A report on the coral bleaching event ever recorded for the Marshall Islands that occurred since about mid-September, 2014
an academic study that provides a broader perspective for interpreting how humans and apex predators influence ecological stability across (RMI) coral reef ecosystems.
This human health risk assessment report was publicly released in 2014, and it was aimed to discern whether the observed contamination in fish tissue is specific to Kwajalein Harbor or is part of a wider contamination problem in the RMI .
brief summary of data pertaining to the water quality monitoring for bacteria in selected 18 sites in Nov 2014
Report based on an underwater surveys conducted in Namu atoll relating to the status of its marine resources.
A preliminary review of the results from the underwater survey in the Majuro atoll in 2004
A 1991 report that reviewed the state of the environment and development in RMI, and the constraints and opportunities for sustainable development.
Coastal Zone management is a much debated subject in the discourse about sustainable development in the South Pacific region. This book specifically deals with the analysis of the effects of the fundamental drivers, ecological connectivity, and root causes of coastal resource and environmental challenges using key economic concepts, principles and paradigms.
Many of the sea cucumber fisheries in Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) are in a poor state and in need of rehabilitation. This article documents the status of sea cucumbers in the region
The Marine Species Programme of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) outlines a regional strategy for the cooperative conservation and management of dugongs, marine turtles, whales and dolphins. This strategy will enable Pacific Islanders to take a primary role in achieving the following vision:
"A healthy Pacific Ocean with sustainable populations of whales, dolphins, marine turtles, dugongs and other species, and meets the aspirations of Pacific Island peoples and protects their natural and cultural heritage"
This report provides a review of our knowledge of the bycatches, defined as
discarded dead, from the tropical tuna purse seine fisheries of the world. The major
fishing grounds involved (eastern and western Pacific, eastern Atlantic, and western
Indian Oceans) share the gear, the ways of fishing, and the structure of the pelagic
communities. Because of that, the species taken in association with tuna schools tend
to be the same in all regions.
State of Environment (SoE) reports provide in-country partners with a process to gather data on current environmental indicators, document their status, and formulate a plan for keeping these indicators on track or developing policies and programs as needed. This SoE Toolkit dataset contains resources that serve as guides to help create up-to-date State of Environment reports.
A direct internet link to easily access the visualization of ocean acidification conditions and data synthesis products being collected around the world on the GOA-ON Data Explorer portal.
Concise environmental legislative reviews of Pacific Island countries plus Tokelau. **Please submit new information or corrections as the reviews will be updated annually.**
InforMEA provides easy access to information on Multilateral Environmental Agreements. It is an initiative facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme and supported by the European Union. It seeks to develop Inter-operable information systems for the benefit of the (MEA) Parties and the environment community at large.
This dataset provides direct links to:
1. "Pacific Islands" - related data on the InforMEA portal. For country-specific information, please type *name of country* on the InforMEA portal search tool.
2. Free online courses
Dataset with direct internet link and resources pertaining to AquaMaps. It is an online tool for generating model based, large scale predictions of natural occurrences of species. For marine species, the model uses estimates of environmental preferences with respect to depth, water temperature, salinity, primary productivity, and association with sea ice or coastal areas.
Dataset regarding 'Seamounts' - peaks that rise over 1,000 m above the seafloor. Seamount chains occur in all three major ocean basins, with the Pacific having the most number and most extensive seamount chains.
Direct internet link to the InterRidge Global Database of active submarine hydro-thermal vent fields. The database includes a vocabulary of vent field names and information that may be useful in mapping, including position (latitude, longitude), depth, region, tectonic setting category, national jurisdiction, and ocean.
A direct internet link to and resources pertaining the Blue Habitat website which has been established as a portal for information on the global distribution of marine ‘blue’ habitats. Knowledge on the distribution of blue habitats is an important input into ocean management, marine spatial planning and biodiversity conservation.
The NOAA Coral Reef Watch program uses satellite data to provide current reef environmental conditions to quickly identify areas at risk for coral bleaching. Bleaching is the process by which corals lose the symbiotic algae that give them their distinctive colors. If a coral is severely bleached, disease and death become likely. Coral Reef Watch also offers a modeled Outlook that predicts the likelihood of coral bleaching heat stress on a week-by-week basis, up to four months in the future (the typical length of a bleaching season).