Climate Change Resilience
The Pacific Islands Global Ocean Observing System (PI-GOOS) and the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) undertook the first continuous record of plankton species along a transit line from Brisbane to Fiji in May.Plankton are vital to the health of the world's oceans, and can be broken down into two groups; phyto-plankton, which photosynthesize sunlight into food at the bottom of the ocean food chain; and zooplankton, which often consists of invertebrate and fish larvae (eggs) drifting across the ocean between islands.
Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) measurements in the North Atlantic have shown a significant shift northwards of plankton species over the past 30 years. These new measurements in the South Pacific are an important step towards investigating plankton populations, which are important for ecosystem health and the Pacific's fishing industry.
The recently collected plankton samples will be sent back to Australia for analysis. However, discussions were held with the University of the South Pacific, IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community at the recent International Conference on Southern Hemisphere Meteorology and Oceanography (ICSHMO) to identify potential funding sources and a laboratory in the Pacific to undertake this task in the future.
Other discussions at the ICSHMO meeting focussed on developing a centralised website for accessing oceanographic data in the Pacific, or the Pacific Islands Ocean Data Network (PI-ODN). The data (e.g. temperature, currents, sea level, and salinity) are necessary for effective marine management (e.g. fisheries) and meteorological forecasting. Australia and the USA have invested large amounts of money in similar systems, and are willing to share their products in the Pacific region.
PI-GOOS also had a presence at the recent Sea Level Rise conference in Wellington, New Zealand, in early May. This conference focussed on the science and adaptation of sea level rise in New Zealand and the South Pacific.
Many issues being faced by Pacific Island communities regarding sea level rise are also being addressed by developing countries, and there are many lessons that can flow both ways between developing and developed countries
The University of Washington is undertaking leading climate and ocean circulation work around a deep sea feature called the Samoan Passage, about 400km north of Samoa, in July-August of this year. Matthew Alford is leading a research team on the research vessel Roger Revelle to investigate deep ocean currents and mixing through the passage, which is a critical location for global deep water circulation.
There are opportunities for students and/or researchers to participate in this cruise, please contact philipw@sprep.org for details.