Pacific Island Groundwater and Future Climates: First-pass Regional Vulnerability Assessment [Technical Report]

Comprehensive technical report with findings from the First-pass Regional Vulnerability Assessment focusing on groundwater availability for future climates. Geoscience Australia undertook a desktop analysis to better understand the vulnerability of fresh groundwater systems to future climates for 15 Pacific Island countries and territories taking into consideration the impacts of future climates on groundwater systems at a regional scale. This study has been conducted in consultation with Pacific Island groundwater hydrology experts. This technical report has results on the potential vulnerability of groundwater to: (i) low rainfall periods and (ii) mean sea-level rise, using a groundwater vulnerability framework.

This report has been produced by Geoscience Australia and was funded under the Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning (PACCSAP) programme. Geoscience Australia Record 2014/43. A dataset and series of maps associated with this project are also available: see http://dx.doi.org/10.11636/Record.2014.043.