Kiribati

Question 1

Atoll formation

Answer 1

Underwater volcano erupts - lava cools + builds above water (island)
Volcano dormant - underwater rock becomes coral (reef around island)
Volcano sinks (heavy reef + rock) - coral remains and grows upwards
Lagoon forms inbetween reef and land (barrier reef)
Volcano submerged + corals break surface — corals die + decompose (sand/land)
Coral rim surrounds central lagoon - atoll
Ocean flows in and out through gap - forms patch reefs (inside lagoon)

Question 2

Fragile ecosystems - vulnerable to CC

Answer 2

GHG = higher water temp - coral bleaching — corals lose symbiotic algae that produce food
More CO2 = ocean acidification — slows coral growth + weakens skeletons
>90% all coral reefs severely threatened by 2030

Question 3

Tawara Atoll

Answer 3

Capital - 1/2 population of 6miles^2

Majority <8ft ASL - uninhabitable within a generation

Question 4

Freshwater

Answer 4

Rely on lens floating on saltwater aquifer - shrinking due to SLR
+ Saltwater intrusion means can’t grow traditional crops

Question 5

Abaiang Foreign Aid

Answer 5

Provided systems to catch, filter, treat, store rainfall

Question 6

Ocean warming

Answer 6

Drives fish to cooler waters - fishermen suffer

More acidic - slows/stops reef goeth + coral bleaching

Question 7

Ocean surface warming

Answer 7

3°C by 2100

200x risk of flooding (2000-2080)

Question 8

Vegetation

Answer 8

Removal of mangroves + no natural protective barrier

Planted seedlings to try and improve

Question 9

Mangrove deforestation

Answer 9

Mangroves reduce wave height by 40% within first 100m of forest
Deforestation - mor erosion, less distance for waves, sediment not trapped so unstable
Storm surge increases by 0.5m for every 1km of first cut down