Pukapuka Atoll CW
Pukapuka Atoll - Landsat Image (S-03-10_2000)
Pukapuka Atoll - Map
Pukapuka Atoll (10˚55'S., 165˚50'W.) lie about 42 miles NNW of Nassau Island. They consist of Pukapuka, the farthest N; Motu Ko, 3 miles S of Pukapuka; Motu Katava, 1.5 miles NW of Motu Ko; and several smaller islets and sand cays. A sand cay lies at the W end of a reef, 3 miles W of Motu Katava. The islands, islets, and sand cays lie on or within the barrier reef, which surrounds a shallow lagoon.
The barrier reef is unbroken and there is no access to the lagoon for other than small boats. On its W side the barrier reef is always awash; its S side is awash at LW, and its E side is partly awash and partly dry sand. The sea breaks over the sunken reef which extends W from Motu Katava.
Pukapuka is densely wooded with coconut and other trees; some reach a height of 24m. The island is bordered on its N and W sides by wide, flat reefs, and the surf beats heavily on the narrower reef on the weather side. Three villages are situated on the S side of the island near the lagoon; a large church and a school are situated in one of the villages. The Resident Agent lives on Pukapuka.
Motu Ko, at the SE end of barrier reef, is flat and sparsely wooded; the tops of the trees rise to a height of 30m. An aviation runway is situated on the S side of Motu Ko.
Motu Katava is densely wooded in its W part. The trees on the W side rise to a height of 38m, and the coconut palms on the E side rise to 24m.
The current sets strongly onto the E side of the Danger Islands.
The current across the reef extending W from the islands is dangerous. It runs S during the ebb and N during the flood, attaining a rate of 3 to 5 knots. This reef is said to break in deep water even on a calm day.(SD Pub-126)
I have spent the last 3 evenings working on Pukapuka Atoll. The project began as a test of the Protype Global Shoreline map file for Pukapuka Atoll. The PGS files, although a tremendous improvement over WVS, are too coarse for a well-done EVS island.
Pukapuka Atoll - ISS Image ISS002-E-9915 Realigned
The EVS map for Pukapuka Atoll is a very well done product. I love the work that I was able to do on the various reefs that are part of this atoll. I did use a shuttle image (see above) to resolve shoreline that was cloud-obscured. This is one of my best maps to date. Air Rarotonga has information on Pukapuka Atoll.
Enjoy!
Labels: atoll, Cook Islands, EVS, island, Landsat, map, Marplot, Pacific
