secretariat of the pacific regional environment programme the pacific climate change portal project...

Secretariat of the Pacific RegionalEnvironmentProgramme

The Pacific Climate Change Portal Project

Mary Lou CumberpatchNOAA Central Library

Peter MurgatroydSPREP

IAMSLIC ConferenceSeptember 14-18, 2008


Climate change impacts in the Pacific

• Impacts of sea level rise - storm surges, coastal erosion , resettlement

• Increased incidence of extreme events such as floods, droughts and cyclones which threaten freshwater supply.

• Reefs and Marine Resources will be adversely affected. Increased in ocean temperatures , coral bleaching, progressive acidification of oceans.

• Agriculture will be affected. Coastal plains, where most of our agriculture is based, can be salinised due to sea-level rise and become less productive. Increased natural disasters will damage crops and warmer, wetter climate will favour the breeding of pests.

• Disease prevalence will increase as warmer, wetter conditions favour the breeding of disease carrying insects such as mosquitoes (spreading dengue and malaria) and aquatic pathogens such as giardia.


The problem

• Gaps in information• Information is scattered• Information overload• Lack of integration of information

amongst key stakeholders• Multiple information needs• Multiple information users


Information Needs

• Climate and Ocean Data• GIS / Mapping Information for the

region• Forecasting tools• Access to Research Output & Analysis• Case Studies• Practical Guidelines• Lessons Learned• Traditional knowledge and practices


Multiple user groups

• Policy makers • Meteorological officers• Coastal managers• Resource sector – agriculture,

fisheries, forestry• NGOs• Community & Grassroots


Currently a number of resource access points for Pacific climate information• Pacific Islands Global Climate Observing System (PI-GCOS)

• Pacific Island Global Ocean Observing System(PI-GOOS)

• Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PI-OOS)

• Pacific Regional Environment Programme Climate Change Portal

• NOAA Climate Resources

• WWF Pacific Climate Change Portal

• Pacific Climate Information Service (PaCIS)


Pacific Islands Global Climate Observing System (PI-GCOS): http://pi-gcps.org/ • • • About PI-GCOS PI-GCOS Action Plan• • PI-GCOS is coordinated by the Secretariat of

the Pacific Regional Environment Programme• (SPREP)• • • Apia, Samoa• • Accessibility for users with disabilities


Pacific Island Global Ocean Observing Systemhttp://www.sopac.org/tiki-index.php?page=Pacific+Island+Global+Ocean+Observing+System+PI+GOOS


Pacific Islands Ocean Observing Systemhttp://www.soest.hawaii.edu/pacioos/


Pacific Regional Environment Programme Climate Change Portalhttp://www.sprep.org/climate_change/


NOAA Climate Change Resources


WWF Pacific Climate Change Portalhttp://www.wwfpacific.org.fj/what_we_do/climate_

change/index.cfm


Pacific Climate Information Service (PaCIS)http://www.ideademo.org/pacis/index.php


The challenge

• The development of an integrated inter-agency Pacific climate change portal that provides access to all relevant resources in a format that meets the varied information needs of a wide range of users


Key Players

• SPREP• SOPAC• NOAA• East-West Centre• WWF Pacific• WMO Pacific• UNESCO Pacific• PI-GCOS, PI-GOOS, PacIOOS• ….


The way forward

• Inter-agency Meetings scheduled as part of Pacific Climate Roundtable [Apia, Samoa. Oct. 2008]

• Project will be housed on the IPRC server at the University of Hawaii

• Portal will use Joomla interface• Partners will be encouraged to

contribute and maintain information resources hosted on the regional portal


The NOAA Climate Change Portal Project

• Targets coastal managers in the Pacific Region

• Partnership between OCRM, Coastal Services Center and NOAA Library

• Pilot project

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NOAA Project Goals

• Enable coastal managers to incorporate readily accessible climate information and tools into their decision-making processes

• Promote enhanced communication and collaboration in the Pacific region

• Replicate the portal design in other regions


The Audience

• Focus on American Samoa and Samoa

• Pacific Islands

• Expand to cover US regions


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The Process

• Identifying Needs• Coastal managers in American

Samoa and Samoa• Coastal managers stateside

Identifying Resources• Interviewing NOAA employees and

others• Internet and journal searches


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Resource Types

• Case Studies• Handbooks and Guidance Documents• Decision Support Tools• Methodologies for assessing

vulnerability• Traditional Knowledge and practices• Monitoring and mapping products• Peer-reviewed literature• Model legislation, policies, and

regulations• Links to education and training

opportunities


Virtual Library Technology

• Joomla interface• Open source• Manage website easily• Many extensions available

• JabRef bibliography reference manager• BibTex open source text-based format• Z39.50 protocol to search NOAA

Libraries’ Catalog

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Database Record Fields

• Database fields include:• title, creators, program affiliation,

publication date, brief description, full abstract, period of record, language, resource type, rights, resource category, language, theme/topic, expert contact info,sector, geographic coverage, URI


IAMSLIC Role

• IAMSLIC members in the Pacific can provide feedback to the Portal team – we want to avoid duplication of effort

• The team welcomes comments and suggestions – how can this project complement and support other efforts in the Pacific

• What products do Pacific Islanders need from NOAA to help adapt and cope with climate change?

• The team would welcome volunteers to test usability of both Portal and Virtual Library


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Climate Change Portal Team Contacts

• NOAA• Carrie Hall - OCRM/Coastal Programs (301) 563-1135 or [email protected]• Mary Lou Cumberpatch - NOAA Central Library • (301) 713-2600 x 129 or [email protected]• Stephanie Fauver - Coastal Services Center • (843) 740-1287 or [email protected]

• PaCIS• Eileen Shea (NOAA National Climatic Data Center/IDEA

Center) - [email protected]

• SPREP• Peter Murgatroyd – Information Resource Centre Manager –

[email protected]

Anticipated Release Date: End of 2008 / Early 2009


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Thanks for your attention

Any Comments or Questions?