Island Climate Update 37 - October 2003

23 March 2007 - 2:21pm

Science Centres: Climate

October

Monthly climate

ENSO & SST

Forecast validation

Three-month outlook

Feature article

Data sources

Feature article
The climate of New Caledonia Luc Maitrepierre, Meteo-France, New Caledonia New Caledonia is a tropical archipelago located between latitude 18°S and the tropic of Capricorn, and between longitudes 164° E and 168° E. The total land area is approximately 19,000 km� with 16,900 km� for the main island “Grande Terre”. Grande Terre is dominated by an almost continuous mountain range from northwest to southeast. The average altitude of the range is 1000 m with two peaks above 1600 m: Mt Panié in the north and Mt Humbolt in the south.

Forecast validation
Forecast validation Forecast period: July to September 2003 Average or above average rainfall was expected from Papua New Guinea to Samoa, including Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna and Tokelau. Average or below average rainfall was forecast in the equatorial region east of Nauru, including the Marquesas Islands.

ENSO & SST
ENSO and Sea Surface Temperatures Positive SST anomalies in the western Equatorial Pacific Neutral ENSO conditions till early 2004 The Equatorial Pacific remains in a neutral state, with little change in ENSO indices from August. The equatorial sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are generally positive in the western Pacific. The NINO3 SST anomaly was about +0.3°C in September (from +0.3°C in August). NINO4 remained unchanged at +0.7°C. The three month (July-September) means were +0.35°C and +0.7°C for NINO3 and NINO4, respectively.

Monthly climate
Climate developments in August 2003 Extremely dry from Queensland east to Fiji Areas of suppressed convection encompassed Vanuatu, Fiji, and the southern part of the Solomon Islands, as well as Eastern Kiribati. Rainfall was extremely low, being less than 25% of average in a broad region from Queensland (Australia) eastward to Fiji, including Vanuatu and Eastern Kiribati. Many stations in this region recorded rainfall totalling less than 10 mm.

October
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 37 – 8 October 2003 September’s climate: September rainfall was extremely low, being less than 25% of average in a broad region from Queensland (Australia) eastward to Fiji, including Vanuatu and Eastern Kiribati. Many stations in this region recorded rainfall totalling less than 10 mm, and some long-term low rainfall records were broken.

Three-month outlook
Rainfall outlook for October to December 2003 Suppressed convection in the equatorial region of Western and Eastern Kiribati Average or above average rainfall is expected in Samoa Average or below average rainfall in Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and the Marquesas Islands Average or above average rainfall is expected in Samoa.

Data sources
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 made possible with financial support from the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), Wellington, New Zealand, wi