Funamanu is a small narrow island that is part ofFunafutiatoll inTuvalu. It is amotu (islet) or very smallisland and is located 2.6 miles southwestward of the southwest tip ofFunafuti. The islet is known to be covered incoconut trees which grow 70 feet high.[1]Te Ava Pua Pua is the passage through the reef, with a least depth of 12.7 metres, between the islets of Funamanu to the north andFale Fatu to the south, in the southeast of Funafuti atoll.[2]
Funamanu is an example of anisle on anatoll that is mainly composed of coral debris eroded from encircling reefs and pushed up onto the island by winds and waves. Paul Kench at theUniversity of Auckland inNew Zealand and Arthur Webb at theSouth Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission inFiji released a study in 2010 on the dynamic response of reef islands tosea level rise in the central Pacific. Funamanu was mentioned in the study as being one of seven islands on the atolls of Tuvalu that have spread by more than 3 per cent on average since the 1950s. Funamanu gained 0.44 hectares, or nearly 30 per cent of its previous area.[3]
The storm surge resulting from atropical cyclone can dramatically shift coral debris.[4] In 1972 Funafuti was in the path ofCyclone Bebe. Tropical Cyclone Bebe was a pre-seasontropical cyclone that impacted theGilbert,Ellice Islands, andFiji island groups.[5] First spotted on October 20, the system intensified and grew in size through October 22.
| Islands |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Atolls | ||
| Islets of Funafuti | ||
| Islets of Nanumea | ||
| Islets of Nui | ||
| Islets of Nukufetau | ||
| Islets of Vaitupu | ||
8°33′55″S179°07′59″E / 8.56528°S 179.13306°E /-8.56528; 179.13306
