Una l Description and History: 1526-1972 salt water assumes a lenticular or lens-shaped cross section, the edges of which are about at the edges of the island. These lenses serve as a secondary source of potable though brackish water during dry periods when rainwater reservoirs are nearing exhaustion. Figure I-19 is a chart of mean monthly rainfall showing the potential water deficit of the dry period of the year.!0 AVERACE VONTHLUY Aare ALL 299 138 173 136 3c an INCHES: 7? 722 7S 2K 3u7 345 Indicates Water Qef-cit a £z ‘ a QaiNFALL POTENTIAL WATER LOSS FAOM = | z 6 SOiL g2 Seel T Zz — —— wife . Q bow . Be, . entrees JAN FEB f t APR r May _ ‘ { ! he MAR , \ | Ye , > 6 2 / ~ ’ r JUN nee —- JUL r AUG | | : —— SEP \ : \ | . , + oe oct | as NOV a x : oEC FIGURE 1-19. MEAN MONTHLY RAINFALL OF ENEWETAK ATOLL. FLORA AND FAUNA The types and quantities of flora found on the atoll would depend very greatly on the period in history under consideration. For example, before their introduction by German entrepreneurs in the |9th century, there were few coconut palms growing on the atoll. When they were planted to become the source of copra, they became the most conspicuous, if not the most numerous, of the plants to be found on Enewetak. Later, the numberof ‘all trees, shrubs, and bushes would be greatly affected by invasion, nuclear weaponstesting, and cleanup. Since Enewetak is located in the northern and drier section of the Marshalls, it does not have dense, lush, dampforests, and the native flora is not largein: size or-in variety. According to St. John, the indigenous flora totals 42 species. Of these, four are endemic, all being of the genus pandanus. Food crops and ornamentals amount to 26 in number and adventive weeds to 27, Altogether, the living flora totals 95 species. In