IWRA Proceedings

AbstractPopulations on small islands are often groundwater-dependent due to the lack of surface water resources, forcing residents to pump potable freshwater from the underlying aquifer known as the ‘freshwater lens’. Government funding, media attention, and infrastructure aim to address surface impacts of extreme coastal storms; however, freshwater lenses beneath the land surface are also susceptible to degradation (salinization) during and following coastal storms. Previous research suggests that in a changing climate, water insecurity due to saltwater intrusion may often be the ultimate trigger driving the forced migration of island populations. Saltwater intrusion can be lateral due to increasing pumping, declining aquifer recharge, and rising sea levels, or downward due to coastal flooding.