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On May 24, 2023, Typhoon Mawar, one of the strongest Northern Hemisphere tropical cyclones ever recorded in the month of May and the strongest globally in 2023, hit the U.S. Territory of Guam in the Western Pacific. With winds up to 145 mph, the category 4-equivalent typhoon was the strongest storm to affect the island in over two decades. After enduring 15 hours of destructive winds and torrential rain, residents found an island littered with defoliated and uprooted trees, toppled signs and damaged buildings, and flood waters that were waist-deep in low-lying areas.

Invasive species start as strangers in a strange land but over time come to dominate their new homes. The ocean has played host to some of the most prolific of these infiltrations of our time. So just how are these marine invaders able to adapt and thrive in new neighborhoods? This episode is part of our series Long Story Shorts—fun, quick explainers about all things coastal science!

The Aleipata group of offshore islands have been identified as one of eight Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in Samoa. They are located at the south-eastern end of Upolu Island at 14o3’447.28”S, 171o25’23.84”W (Nu’utele) and 14o4’22.11”S and 171o24’36.17”W (Nu’ulua) offshore. This project updates population estimates and establish baseline data and information on breeding seabirds of the Aleipata offshore islands and investigate the feasibility of future tracking studies of some species.

Islands  support  unique  plants,  animals,  and  human societies found nowhere else on the Earth. Local and global stressors threaten the persistence of island ecosystems, with invasive species being among the most damaging, yet solvable, stressors. While the threat of invasive terrestrial mammals on island flora and fauna is well recognized, recent studies have begun to illustrate their extended and destructive impacts on adjacent marine environments.

NeoBiota 30: 151-166: Research article. PFD

Seabirds of the Pacific Islands; 42 species of seabird known or suspected to breed throughout the tropical Pacific islands. 10 are considered endemic. 11 globally threatened (CR, EN, VU) and one near threatened species. Call Number: [EL]Physical Description: 12 p.