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Provides applied ocean, island and coastal geoscience services to support countries to govern and develop their natural resources, increase their resilience to hazards and facilitates data-based approaches to adaptation

Samoa, a volcanic archipelago, consists of two large islands (Upolu and Savaii) and several small ones with a total land area of approximately 2 935 sq km. It lies in the southwest Pacific in an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 120 000 sq km, the smallest in the Pacific area. The country has a total population of 168 000, estimated in 1999 . More than half of the population lives on Upolu, where the capital Apia is located. Samoa has a tropical climate with a rainy season from October to April and a dry season from May to September. Rainfall varies from 5 000 mm to 7 000 mm on the windward side and 2 500 mm to 3 000 mm on the leeward side.

Guam consists of one large island with a total land area of 541 sq km within an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)of 218 000 sq km. Geographically, Guam comprises up-lifted undersea volcanoes, with a maximum height of 406m above sea level.The population of Guam was estimated at 149 600 in19991. It is a mixed population made up of the island’s original inhabitants, the Chamorros, together with Filipinos, Europeans and Koreans among others.Guam has a tropical climate, which is uniformly warm and humid. From December to May the weather is cooler with less rain. April is the driest month and from June to November it is wetter with gusty winds. The mean temperature in Guam is 27°C and rainfall varies from2 000 mm to 2 500 mm.