Climatic and Human Influences on Groundwater in Low Atolls

The Barbados Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island States in 1994 focused world attention on the fragility and vulnerability of these small islands. This vulnerability is a product of their remoteness, small size, rapid population growth, restricted capacity and resources, and sensitivity to climate variability (Talu et al., 1979). Low gross domestic product, limited opportunities, and increasing urbanization are straining both traditional support mechanisms (Ward, 1999) and customary, traditional approaches to hazard reduction