Saltwater Intrusion Destroys Crops

Figure 23.6

This figure appears in chapter 23 of the Climate Change Impacts in the United States: The Third National Climate Assessment report.

http://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/regions/hawaii-and-pacific-islands/graphics/saltwater-intrusion-destroys-crops

Taro crops destroyed by encroaching saltwater at Lukunoch Atoll, Chuuk State, FSM. Giant swamp taro is a staple crop in Micronesia that requires a two- to three-year growing period from initial planting to harvest. After a saltwater inundation from a storm surge or very high tide, it may take two years of normal rainfall to flush brackish water from a taro patch, resulting in a five-year gap before the next harvest if no further saltwater intrusion takes place. (Photo credit: John Quidachay, USDA Forest Service).

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This figure was created on November 12, 2013.

This figure was derived from Climate Change and Pacific Islands: Indicators and Impacts .

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