Extended Weather Conditions in the Pacific Islands
According to the NOAA Pacific Islands Overview website, the Pacific Ocean waters contain 20,000 to 30,000 islands and reefs, more than all other oceans and seas combined. Pacific Islands include Hawaii, Fiji, Cook Island, Samoa, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Narau and French Polynesia. Because the Pacific islands lie in such a huge expanse of water swirling with tropical currents from the south and Antarctic currents from the south, weather conditions in the area--while fairly steady--are subject to major extended weather condition changes due to tides, surface and deep water currents, hurricanes, cyclones and other tropical storms.
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Average Weather Conditions
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In the Pacific Islands, nightfall only drops temperatures by a few degrees. Besides New Zealand in the far south beneath Australia, the Pacific Islands are tropical in climate. According to the weather resource page on WorldTravel.com, Pacific Islands experience only small variations in temperature and sunrise and sunset times throughout the year. Typical daytime temperatures linger between 75 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit (24-31 Celsius).
Tropical Summers
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Fiji, a south Pacific Island, is vulnerable to tropical summer cyclones. The Pacific Islands' tropical summer lasts from November to April. Humidity rises in the summer which increases the risk of tropical cyclones in the South Pacific. According to PacificIslandsTravel.com, during summer in Queensland, Australia, for example, temperatures reach highs near 28 degrees Celsius and lows of 20 degrees. These temperatures drop to 20 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees in the winter. Water temperature during summer is approximately 25 degrees, and 19 degrees in winter.
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Pacific Island Seasons
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Pacific Island extended weather conditions differ above and below the Equator. The Pacific Islands divide seasons into two parts--the humid, slightly hotter and rainier season and the drier, moderately cooler season. North of the equator (Micronesia and above) dry season tends to last between November and May. South of the Equator, in Fiji, Tahiti and below, dry season lasts between May and November.
Cyclones
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In the North Pacific, meteorologists upgrade violent tropical cyclones to typhooon status. According to the NOAA, over a 15-year average, 28 cyclones per year spiral through the Pacific region. While few cyclones reach levels that cause major damage and casualties, cyclones that do cause a significant threat or damage are upgraded to hurricane status in the South Pacific and typhoon status in the North Pacific.
El Nino
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Affecting the Humboldt Current, El Nino either brings an upswell of sea life to the surface or causes droughts. According to the NOAA, at irregular intervals, El Nino deflects the Humboldt Current (or Peru current). The Humboldt current is a cold Antarctic current that flows up the coast of Chile and Peru, turns west, and leaves the coast, causing deep, nutrient-rich water to rise up along the coast, dragging up bountiful plankton that feed marine mammals, seabirds and fish. By deflecting Humboldt, El Nino causing fisheries to close down, massive bird and fish migrations, droughts and pounding rainfall.
Climate Change
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Climate change computer models predict global warming will bring increased rainfall to some regions and water shortage to others. According to the 2000 Climate Change meeting held in Japan, since 1977, El Nino weather patterns have become more frequent, bringing more rain to the northeast Pacific islands and a decrease in the southwest islands. Some scientists and climatologists attribute the frequency to global warming, but the occurrences could be part of a longer-term natural cycle.
Hardest-hit Pacific Islands enduring water shortages and drought include Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati and Fiji. More frequent El Nino events also bring an increased risk of tropical cyclones, particularly for Tuvalu, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands and French Polynesia.
Volcanoes
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Nearly the entire rim of the Pacific Basin is ringed with volcanoes and earthquake areas. According to the NOAA, these Pacific volcanoes make the area susceptible to natural hazards like tsunamis, tropical cyclones (similar to tornadoes), coastal erosion, high surf, and flooding. Volcanoes affect weather by puffing clouds into the atmosphere that can spread around the globe affecting extended weather conditions.
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References
- Pacific Travel Guides: South Pacific: Tourist Information: Weather
- NOAA: Pacific Islands Region Overview
- Pacific Islands Travel: Queensland
- Climate Change and the Pacific Islands: Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development, 2000
- World Wildlife: Wild World: : Global 200 Snapshot: Humboldt Current/Peru Current
Resources
- Photo Credit Bora Bora Dreamscape image by mckgreg from Fotolia.com island image by Amjad Shihab from Fotolia.com Crossing the sand bank between islands, Yasawas, Fiji image by grannywarbo from Fotolia.com globe image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.com Tourbillon d"eau image by lvconcept from Fotolia.com krabbe image by bofotolux from Fotolia.com rain4 image by fotomagic from Fotolia.com Volcano walk image by Emma Delmonte from Fotolia.com
