Coastal flooding forecast system a near reality

by RUCI VAKAMINO

Residents of Nadi town, who are besieged by coastal flooding almost every year, will soon benefit from early warnings of coastal flooding and inundation when a forecasting modeling system is completed.

The modeling system is one of the projects the Pacific Island Marine and Ocean Services (PIMOS) Panel is overseeing.

“They are generating models; models for forecasting, inundation, and hazard maps to know which areas are vulnerable under which conditions,” said PIMOS chair Dr Tommy Moore.

PIMOS is a panel of ocean and marine experts from the region and the world. It advises the Pacific Meteorological Council on how best to increase its resilience against ocean and coastal hazards.

Dr Moore said PIMOS had made good progress in addressing its key priorities of coastal flooding and safety of life at sea project in Fiji.

“This is the second phase of that program and it started early this year, and I think this current phase is focusing on Maui Bay and Nadi town,” he said.

“The anticipated benefits would be flood early warning systems and forecasts and lots of focus on Nadi town for flash flood warnings as well that can often be made worse by inundation events.”

Dr Moore said other member countries have sought specific help from the panel.

Samoa, for instance, asked for help to monitor the health of its ocean.

Samoa’s director of meteorological services Mulipola Titimaea said Samoa needs particular assistance with measuring and managing the rapid acidification of its ocean.

Ocean acidification is when the ocean’s acidity levels, as a result of the high absorbtion of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,  increase to levels that are less habitable for marine life. This threatens the livelihoods of most coastal communities. The high acidity dissolves the ocean mineral sodium carbonate,  a mineral that is essential for the formation of shells.

Titimaea said it was vital for Samoa to ensure the health of its oceans because the majority of its people relied on the ocean for their livelihood.