islands Will Be Uninhabitable by Mid-21st Century

Sea-level rise and wave-driven flooding will negatively impact freshwater resources on many low-lying atoll islands in such a way that many could be uninhabitable in just a few decades.
Read the April 25, 2018 USGS News Release

Photo.

Saltwater contamination of freshwater resources could make many atoll islands uninhabitable in decades

Sea-level rise and wave-driven flooding could introduce saltwater so frequently into atoll islands’ freshwater resources that many will be uninhabitable by the mid-21st century, according to a new study published in Science Advances.

Photo.

Documentary about sea-level rise threatening the Republic of the Marshall Islands features USGS findings

USGS research in the Republic of the Marshall Islands forms part of the scientific foundation of an interactive documentary released April 6 by PBS Frontline.
View “The Last Generation.”

Photo.

Pacific Missile Tracking Site Could Be Unusable in 20 Years Due to Climate Change

Living and working on the Pacific islands hosting a key missile tracking site soon could be almost impossible due to the impacts of climate change.

See all news stories

Publications

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Recommended citation: Laura Zink Torresan, and Curt D. Storlazzi, 2014, “The Impact of Sea-Level Rise and Climate Change on Department of Defense Installations on Atolls in the Pacific Ocean”, US Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, doi:10.5066/F7QR4V4C

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U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/data/walrus/atolls/index.html
doi:10.5066/F7QR4V4C
Contact: Curt Storlazzi
Last modified 2018