With a population of 30,000 people, South Tarawa is the most densely populated island in the whole of the Republic of Kiribati. The highest "peak" in South Tarawa sticks out a mere 3 meters above sea level in the village of Eita.
A significant rise of the current sea level would - in the log term - result in the extinction of the country. The fact that the islands are not made of very durable rock material make them more vulnerable to the forces of the Pacific Ocean. The soils found in the Republic of Kiribati are formed from calcareous sand consisting mostly of the shells of marine algae and foraminifera and largely made from calcium and magnesium carbonate.
The sand contains four main components as listed below in order of decreasing particle size:
- Very coarse sand composed of the white rod-shaped, calcareous algae porolithion.
- Discoidal white or pink spherical foraminifera, thin in section.
- Fine sand of orange or pink spherical foraminifera, and
- Fine sand and very fine sand composed of the breakdown products of Halmieda algae.
To log the cache, please find the answers to the following questions and send them to Kiribati earthcache:
1) Out of the main four components of the soil in the Republic of Kiribati, which can you find at the earthcache site? Please describe color and composition of the land below your feet.
2) The soil in Kiribati has a high amount of free calcium, locking up most of the necessary nutrients. It therefore lacks in other micro nutrients which leads to a rather limited flora and fauna on the islands. What kind of plants do you see near the earthcache coordinates? Please describe their interaction with the soil they stand on.
3) Since Tarawa is hardly more than 300 meters wide at the widest point, the sea is never far away. From where you are now, how far are you approximately from the water?
4) Do some online research and find out the sea level measured for the South Tarawa Island at the time of your visit - use the "related website" for starters. The Betio/Tarawa sea level monitoring station at N 01° 21.902 E 172° 55.972 is one of 11 places in the Pacific region where the effects of global climate change are scientifically measured and recorded.
5) Optional: Take a picture of you with your GPS at the given coordinates. There used to be a sign at the site, put up for the UN General Secretary's visit in 2010 (see photo), but the sign has apparently been taken down as of mid-2012. Upload the photo with your log.
Go ahead and log the earthcache when you have done all of the above. If there is anything wrong or you don't post a photo, I will contact you. Please keep the consequences of rising sea level in the back of your head and behave accordingly in the future.