Marinduque

- Representative of high islands of volcanic origin

Mongpong Island
- Classified as a very small island (area less than 100 km2, width not greater than 3 km)
(Dijon, 1984)
Freshwater Occurrence on Small Islands
- Originate from precipitation (mostly rainfall)
- (1) precipitation water, (2) surface water, (3) groundwater
Surface water
- Occurs in the form of ephemeral and perennial streams, rivers and springs, and as
freshwater lagoons, lakes and swamps
Groundwater
- Occurs as two main types of aquifers perched and basal
- Perched aquifer occur over horizontal confining layers or aquicludes
- Basal lenses occur on both high and low islands in the form of coastal aquifers or
freshwater lenses overlying sea water
- Transition zone zone between the freshwater lens and the underlying seawater;
dependent on natural conditions (permeability of rock, tidal and recharge fluctuations
and other factors) and artificial influences (man-induced extraction)
- Thickness of the freshwater lenses and transition zones vary spatially (across islands)
and temporally (according to climatic influences e.g. rainfall patterns)
Problems of small islands
- High exposure to natural disasters (expected sea level rise due to greenhouse effect,
strong wave action during typhoons, etc.)
- Turnover time of groundwater systems on small islands tends to be short (few years at
most) > freshwater lenses and perched aquifers easily depleted in dry seasons
- Water quality saltwater intrusion, especially where there is high water consumption;
water pollution
- Lack of hydrometric data for resource assessment
- Poor existing models for groundwater systems of small islands; continental and large
island settings do not apply here
Most important factors for freshwater occurrence
- Climate, geology, morphology, vegetation conditions

1. Climate
a. Island-climate relationships
Water balance of earth surface and atmosphere interrelated
Limited surface area of islands cause no significant reciprocal influence of
small islands on regional water balance
 b. Climatic zones
Three zones based on temperature data: tropical, temperate, polar
Two regions based on rainfall data: humid, dry
Classification of climatic zones by Falkenmark and Chapman (1989)
Considers potential evaporation and rainfall
Six (6) climatic sub-zones

1: warm and hot, humid (E0>1000 mm, P/E0>0.75)

2 warm and hot, dry (E0>1000 mm, P/E0<0.75)
3: temperate, humid (500 mm< E0,~1000 mm, P/E0>0.75)
4: temperate, dry (500 mm< E0&1000 mm, P/E0<0.75)
5: cold, humid (E0<500 mml P/E0>0.75)
6: cold, dry (E0<500 mm, P/E0<0:75)
Annual Precipitation P
Potential Evaporation E0

Estimated using the methods of Budyko (1956) and Penman (1949, 1956)
Marinduque, Philippines (Coran and Rojas, 1988)

Mean of P 2601 mm
E0 1760 mm
Hydrologic Aridity Index (P/E0) 1.48

Gives relative idea of aridity, low HAI indicate dry climates and high values indicate
humid climates
Climatic Zone 1 (warm and hot, humid)
Unesco (1979) classification of climate zones based on hydrologic aridity index
1. Hyper-arid : <0.03
2. Arid : 0.03 0.20
3. Semi-arid : 0.20 0.50
4. Sub-humid : 0.50 0.75
5. Humid : >0.75
E0 = ETp (evapotranspiration)
2. Geology and geomorphology
a. Coastal condition
Low permeability and high small islands where physical conditions are
similar to coastal continental areas
b. Freshwater lens condition
Continuous body of saltwater beneath the island with a lens of freshwater
floating on it
Classification of small islands
1. Bedrock islands
 o Low rock permeability; exceptions in fissures and fractures if there is sufficient
recharge in the area
2. Volcanic islands
o Typically highlands; have two main groups
a. Oceanic
Islands rising from the deep ocean or on the ocean sides of trenches or
subduction zones
Basaltic in nature, although they may contain more acidic materials during
periods of magmatic differentiation
b. Associated with plate subduction belts
occur on continental side of trenches or subduction zones; form island
arcs
dramatic changes in porosity and permeability due to high heterogeneity
of volcanic materials