Alec Fields 4/16/2018
Nauru is a small oval shaped island in the Pacific Ocean. It is ruled by the UK, New Zealand, Australia but gets little say in its own governance. The population is approximately 13,000 people; not including the nearly 1,200 refugees held for resettlement in their detention center. The land area is 21 km2 with a 30 km coastline. Nauru is often cited in studies of climate change because of its relative position to the equator, small island topography, dependence on fishing, and lack of natural resources.
Nauru is 25 miles south of the equator. Being so close to the equator Nauru is in a prime position to measure climate change since there is little fluctuation in day to day weather. On average the temperature in Nauru ranges from 77 degrees to 98 degrees Fahrenheit in 24 hours. It is also useful for measuring rain fall because it receives monsoons in November and February.
As previously mentioned, Nauru is a small island of 21 square kilometers. It’s surrounded by coral so it has no natural lakes of rivers. Nauru’s coast is at sea level and disappears as sea levels continue to rise each year. This makes for easy monitoring of sea levels. However, this poses a major threat to the 13,000 inhabitants because they have nowhere else to go.
Fishing is a major part of Nauru’s economy. 12% of Nauru’s GDP is dependent on fisheries. Nauru is not a fish exporter. It mainly deals in fishing licenses to companies from other nations. The deep ocean off the coast and coastal erosion limit the ability for coastal fish...
