ISLAND ENVIRONMENT AND LANDSCAPE RESPONSES TO 1997 TROPICAL CYCLONES IN FIJI

Abstract

Principal responses of the physical environment of the Fiji Islands
\nto tropical cyclones Gavin and June in 1997 were investigated. These cyclones,
\nwhich entered Fiji waters in March and May 1997, respectively, were the first
\nsevere tropical depressions to traverse Fiji since 1993. Northern and western islands
\nwere the most severely affected. Hurricane-force winds, intense rainfall,
\nand temporary storm surge caused damaging effects, including widespread
\nflooding, landslides, and coastal degradation. Different tropical cyclones produce
\ncontrasting patterns of landscape change on Pacific islands, depending on
\nstrength and duration of the storms, proximity of the storm tracks to land, rainfall
\ntotals and maximum intensities, hydrological behavior of the vegetation
\nand soils, and many other factors influencing the environmental susceptibility
\nof the islands concerned. Spatial patterns in the environmental responses of
\nFiji to cyclones Gavin and June were assessed using satellite images of the
\nstorms' movements and data on rainfall, river rises, landslide occurrence, and
\ncoastal inundation. Field observations at some of the worst affected areas demonstrate
\nthe magnitude of these effects.