PACIFIC COUNTRY REPORT ON SEA LEVEL & CLIMATE: THEIR PRESENT STATE

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Pacific Country Report Sea Level & Climate: Their Present State

A SEAFRAME gauge was installed in Port Vila, Vanuatu, in January 1993. It records sea level, air and water temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction. It is one of an array designed to monitor changes in sea level and climate in the Pacific.
● This report summarises the findings to date, and places them in a regional and historical context.
● The sea level trend to date is +3.1 mm/year but the magnitude of the trend continues to vary widely from month to month as the data set grows. Accounting for the precise levelling results and inverted barometric pressure effect, the trend is +2.2 mm/year. An older gauge at Port Vila operated from 1977-1982.
● Variations in monthly mean sea level include a moderate seasonal cycle and were affected by the 1997/1998 El Niño.
● Variations in monthly mean air and water temperature include pronounced seasonal cycles and were likewise affected by the 1997/1998 El Niño.
● A number of destructive Tropical Cyclones (TC) have passed near Vanuatu since the SEAFRAME was installed. In particular TC Prema caused damage to the SEAFRAME in March 1993. TC Paula passed Port Vila in March 2001 and barometric pressure below 985 hPa was recorded by the SEAFRAME. TC Ivy passed Port Vila in February 2004, with wind gusts above 50 knots and barometric pressure below 962 hPa being recorded by the SEAFRAME.
● Vanuatu is prone to tsunamis and two in particular have caused loss of life and damage to property in the period since installation. The Port Vila SEAFRAME has recorded 7 tsunamis since installation, including a 90 cm tsunami on 26 November 1999 and an 80 cm tsunami on 2 January 2002.