Kosrae


 * Lotu wo**, Welcome to the Kosrae Community Page media type="facebooklike" key="http%3A%2F%2Fpcep.wikispaces.com%2FKosrae" width="263" height="64" align="right"

// from Mr. Harvey Segal's "Sleeping Lady Awakens" // A section of the great Pacific Tectonic Plate, later to be called the Caroline Plate, shifted some 3,000, 000 years ago. The hot spot that previously allowed the creation of Pohnpei became active again. The hot magma pushed up from somewhere near the planet’s center, up on itself in a boiling frenzy as it inched year by year to the ocean’s surface. Nor did it stop there. Hot streams of lava rolled down its sides as it climbed higher and higher, more than 2,000 feet above the sea.
 * In the Beginning**

No living man was there to record this cataclysmic birth; it would be thousands of centuries before geologists would decipher the events. In fact, no fish, no bird, no plant, no life could live near the steaming mass of rock. After many years, the Tectonic Plate shifted again and the volcano quieted.

For centuries, the volcanic mass stood weathering storm after storm. Rising and falling seas climbed up its sides and then subsided as glacial ages passed. Hot sun baked and cracked the black rocks; rain cooled and further split them. Rivers began to form as the land was slowly sculptured by the nature’s forces.

The silence was great as if anticipating the great drama that was to follow. This was the beginning of this island we call Kosrae (pronounced Ko-shry). Kosrae has many other names as well. However, the people who first found it used no other, but Kosrae. =About the Sleeping Lady= Read about the Sleeping Lady of Kosrae at @http://www.comfsm.fm/~dleeling/ub/2003/sruenifasstory.html More about the Sleeping Lady of Kosrae at @http://www.kosrae.com/ThingsToDo_SleepingLadyMountain.aspx

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=Kosrae State, Federated States of Micronesia= **Languages**: Kosraean, English **Indigenous Ethnicities**: Kosraean (Micronesian)
 * Capital**: Tofol
 * Population**: 7,700 (2010)
 * Land Area**: 108 sq km (41.7 sq mi)
 * Greetings**: //Lotu wo// (formal)(informal)

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=Environment=
 * **Kosrae Islands Resource Management Association (KIRMA)**
 * **Island Research and Education Initiative (IREI)** (FSM): http://www.islandresearch.org/
 * **Land Grant at the College of Micronesia**: http://www.comfsm.fm/vpcre/
 * **Micronesia Conservation Trust**: http://www.ourmicronesia.org/
 * **The Nature Conservancy** (FSM): http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/asiaandthepacific/micronesia/index.htm
 * **Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific** (Guam, CNMI, FSM): http://www.weriguam.org/

=Climate & Climate Impacts= FSM has two seasons -- a dry season from November to April and a wet season from May to October. The region sees very little seasonal variation in temperature, with only a 3 degree Fahrenheit difference between the average hottest and coolest months. The climate in FSM depends on three phenomena: the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the West Pacific Monsoon, and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

Climate varies from year to year due to ENSO, the a natural fluctuation between El Nino and La Nina that occurs across the tropical Pacific and affects weather globally. El Nino brings more rainfall during wet seasons and even less rainfall during dry seasons. La Nina brings above average rainfall during dry seasons. The West Pacific Monsoon is caused by large differences in temperature bwetween the land and the ocean. It tens to affects Chuuk and Yap more than Pohnpei and Kosrae, bringing more rain to east FSM during El Nino and less rain in a more western position during La Nina. The movement of the ITCZ -- a band of heavy rainfall caused by air rising over warm water over the equator -- affects rainfall in FSM. Wet season occurs when the ITCZ moves north closer to FSM. The ITCZ also results in less rainfall during El Nino and more during La Nina.

Data shows that __temperatures have increased__ in Pohnpei since 1952 (about 0.19 degrees Fahrenheit per decade), consistent with the global pattern of warming. There is also a __clear decreasing trend in annual and wet season rainfall__ since 1950; however, there is no clear trend in dry season patterns. Satellite data indicates the __sea level has risen__ in FSM by over 0.39 inches per year since 1993; although this higher rate of rise may be partially related to natural fluctuations caused by ENSO. Finally, __ocean acidification increasing__. Data shows that since the 18th century, the level of ocean acidification has been slowly increasing in FSM waters.

Scientists are expecting that __annual average air and sea surface temperatures will continue to increase__ by up to 1.8-1.9 degrees Fahrenheit. That means more very hot days and a decline in cooler weather. __Rainfall patterns will continue to change__ -- while global climate models are not showing consistent results, scientists are expecting __less frequent droughts__ and __more extreme rainfall days more often__. It is likely that there will also be a __decrease in the proportion of intense storms__. And while there will likely be __fewer typhoons__, the __maximum wind speed of typhoons will increase__ by 2-11% and rainfall intensity in typhoons will increase by about 20% within 100 km of typhoon centers. __Sea level will continue to rise__ by 1.2-5.9 inches by 2030, causing additional storm surges and coastal flooding. Finally, the __acidity of sea water will continue to increase__, further impacting the health of reef ecosystems.

Learn more about Climate & Climate Impacts in FSM:
 * "//Adapting to a Changing Climate//" (2011) by MCT: http://www.cakex.org/virtual-library/3439
 * "//Climate Change in the Pacific//" Regional Overview, Country Reports, Brochures, and Posters by the Pacific Climate Change Science Program: http://www.cawcr.gov.au/projects/PCCSP/publications.html
 * **Pacific Climate Change Portal** (SPREP): http://www.pacificclimatechange.net/
 * **Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC), Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme** (FSM): http://www.sprep.org/pacc-home

Back to the Top =History & Way of Life= > //Teacher Resources on Selected Pacific Cultural Topics// =Education=
 * **Teach ReSPECT**: http://www.prel.org/teams/teach-ReSPCT.asp
 * Education demographics from PCEP:@http://pcep.dsp.wested.org/content_items/389070
 * Planning documents and reports on PADDLE: link
 * **Kosrae State Department of Education**: http://kosraedoe.com/
 * **National Department of Education, Federated States of Micronesia**: http://www.literacynet.org/micronesia/doe1.html
 * **College of Micronesia**: []

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=Photo Gallery= Want to know how to add photos to this gallery? Please see the Photo Gallery Tutorial.

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=Tell Your Climate Story= You can share a story about how climate change is affecting your community in two ways

Add a Story using Facebook
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Or Create a New Wiki Page with Pictures and Links

 * 1) Create a new wiki page
 * 2) Give it a title that includes your name
 * 3) Tag your page as //Kosrae story//.
 * 4) Tell us your story (you can even include pictures and links!)

Your new page will appear in the list of Kosrae Climate Stories here. include component="pageList" hideInternal="true" tag="Kosrae story" limit="10" Back to the Top