ABSTRACT
Kiribati is an oceanic nation in the central Pacific that includes three distinct island groups. The Line Islands to the east and the Gilbert Island chain to the west are separated by more than 3,000 km and extend north and south from the equator. Conversely, the Phoenix Islands extend longitudinally between these two groups just south of the equator. Together, the three island assemblages cover an area of 3.5 million km2, an expanse greater than the continental U.S. However, the total land mass of Kiribati is a little less than the area of Tahiti, and only 22 of the 33 atolls and other islands are inhabited. The Line and Gilbert groups exhibit gradients in rainfall with increase from south to north. Most of the Gilbert atolls are open, but those in the Line Islands are a mix of open atolls, those with remnant lagoons, alagoonlnd an atoll with lagoon waters that are atypical. The Phoenix Islands are often parched due to their equatorial position and are subject to extreme droughts. They include closed atolls (2), atolls with remnant lagoons (4), one atoll with atypical lagoon waters, and one open atoll. Half of the eight atolls located here display remnant lagoons. The dominant flow is from the South Equatorial Current, and the area is markedly influenced by ENSO variability, which changes wind intensity and direction. Waves can be wind-driven, but these atolls also receive swell from the northwest and southwest; equatorial cyclones are extremely rare. Tidal range can exceed 2 m in the Gilberts but decreases to roughly 60 cm to the east in the Line Islands.
