2009 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Study on disaster protection function of coral reefs and maintenance of structure for reef-island system in atoll nations
| Project/Area Number |
18251003
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 海外学術 |
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| Research Field |
Geography
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| Research Institution | Okayama University |
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Principal Investigator |
KAN Hironobu Okayama University, 大学院・教育学研究科, 教授 (20294390)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
SUZUKI Atsushi 独立行政法人産業技術総合研究所, 地質情報部門, 主任研究員 (60344199)
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| Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha) |
YOKOYAMA Yusuke 東京大学, 海洋研究所, 准教授 (10359648)
NAKASHIMA Yosuke 有明工業高等専門学校, 一般教育科, 教授 (90172303)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2006 – 2009
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| Keywords | サンゴ礁 / 環礁 / 海面上昇 / 地盤崩壊 / 津波 / 都市化 / 地形 / 地質 |
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| Research Abstract |
This study aims to observe prospects for sustainable development of atoll nations. Surveys were conducted for atoll islands on the response against tsunami, substrate geology and topography in Maldives in the Indian Ocean along with the topographic surveys in atoll nations in the Pacific (Republic of Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Tuvalu). We observed the structural strength of atoll and coral islands in contrast to the vulnerability of infrastructures on islands against tsunami. We also observed a large-scale underwater collapse of a reef wall at Male, the capital city of the Republic of Maldives. Our findings point out the importance of hard geological structure of Holocene reef with submarine cementation for substrate geology for atoll islands, and also a geohazard risk that may be common in seriously overpopulated coral cay cities around the world.
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