An assessment of small island hydrological research activity conducted in the Oceania Region

ABSTRACT

This paper provides an assessment of hydrological research activity conducted in the Oceania Region. Literature from three databases (Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, and Google Scholar) was collected and analysed. Results show large gaps in the variety of themes and poor collaborative efforts between regional water specialists. Results also suggest that local specialists potentially lack the ability to conduct quality hydrological research or that, due to the region’s developing status, more focus has been placed on project-based objectives rather than building a body of research. A solution could be the development of a self-reliant base for conducting hydrological research by empowering and improving capabilities of local citizens. Firstly, an overhaul of organization policies regarding the introduction of research and performance monitoring is needed. Secondly, education in hydrology must be improved to suit local capabilities while addressing the complex socio-cultural environment with transdisciplinary measures. This assessment could benefit the future management of hydrological services.

KEYWORDS:

• Oceania Region
• island hydrology
• Pacific Islands
• climate change
• water resources management
• Oceania citizens

Editor A. Castellarin; Associate Editor T. Krueger

Editor A. Castellarin; Associate Editor T. Krueger

Acknowledgements

We thank the anonymous reviewers for taking the time to review this paper. We also thank Dr Kimijima of RIHN (SRIREP Project) for providing the mapping shapefiles and Prof. Sean Mahoney (Fukushima University) for editing the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

We thank the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS travel award) for funding the presentation of this work at the 2023 International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Conference in Berlin; the LINKAGE Project of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) [RIHN-LINKAGE]; and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences Travel Award [IAHS Travel Award].