Island Climate Update 84 - September 2007

Feature article

Schools of the Pacific Rainfall Climate Experiment (SPaRCE)

Students from Eauripik, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, putting up their new shelter for weather instruments

Dr Susan Postawko and Dr Mark Morrisey (University of Oklahoma)
The Schools of the Pacific Rainfall Climate Experiment (SPaRCE) is a cooperative field project involving the meteorological services, schools, and community groups from Pacific island nations. These groups participate in collecting and analyzing a unique set of environmental measurements.

Monthly climate

Climate developments in August 2007

Outgoing Long-wave Radiation anomalies for August 2007. (Click for enlargement and detail)

The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) continued to affect the Solomon Islands and northern parts of Fiji, extending east with weakly enhanced convection over Tuvalu and north of Samoa, and little activity further east. Convergence was also weakly enhanced over Australia’s tropical east coast (where some unseasonably heavy rainfalls occurred) extending east across the north Tasman Sea.

Three-month outlook

Three-month outlook: August to October 2007

Rainfall outlook map for September to November 2007.

Tropical Pacific rainfall

Tropical Pacific rainfall - August 2007

Territory and station name
August 2007 rainfall
total (mm)
August 2007 percent
of average

Australia

Cairns Airport
12.2
45

Townsville Airport
4.2
32

Brisbane Airport
110.0
256

Sydney Airport
84.6
107

Cook Islands

Penrhyn
232.4
120

Rarotonga Airport
80.0
73

Rarotonga EWS
68.4
63

Fiji

Rotuma
361.8
174

Udu Point
104.3
123

Nadi
1.1
2

Nausori
72.2
49

Ono-I-Lau
35.4
30

French Polynesia

Hiva Hoa, Atuona
166.0
118

Bora Bora Motu
56.2
106

Tahiti – Faa’a
22.8
47

Tuamotu, Takaroa
139.8
225

Gam

September

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 84 – September 2007
August’s climate

The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) over and east of the Solomon Islands; suppressed convection persists near the equator
Rainfall well above average in the north of Vanuatu and parts of Central and Southern French Polynesia
Well below average rainfall in western Viti Levu, Fiji
Much warmer than normal in parts of Tuvalu, Tonga, Fiji, much of New Ca

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 produced by NIWA and made possible with financial support from the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID), with addi

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