The Marshall Islands National Weather Service will received training from SPREP on a new climate prediction tool CLIK Pacific or ‘CLIKP’ this month to help provide reliable prediction rainfall in the months ahead and support drought management planning decisions, and address challenges associated with the drought.
The drought currently affecting the 29 low-lying atolls of the Republic of Marshall Islands is associated with the strong El Nino currently in place in the equatorial Pacific which affects weather patterns worldwide. In the last quarter of 2015; rainfall received in the Marshall Islands has been lower than average and for this reason, a State of Emergency has been declared. More than 12, 231 individuals and 4,092 households in the outer islands are reported to be affected.
The climate prediction tool CLIK Pacific will provide advance 3-monthly forecasts to guide the use and management of household water catchments, and other water storage facilities as well as levels of salinity of water drawn from underground wells. The climate prediction tool was developed through the Republic of Korea-Pacific Islands Climate Prediction Project (ROK-PI CLIPS) that is implemented by SPREP and APEC Climate Center with kind funding from the Government of Korea through the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS).
For more information on the Climate Prediction System ‘CLIKP’, please contact, Mr Sunny Seuseu, Climate Prediction Services Coordinator, at [email protected]
Rainfall monitoring: Representatives from Marshall Islands National Weather Service, SPREP and International Federation Red Cross examines the rain gauge in Majuro Island. Photo by: Sunny Seuseu, SPREP.