Number 99, December 2008
The Island
Climate Update
Collaborators
Pacific Islands National
Meteorological Services
Australian Bureau of
Meteorology
Meteo France
NOAA National
Weather Service
NOAA Climate
Prediction Centre
(CPC)
International Research
Institute for Climate
and Society
European Centre
for Medium Range
Weather Forecasts
UK Met Office
World Meteorological
Organization
MetService of
New Zealand
November’s climate
•
The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) was contracted
towards Papua New Guinea and was displaced southwest of its
normal position.
•
Very suppressed convection near Western Kiribati and northern
Vanuatu, and south of the Equator from Nauru southeast to the
Society Islands.
•
Above normal rainfall for many areas in the South Pacific, including
a record high in Tonga.
El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO), seasonal
rainfall, and sea surface temperature forecasts
•
Neutral ENSO conditions exist in the tropical Pacific Ocean, but La
Niña-like conditions exist in the atmosphere. Many climate models
project neutral ENSO conditions persisting into early 2009.
•
Below normal rainfall is forecast for Western Kiribati, the
Marquesas, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Samoa, the Northern Cook Islands,
Pitcairn Island, and the Tuamotu archipelago.
•
Above normal rainfall is expected for Papua New Guinea, New
Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Niue, and Tonga for the
coming three months.
•
Normal to above normal SSTs are forecast for the southwestern half
of the southwest Pacific region. Normal to below normal SSTs are
forecast for the northeast half of the southwest Pacific. The Pacific
Ocean surrounding Western Kiribati is projected to have near
normal SSTs
.
The Island Climate Update, No. 99, December 2008
Page 2
Climate developments in November 2008
Outgoing Long-wave Radiation (OLR) anomalies, in Wm
2
are represented
by hatched areas. High radiation levels (yellow) are typically associated
with clearer skies and lower rainfall, while cloudy conditions lower the OLR
(blue) and typically result in higher rainfall. The November 2008 position of
the South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) was contracted toward Papua
New Guinea and was displaced southwest of its normal position. The
average position of the SPCZ is identified by the dashed green line, which
is based on mean January rainfall for the South Pacific (after Linacre and
Geerts, 1998). Mean sea level (MSL) pressure anomalies (in hPa) are shown
as grey solid (high pressure) and dashed (low pressure) lines (adapted from
Bureau of Meteorology, Australia).
Soil moisture in November 2008
Estimated soil moisture conditions at the end of November 2008,
using monthly rainfall data. Soil moisture projections for individual
Pacific Island countries are dependent on data availability at the
time of publication.
E
stimates of soil moisture shown in the map (right) are
based on monthly rainfall for one station in each country.
Currently there are not many sites in the water balance model,
but more stations will be included in the future.
The information displayed is based on a simple water balance
technique to determine soil moisture levels. Addition of
moisture to the available water already in the soil comes
from rainfall, with losses via evapotranspiration. Monthly
rainfall and evapotranspiration are used to determine the soil
moisture level and its changes. Please note that these soil
moisture calculations were made at the end of the month,
and for practical purposes, generalisations were made about
the available water capacity of the soils at each site.
Nadi (Fiji), Hanan (Niue), and Apia (Samoa) project moist
(at or near field capacity) soil moisture conditions. Soils are
moderate for the time of year at Tarawa (Western Kiribati) ,
while dry soil moisture is projected for Rarotonga (Southern
Cook Islands).
T
he South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ) activity
was weaker in November relative to last month. A
consolidated region of enhanced rainfall was observed in
satellite data during November 2008 over southern Papua
New Guinea as well as over southeast Australia and southern
New Caledonia. A localised region of suppressed convection
intensified during the month to the south of the Equator,
which encompassed the southern Solomon Islands and
Nauru and extended across the southwest Pacific to central
French Polynesia. The regional circulation for the month
was characterised by more frequent cyclones over eastern
Australia, with ridges of high pressure to the east of northern
New Zealand. Lower than normal pressure also developed
to the north of the Marquesas Islands and east of Eastern
Kiribati.
Rainfall was near normal or slightly above normal for many
countries in the Southwest Pacific during November 2008.
The exception occurred in a swath that extended from
French Polynesia to Nauru and the eastern Solomon Islands
including Tuvalu, Tokelau, and Vanuatu, that had normal or
below normal rainfall. Lower than normal rainfall totals were
recorded at Tahiti in the Society Islands, which received
27 mm of rainfall (21% of normal). Elsewhere in the eastern
half of the Southwest Pacific, the stations in the Tuamotu
archipelago and the Austral Islands all recorded 70–80%
of normal rainfall, with the exception of 207 mm (159% of
normal) falling at Tubuai.
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
New Caledonia
Vanuatu
Solomon Is
Samoa
Tonga
Niue
E Kiribati
Papua New Guinea
S Cook Is
N Cook Is
Society Is
W Kiribati
Line Is
Tuvalu
Marquesas Is
Austral Is
Marshall Is
Rawaki Is
Tokelau Is
Nauru
Tuamotu Is
Pitcairn
EQUATOR
Many stations in Fiji received above normal rainfall, with
five sites exceeding 200% of normal rainfall for November.
At Penang, 296 mm or rain fell in a 24 hour period on 28
November, breaking an 80-year-old record. Nearby in New
Caledonia, most stations recorded above average rainfall
particularly along the east coast, with a record monthly total
recorded at Aoupinie (448 mm).
In Samoa, abundant rainfall finally fell in November, helping
to ease drought conditions. In Niue, abundant rainfall was
recorded, with a global station average of 150% of normal
for the month. Even more rain fell in neighboring Tonga,
which had many stations recording above 175% of normal,
and a total at Lupepau’u of 380 mm (266% of normal) that
broke a 13-year-old record. In the western Southwest Pacific,
rainfall totals were near to above normal in the Solomon
Islands and well above normal for portions of central and
Wet
Moderate
Dry
Wet
Moderate
Dry
Wet
Moderate
Dry
Wet
Moderate
Dry
November 2008 November 2007
Island Group
Location
Rainfall
(mm)
% of
avg
Comments
Tonga
Lupepau’u
380
266
Record high
Solomon Islands Taro
474
201
Highest monthly
total in the region
New Caledonia
Poindimie
373
201
Very high
Society Islands
Tahiti
27
21
Very low
Eastern Kiribati
Kanton
1
2
Very low
Tuvalu
Nanumea
49
28
Very low
eastern Australia.
The Island Climate Update, No. 99, December 2008
Page 3
Mean sea surface temperatures (ºC) for November 2008
Sea surface temperature anomalies (ºC) for November 2008
Forecast validation: September to November 2008
-3 -2.5 -2 -1.5 -1 -0.5 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
New Caledonia
Vanuatu
Solomon Is
Samoa
Tonga
Niue
E Kiribati
Papua New Guinea
S Cook Is
N Cook Is
Society Is
W Kiribati
Line Is
Tuvalu
Marquesas Is
Austral Is
Marshall Is
Rawaki Is
Tokelau Is
Nauru
Fed States of Micronesia
Tuamotu Is
Pitcairn
EQUATOR
Wallis & Futuna
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
New Caledonia
Vanuatu
Solomon Is
Samoa
Tonga
Niue
E Kiribati
Papua New Guinea
S Cook Is
N Cook Is
Society Is
W Kiribati
Line Is
Tuvalu
Marquesas Is
Austral Is
Marshall Is
Rawaki Is
Tokelau Is
Nauru
Fed States of Micronesia
Tuamotu Is
Pitcairn
EQUATOR
Wallis & Futuna
El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
D
uring October, ENSO–neutral conditions are
well established in the equatorial Pacific Ocean,
but the tropical Pacific atmosphere continued to
exhibit La Niña-like characteristics. The SOI remains
positive at around +1.7 (a September–November
mean of +1.5), and easterly trade winds have
strengthened during November about and west of
the Date Line.
SST anomalies in November were close to neutral
across the equatorial Pacific: The NINO3 anomaly
for October was +0.0°C (3-month mean +0.3°C),
and the NINO4 anomaly was –0.1°C (SON mean
0.1°C). Equatorial subsurface temperature anomalies
are relatively weak, but a –2°C anomaly remains
centred near 140°W below 100 m.
Tropical Pacific precipitation patterns continue
to show a La Niña signal, with the TRMM
ENSO precipitation index at –1.1 for November.
Conversely, OLR anomalies show suppressed
equatorial convection about and west of the Date
Line for November as a whole. A convective pulse
associated with the MJO was present over Indonesia
during late November (probably associated with the
strengthening easterlies between the Date Line and
the convection), but this is predicted to dissipate by
early December as the convective region approaches
the Date Line. The development of a La Niña, which
would be unusual but not unprecedented (e.g., Dec
1967) at this time of year cannot be ruled out.
Several climate models appear to be responding to
the enhanced easterlies and have strengthened the
cool SST anomaly: five models out of 14 assessed by
NIWA indicate a return to La Niña conditions could
occur over the coming summer season. However,
the majority indicate neutral conditions continuing
through to the end of autumn 2009. The IRI
summary of 20 October projects a 85% probability
of ENSO–neutral conditions in the November to
January season, and the probability of El Niño
2% and La Niña only 13%. The Australian weekly
tropical summary of 25 November likewise expects
ENSO-neutral conditions to persist through into
A
large region of suppressed convection was forecast to
encompass Western Kiribati and Tuvalu, and also Tokelau,
the Northern Cook Islands, Tuamotu, the Society Islands,
Pitcairn Island, and the northeastern half of French Polynesia
from September to November 2008, with average–to–below
or below average rainfall expected for those countries.
Enhanced convection for the same period was projected to
be centralised near Vanuatu and north of New Caledonia
and east of the Solomon Islands with above normal rainfall.
Near–to–above average rainfall was forecast for Fiji, Niue,
Tonga, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and New
Caledonia. No clear precipitation guidance was offered for
Eastern Kiribati, Tokelau, Samoa, the Southern Cook Islands,
or the Austral Islands.
The rainfall outlook for the September–November 2008
period was very good compared to what was forecast,
although this is calculated for only 10 island groups (six
islands had a forecast of ‘Climatology’, which is unscoreable).
The global station ‘hit’ rate was 91%, 28% higher than average
for forecasts made during September and 30% higher than
the average for all months combined. Rainfall totals were
slightly overestimated for parts of Niue, northern Vanuatu,
and Honiara (Solomon Islands). This is the highest validation
score for the ICU to date.
Forecast statistics compiled over the last nine years indicate
the multi-model ensemble strike rate will continue to have
good skill throughout the summer.
the austral autumn. The NCEP discussion of 11 December
indicates ENSO–neutral or La Niña conditions are equally
likely through 2009.
The Island Climate Update, No. 99, December 2008
Page 4
Tropical Pacific rainfall – November 2008
Rainfall totalling 200% or more is considered well above average. Totals of 40% or less are normally well below average. Highlighted values are
new records.
Data are published as received and may be subject to change after undergoing quality control checks. N/A denotes data unavailability at the time
of publishing, and * denotes synoptic values.
Territory and
station station
name
November 2008
rainfall
total (mm)
November 2008
percent of
average
Australia
Cairns Airport
58
60
Townsville Airport
112
184
Brisbane Airport
327
337
Sydney Airport
73
88
Cook Islands
Penrhyn
135
60
Aitutaki
246
186
Rarotonga Airport
65
48
Fiji
Rotuma Island
114
40
Udu Point
117
57
Nadi Airport
208
158
Nausori
239
98
French Polynesia
Hiva Hoa, Atuona
78
82
Bora Bora
204
112
Tahiti – Faa’a
27
21
Tuamotu, Takaroa
160
76
Gambier, Rikitea
181
79
Tubuai
207
159
Rapa
127
73
Kiribati
Tarawa
122
92
Kanton
1
2
New Zealand
Kaitaia
143
140
Whangarei Airport
62
70
Auckland Airport
46
55
New Caledonia
Ile Art, Belep
182
165
Koumac
61
115
Ouloup
270
281
Ouanaham
182
167
Poindimie
373
201
La Roche
138
120
La Tontouta
121
209
Noumea
72
122
Moue
122
121
Territory and
station station
name
November 2008
rainfall
total (mm)
November 2008
percent of
average
Niue
Hanan Airport
273
157
Liku
246
161
North Tasman
Lord Howe Island
227
194
Norfolk Island
156
226
Raoul Island
130
134
Samoa
Faleolo Airport
151
65
Apia
273
104
Nafanua
287
N/A
Afiamalu
250
N/A
Maota
N/A
N/A
Solomon Islands
Taro
474
201
Munda
209
89
Auki
301
145
Honiara
124
87
Henderson
168
95
Kira Kira
N/A
N/A
Santa Cruz, Lata
316
91
Tonga
Niuafo’ou
N/A
N/A
Mata’aho Airport
165
89
Lupepau’u
380
266
Salote Airport
197
173
Nuku’alofa
181
162
Fua’amotu Airport
284
284
Tuvalu
Nanumea
49
28
Nui Island
163
61
Funafuti
197
83
Nuilakita
249
90
Vanuatu
Sola
137
43
Pekoa
123
63
Lamap
85
66
Port Vila
72
47
Tanna/Whitegrass
149
N/A
Aneityum
133
89
The Island Climate Update, No. 99, December 2008
Page 5
Rainfall outlook map for December 2008 to February 2009
Tropical rainfall and SST outlook: December 2008 to February 2009
NOTE: Rainfall and sea surface termperature estimates for Pacific Islands for the next three months are given in the tables below. The tercile probabilities (e.g.,
20:30:50) are derived from the averages of several global climate models. They correspond to the odds of the observed rainfall or sea surface temperatures being in
the lowest one third of the distribution, the middle one third, or the highest one third of the distribution. For the long term average, it is equally likely (33% chance)
that conditions in any of the three terciles will occur. *If conditions are climatology, we expect an equal chance of the rainfall being in any tercile.
D
uring the December 2008–February 2009 forecast
period, a region of suppressed convection is likely to
encompass the central and eastern Southwest Pacific, in a
region extending from Western Kiribati to the Marquesas
Islands, including Tuvalu, Tokelau, Wallis & Futuna, Samoa,
the Northern Cook Islands, and the Tuamotu archipelago.
Below normal rainfall is expected for those countries. Near–
to–below normal rainfall is expected for the Society Islands,
Pitcairn Island, and Eastern Kiribati.
Enhanced convection is expected to extend southeast from
Papua New Guinea, encompassing the Solomon Islands,
Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tonga, and Niue with above aver-
age rainfall. Near–to–above average rainfall is forecast for
Fiji, Wallis & Futuna, the Southern Cook Islands, and the
Austral Islands for the next three-month period.
SSTs are expected to be near–to–above normal in a band
extending from near Papua New Guinea, southeast to Fiji,
including Vanuatu, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands,
Niue, the Southern Cook Islands, the Austral Islands, and
Pitcairn Island. Normal to below normal SSTs are forecast
for the northeastern sector of French Polynesia, including
the Tuamotu archipelago and the Society Islands, Tuvalu,
Tokelau, and Eastern Kiribati. Western Kiribati is projected
for normal SSTs during this time.
The confidence in the forecast model skill for this seasonal
rainfall outlook is moderately high for most Pacific Island
countries. In the past, the average region-wide hit rate for
forecasts issued in December is 67%, 6% higher than the
long-term average for all months combined. The SST forecast
confidence is moderate–to–high for this period.
Island Group
Rainfall Outlook
Outlook confidence
Papua New Guinea
20:35:45 (Above)
Moderate-High
New Caledonia
20:35:45 (Above)
High
Niue
20:35:45 (Above)
High
Tonga
20:35:45 (Above)
High
Vanuatu
20:35:45 (Above)
High
Solomon Islands
20:35:45 (Above)
Moderate-High
Fiji
20:40:40 (Near or Above)
Moderate-High
Austral Islands
20:40:40 (Near or Above)
High
Cook Islands (Southern)
20:40:40 (Near or Above)
High
Wallis & Futuna
25:35:40 (Near or Above)
Moderate
Kiribati (Eastern)
40:40:20 (Near or Below)
Moderate-High
Society Islands
40:35:25 (Near or Below)
Moderate
Marquesas
45:35:20 (Below)
Moderate
Pitcairn Island
45:35:20 (Below)
Moderate-High
Cook Islands (Northern)
45:35:20 (Below)
Moderate-High
Tuamotu Islands
50:30:20 (Below)
Moderate-High
Samoa
50:30:20 (Below)
Moderate
Kiribati (Western)
50:30:20 (Below)
Moderate-High
Tokelau
50:30:20 (Below)
High
Tuvalu
50:30:20 (Below)
Moderate-High
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
New Caledonia
Vanuatu
Solomon Is
Pitcairn
Samoa
Tonga
Niue
E Kiribati
Papua New Guinea
N Cook Is
S Cook Is
Society Is
W Kiribati
Line Is
Tuvalu
Marquesas Is
Austral Is
Marshall Is
Rawaki Is
Tokelau Is
Nauru
Fed States of Micronesia
Tuamotu Is
EQUATOR
Wallis & Futuna
NO
FORECAST
SST outlook map for December 2008 to February 2009
Island Group
SST Outlook
Outlook confidence
Fiji
25:35:40 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
New Caledonia
25:35:40 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Papua New Guinea
25:35:40 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Vanuatu
25:35:40 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Cook Islands (Southern)
25:35:40 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Austral Islands
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Pitcairn Island
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Samoa
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Wallis & Futuna
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Niue
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Solomon Islands
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Tonga
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Society Islands
25:40:35 (Near or above)
Moderate-High
Kiribati (Western)
30:40:30 (Near Normal)
Moderate
Tuamotu Islands
35:40:25 (Near or Below)
Moderate-High
Cook Islands (Northern)
35:40:25 (Near or Below)
Moderate-High
Marquesas
35:40:25 (Near or Below)
Moderate
Tokelau
35:40:25 (Near or Below)
Moderate-High
Tuvalu
35:40:25 (Near or Below)
Moderate-High
Kiribati (Eastern)
40:40:20 (Near or Below)
Moderate
Australia
New Zealand
Fiji
New Caledonia
Vanuatu
Solomon Is
Pitcairn
Samoa
Tonga
Niue
E Kiribati
Papua New Guinea
N Cook Is
S Cook Is
Society Is
W Kiribati
Line Is
Tuvalu
Marquesas Is
Austral Is
Marshall Is
Rawaki Is
Tokelau Is
Nauru
Fed States of Micronesia
Tuamotu Is
EQUATOR
Wallis & Futuna
Below
Average
or Below
Near normal
Average
or Above
Above
NO
FORECAST
The Island Climate Update, No. 99, December 2008
Page 6
Acknowledgements
This bulletin is produced by NIWA and made possible
with financial support from the New Zealand Agency
for International Development (NZAID), with additional
support from the Pacific Islands Applied Geosciences
Commission (SOPAC) and the Secretariat for the
Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP).
This summary is prepared as soon as possible following the
end of the month, once the data and information are received
from the Pacific Island National Meteorological Services
(NMHS). Delays in data collection and communication
occasionally arise. While every effort is made to verify
observational data, NIWA does not guarantee the accuracy
and reliability of the analysis and forecast information
presented, and accepts no liability for any losses
incurred through the use of this bulletin and its content.
The contents of The Island Climate Update may be freely
disseminated, provided the source is acknowledged.
Requests for Pacific Island climate data should be directed
to the Meteorological Services concerned.
Cover Photo:
Wendy St George,
NIWA
Visit The Island Climate Update at:
www.niwascience.co.nz/ncc/icu
Your comments and ideas about The Island Climate
Update are welcome. Please contact:
Project Director: Dr Jim Salinger, NIWA,
Private Bag 109 695, Newmarket, Auckland,
New Zealand. E-mail:
j.salinger@niwa.co.nz
Forecasts:
Dr. Andrew Lorrey (South Pacific rainfall and SST) and the
NIWA National Climate Centre (ENSO)
ICU Editors:
Andrew Lorrey Email:
a.lorrey@niwa.co.nz
Jim Salinger Email:
j.salinger@niwa.co.nz
Harriet Palmer Email:
h.palmer@niwa.co.nz
Sources of South Pacific rainfall data
This bulletin is a multi-national project, with important
collaboration from the following Meteorological Services:
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, Wallis and
Futuna.
Access to Pacific Islands Meteorological Data
in the New Zealand National Climate Database
Errol Lewthwaite and Jim Salinger (NIWA)
T
he National Climate Database is an archive of climate
data from New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Antarctica
administered by NIWA. The database contains about 400
million data rows from about 6500 climate stations with some
(New Zealand) data going back to the 1850’s. The database
is classed as a “National” database by the NZ Government
for recording long term measurements of climate data and is
funded by the New Zealand Government’s Foundation for
Research, Science and Technology. CliFlo <http://cliflo.niwa.
co.nz/> (see box) provides free web access to the database .
Data from about 200 climate stations are loaded into the
database every day and data from about 50 New Zealand
stations are loaded every hour. The two main daily updated
data sources are NIWA EWS (Electronic Weather Stations)
and Meteorological Service of NZ (MetService) AWS
(Automatic Weather Stations). NIWA EWS climate stations
also record data every ten minutes. There are many manual
climate stations (some rainfall only) with data received at the
end of the month. Most Pacific Island data come in through
MetService as “synop” data. Quality control processes
identify and flag possible bad data. This is important as
quality controlled observations are essential for many
applications including the measurement of climate change.
Most climate parameters are recorded in the database such
as temperature, rainfall, wind, solar radiation, sunshine,
pressure, soil moisture, earth temperature and upper air
data. Over 80 different types of monthly statistics are
calculated from the base data at the end of each month.
Every climate station has a set of descriptive data recorded
about it in the database. This includes basic information
such as the station name, position, height, observing
organisation, start and end dates, instrument types, station
history (changes and problems). This information can be
very important when comparing data from different climate
stations. There are many gaps in this descriptive data
especially for Pacific Island stations. NIWA has an ongoing
project funded by SOPAC to update these descriptive
data records from paper records and to digitise daily data.
The Island
Climate Update
The climate database contains data from over 700 Pacific
Island stations including Cook Islands,Fiji, French Polynesia,
Kiribati, New Caledonia, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands,
Tokelau Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. About 65 of
these stations have recent data at the end of November
2008 mostly from synops. Pacific Island countries are
welcome to place more of their data into this database.
One of the oldest Pacific Island climate stations is “Samoa,
Apia” (J76200). This climate station was opened in 1890 by
German meteorologists at Sogi (exact location unknown)
then in 1902 the Apia Geophysical Observatory was
established at Mulinu’u Point by the Royal Society of Sciences,
Gottingen, Germany. Measurements of total monthly rainfall,
monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures are
95% complete over this period. Interested readers can
view a summarized history of this station at <http://cliflo.
niwa.co.nz/pls/niwp/wstn.sensor_his?cagent=6044>.
CliFlo <http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/> provides free web access
to the Climate Database however with some data restrictions.
Users are required to subscribe on-line using the “Subscribe
On-line” link on the CliFlo home page. Subscribing includes
choosing a username, entering subscription details (such as
name and address), describing a “Purpose” for using the data
(for our statistics) and agreeing to NIWA’s Terms and Conditions
of use. CliFlo users then have access to non-restricted New
Zealand data. The descriptive data for each station (with some
restrictions for privacy reasons) are available through CliFlo.
All Pacific Island data in the database are restricted and
are grouped by country. Before a user can be granted
access to Pacific Island data the user needs to obtain
permission from the Pacific Island Meteorological Service
who has responsibility for the those climate stations.
CliFlo and the Climate Database is a free service available to
everyone and Pacific Island users are encouraged to use it.