ATOLL RESFARCH BULLETIN No. 31 Expedition to Raroia, 'hamotus Part 1. Ekpedition to Raroia, Tuamotus ty Normanl). Nesell Part 2. Physicdi Characteristics of Raraia . by Norman D..: Mev&ll' Part 3. General Mas of Rarcia Atoll by Norman D. Ncwell Issued by THE PACIFIC SCIENCE BOARD National Academy of Sciences--Na-tional Research Council Washi~gton, D. C. November 30, 1954 Part 1 EXPEDITION TO RhROIA. TUAMOTUS by Norman D . Nevie1.I. Introduction .......................... 1 Preface .......................... 1 Cooperation of the French Administration in Tahiti . 2 Field Operations ..................... 3 TheMap .......................... 3 Collaboration in Fieid Nark ................ 4 General Results ...................... 4 Some Fund.=aienta.l Problems of Atolls .............. 5 Regional Setting of the Tuamotu Archipelago .......... 7 General 1ntmducti.on ................, . 7 Cliniate ............................ 10 Currents ..........................10 SouthernSweLl .....................10 Hurricmes and Tsunami ...................10 bibliography .....................12 Illustrations 1 . Map of Pacific Ocean shoxing relationship of euuatorial currents to the Tuamotus and other island groups 2 . Uap of Pacific Ocean shov:~~gandesite line and Eastern Pacif'ic barrier to animal and plant migratioi~s 3 . Stmcture Lines in ?art of Vne %u%h Pacific li . Re:l.ationship between ship passes and prevailing winds in the Tuaino tus EXPEDITION TO RAROIA, TUMOTUS by Norman D. Newell IN'rHODUCTPON Preface An intensive ecological reconnaissance of Raroia, a Polynesian atoll about 450 miles northeast of Tahiti, was successfully completed during July and August, 1952, by a seven man research team representing the biological and geo- logical sciences. This study, the third project in a program of atoll. studies organized by the Pacific Science Board of the National Research Council and supported principally by contract N7-om-291(04), NR 388-001 with the Office of Naval Research, enjoyed the active aid of the French colonial government at Tahiti, without which the study of Raroia could not have been undertaken. Funds equal to about 20 per cent of the total bvdget were supplied to some of the team members by The American Museum of Natural Histo~j,under a grant from the Humble Oil and Refining Company, and by the U. S. National Museum, The Univer- sity of Hanaii, and Mr. George Vanderbilt,. Although splendid results were obtained, the team was handicapped by failure to receive approxjmately one-half of the expedition equipment, strike- bound on the eve of departure in a California port. Part of this highly spe- cialized equipment, assembled at considerable cost over many months, was generally irreplaceable and the success of the expedition was, therefore, jeopardized. Essential items withheld from the team in this way included a boat, several rafts, outboard motors, a compound microscope, books for field determinations of corals and plants, an underwater carnera, fishing gear, war- farin for studies in rat extermination, fish poison and gasoline. Nithout replacement of some of the most crucial of these items a comprehensive study of Raroia could not have been undertaken. The problem of supply was difficult for the expedition because freight sailings from the United States to Tahitiare infrequent and there are none from Hawaii, where the team members were convening early in June. The expe- dition was reprieved by the circumstance that the Tahiti government had just purchased a small vessel which was being prepared in Honolulu for an early voyage to Papeete. Through the courtesy of H.: RenB Yetitbon, Governor of French Oceania, certain replacement items were carried on this vessel toTa- hiti. These included fishing gear and poison, warfarin, special fish drums, cans and canning equipment for sea weeds, and one outboard motor. The equip- ment and supplies were delivered to the team on Raroia in time for use of most items but too late for use of the warfarin in the projected studies on Pronounded Rah-ro-ee '-a Members of expedition, in addition to author, were John V. Byme, Bengt Danielsson, Maxwell S. Doty, Robert R. Harry, J. P. E. Mor- rison, and V? Jan Newhouse. rats.. The yat'poison wk, returned to Papeete and turned over to the Institut de Recherches M6dicales.de 110c.6anieFrwcaise ,.. for studies in Tahiti. ... The selection of ~ar$iaGdng the numerous atolls pf French Oceania was most fortunate. The selection was madebecause the team anthropol.ogist, Bengt Danielsson, had recently. spent 1.8 montbs'dn the atoll studying acculturation of thepeople. He was thoroughly familiar with the, language.,-the inhabitants, and working conditions. More important, he was assured of tHe complete sup- port of the people.. He was Gnthusiastically celcomed'a~an..adopted son of .$: Raroian fmily and a member 'of the community. Having come .them, first.:as a,., tQ; . member of the intrepid Kon Tiki crew, later as scholar an8 'st$en.t :of their: . , ways, the people had wquired respect for Danielsson that.amognted'ah&t to veneration. .. .. Because of these.special'circumstnnces the people made available to..;thq: ., expedition team their considerable resource6 including boats, outboard motors,,. cleLan cistern water, several houses, a shoiver bath house, a toile-t, refriger- ators, and all-vave 'radio receivers. The transportation facilities 'itere I neither adequate rlor reliable, but tKey permitted a successful comprehensiye: reconnaissance of the a.toll.. ., . ... !.' i : !.. , .., .., . .' .. ... , '. , . .. Coooeration of the French Administration in ~ahiti' ::. , -. .. .., . , , ...: , :V ' I ... .Besides supplying transportation for part of.&r'equipment fronii%lonolulu to Tahiti; Governor Eetitbon provided 'ro+nd trip .<ra&3portation from.'Papeete.'to Raroia on the governient schooneq Tamara. M. Frederick Ahnne, Aciministrato'r: of the Tumotu. Archipelago, accompax,&d tihe: team to Raroia to explain. the govern- ment's interest in the projeot,.,tothe pebple of the atoll. The Governor ar- ranged also for the .charter df the Air'Tahiti Gruman-Condor seaplane for the purpose of an aerial 'photographic,su~~eyof Raroia by the expedition members. The Papeete government coatxibuted a substantial part'of.the charter cost..so ,'that.a medical officer ..?obl.d visit ,'~ard%&~.Hikueru and knaa.' f6r ' routi~eexam- inatibns,b,f the populatidn. He also'persvaded Colonel Cnavat, chief of a. ..~renckmapping missio;, to acco,mpany tfie';fl.igIfr, to 3a.roia in order to:ht$~ist . in obtiining-suitable 6hotographs of; the ato& . ... , ,.. The staff of the Institut de Recherches M~dicalesde 1''0~6anie~~~'cai~e, Dr; 'Jol~n:K.essel,Dr. Georges Torres, and Mr. an& IWS.'Glen Pkrrish, were help- ful and co&eous topembers of the expedition. Helpful aid ind counsel were freely giGen 6y-m&ny.of .the cititfens of Papeete., ... : . , . .. 2 Valerie Zirkle Neive2.l and G. l?obert.Adlingt& f The: ~se&cmMuseum of Natural History devoted many weeks in the selection, .pu&chase,. md'packaging of expedition supplies in New York, ard Mrs. Nei:.ell,"~:ho.preceded the research team to Tahiti, gave valuable aid there in completion of arrangements with the Government. Without Mrs. Newell's intervention it is doubtful that t,he difficult but urgent radio communication between Papeete ana Raroia v~ouldhave been finally established. Untiring efforts of the staff of the Pacific Sci- ence Board, Mr. Harold J. Coolidge, Mrs. Lenore Smith, and especially Miss Ernestine Akers, on behalf of the expedition mere in large measure responsible for the successful conclusion of the field work. Through the courtesy of Dr. Preston E. Cloud, Jr., a pH meter and a plane table, alids.de, and surveybg rod of the U. S. Geological Survey mere made available on Loan for ow stuciies. Dr. John W. Wells identified the corals and Mr. J. Sperrazza, the Foraminifera. Fortunately for the needs of the ex?edition, the people of Raroia are mod- erately prosperous. Eley live in a single vi-llage, ~arumaod(~~arurnaova), situated on the lagoon cettr the single ship pass. Tha nume;.ous facilities of the village of 127 persons mere xore or less continuoilsly tivail8.ble to the re- search group. Trvo radio receivers monitored t,he Papeete program almost con- tinuously, so that official messages :n the TaXtian language sent to us from Tehiti were promptly received and delivered. This was a valuable service during three difficul-t weeks before our contact with Papeete, via Hikueru, was established by means of our small hand-ge:lerated txo-,ivay radio. The clim'te of Raroia is ideal. md altogether the working conditions were very comfortable. --Field -Oaerations All. direct negoti&tions with -the peopl" mere turned over to Danielsson, who was aided by Miss Aurora Matua, a Tahitian scnolar. Besides his om sci- enttfic investigations of the people, Danielsson was given charge of the medical supplies, the kitchen help, md th9 paying of wages. Geriesal camp policies and project plans were developed by the combined team. Scientific activities were distributed as follows: P'nysical ecology of the a-toll (geology) and corai distribution, Nor~anD. Neiwell, assisted by John V. Syrne; biological factors of ecology, and plant distribution, Idaxwell S. Doty, assf sted by Jan Newhouse; animal distribution, excepting co,rals and fishes, J. P. E. Morrison; fish distribution and ecology, Robert R. Harry; ethnology and human ecology, Bengt Danielsson. The [email protected] for aerial photographs was taken during the early morning of June 20, 1952, ~hichluckily happened to be the only clear day of a long ser- ies of overcast days. Tvo 35 nun Argus C-3 cameras with K2 filter were used interchangeaSly for vertical views. One camera at a time ws mounted in a blister replacing a side window. Bengt Danielsson and E3Pamrell Doty operated these two cameras, making exposures at 15 second intervals. The flight was made at an altitude of 3000 neters in order to obtain negatives of convenient scale (1:60,000) and the scale was later confirmed on the groucd by pla?e- table traverse. Surprisingly good resu1.t~ were obtained in t~ocircuits of Tehave adopted stadard Polynesian rzther than French forms of the native names.