HENRY DARCY DISTINGUISHED LECTURE: THE IMPORTANCE OF GROUNDWATER TO THE PEOPLE AND ECOSYSTEMS OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

The Pacific Ocean is host to more than 30,000 islands, the vast majority of which are small, remote, and vulnerable to climate variability. Groundwater plays an important role in the resilience of these isolated environments. On many islands, groundwater has long been the only reliable source of drinking water. We will see, for example, how groundwater was a critical resource for the first settlers of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). Groundwater also helps explain how coral reefs can flourish in the midst of a nutrient desert (Darwin’s Paradox). It turns out that groundwater is an important transport mechanism for nutrients from terrestrial to ocean biomes and our recent field investigations in French Polynesia shed some light on these processes. Sea level rise will disrupt and potentially overwhelm some of these incredibly unique and biologically critical ecosystems. An improved understanding of hydrogeologic systems and their interactions with marine life surrounding Pacific islands will be essential for strategic adaptation to increased settlement, climate change, and sea level rise.