You have entered the website of the Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific (WERI) at the University of Guam. We are currently six faculty and five staff and our mission is to seek solutions through research, teaching and outreach programs, to issues and problems associated with the location, production, distribution and management of freshwater resources in Guam, the CNMI and the FSM.
No abstract was published. A summary of the Introduction follows.
During the drought of 1983, the island community of Nukuoro Atoll experienced a serious shortage of staple food items, particularly taro and breadfruit. Among other factors, saltwater intrusion into areas of root-crop cultivation (e.g., taro) contributed significantly to the decline in food production. Due to the severity of the problem, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) requested UOG WERI personnel to come and conduct field studies for four days in May 1983 to determine the major factors contributing to and the best approach to minimizing the effects of saltwater intrusion, as well as increasing the yield of food staples.
