Island Climate Update 91 - April 2008

An overview of the present climate in the tropical South Pacific Islands, with an outlook for the coming months, to assist in dissemination of climate information in the Pacific region.
Number 91 – April 2008
March’s climate
South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) extends from Coral Sea towards New Caledonia and Vanuatu, and is displaced well southwest of normal.
Suppressed convection exists from Western Kiribati to Eastern Kiribati and about the Equator with low rainfall, especially near Nauru.
Below normal rainfall for several stations in Fiji, the Northern Cook Islands, and in pa

A food market in Niue, October 2006 (Photo: Jon Barnett).
Food security, health, and climate change in the South Pacific
Dr. Jon Barnett, Australian Research Council Fellow, University of Melbourne
Agricultural production in Pacific Islands is likely to be adversely affected by climate change in several ways. Cyclones are a significant cause of lost agricultural production. Drought presents problems for agriculture everywhere in the region, particularly given the lack of irrigation. Increased risk of flooding in river catchments also threatens food production.

Climate developments in March 2008
Outgoing Long-wave Radiation anomalies for March 2008. (Click for enlargement and detail)
The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) extended from Vanuatu and New Caledonia eastward across Tonga and Fiji to the Southern Cook Islands, with an overall displaced position further south and west than normal for March. Alarge region of very suppressed convection persisted along the Equator extending from Western to Eastern Kiribati and included Tuvalu, the Northern Cook Islands, Tuamotu, and the Marquesas Islands.

Tropical rainfall outlook: April to June 2008
Rainfall outlook map for April to June 2008. (Click for enlargement)
La Niña conditions are still very likely to influence rainfall patterns during this period. A large area of suppressed convection is very likely along the equatorial Pacific from Western Kiribati to Eastern Kiribati, including Tuvalu, the Northern Cook Islands, Tuamotu, and the Marquesas Islands.

Tropical Pacific rainfall - March 2008
Territory and station name
March 2008 rainfall
total (mm)
March 2008 percent
of average
Australia
Cairns Airport
793.2
117
Townsville Airport
1.8
1
Brisbane Airport
41.8
30
Sydney Airport
63.4
49
Cook Islands
Penrhyn
217.4
70
Aitutaki
63
32
Rarotonga Airport
253.3
149
Rarotonga EWS
-
-
Fiji
Rotuma
173.1
47
Udu Point
82.7
26
Nadi Airport
258.3
76
Nausori
134.1
35
French Polynesia
Hiva Hoa, Atuona
90
46
Bora Bora
114.2
64
Tahiti – Faa’a
56.4
32
Tuamotu, Takaroa
127.4
91
Gambier, Rikite

Sources of South Pacific rainfall data
This bulletin is a multi-national project with important collaboration from the following Pacific nations:
American Samoa
Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji
French Polynesia
Kiribati
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Niue
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Island
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Requests for Pacific island climate data should be directed to the Meteorological Services concerned.
Acknowledgements
This bulletin is produced by NIWA and made possible with financial support from the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), with addi