Introducing a new resource on the NOAA RISA Sustained Assessment Specialist network! This 2-page, quick reference sheet provides information about sustained assessment and the current and recent specialists that serve RISA regions.

The RISA Sustained Assessment Specialist Network promotes cross-regional collaboration, leverages expertise, and promotes learning and just solutions within the adaptation community. The network advances a shared vision for sustained assessment.

Sustained assessment specialists (SASs) enhance adaptation and resilience efforts by strengthening the ability of the NOAA Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) teams across the country to be a long-term resource for communities, building lasting relationships with information users. SASs are able to identify information needs and assess RISA contributions to adaptation progress over time, which allows for cross-RISA learning. SASs also use the identified needs in their regions to inform the National Climate Assessment process.

Sustained assessment builds upon subnational, federal, and international climate assessments by providing climate information in a way that is transparent, ongoing, and tailored to meet the needs of decision-makers that are seeking to address climate risk.

Contact the Pacific RISA SAS:

Zena Grecni
Sustained Climate Assessment Specialist,
Pacific RISA, East-West Center
Honolulu, HI
grecniz@eastwestcenter.org

HONOLULU (June 8, 2021) – Human health risks, stronger cyclones, coral reef death, and coastal flooding are among the major challenges detailed in a new report on climate change in American Sāmoa. Threatened resources include high-value coastal infrastructure and the millions of dollars that ocean ecosystems add to American Sāmoa’s economy annually, according to the report by the Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA), a consortium of several government, NGO, and research entities.

Climate Change in the American Sāmoa: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors is one in a series of new PIRCA reports. Authors from American Sāmoa Community College, the University of Hawaiʻi, and the East-West Center—along with more than 20 technical contributors from local government, NGOs, and research—collaboratively developed the American Sāmoa PIRCA report.

“Places like American Sāmoa are always likely to be among the very first to see environmental impacts. The ocean is a major part of most aspects of Samoan life, and fishing is our chief industry,” said Congresswoman Uifa‘atali Amata, American Sāmoa’s representative in Congress. “A thorough climate report that is specific to American Sāmoa will be an excellent lasting resource. I appreciate all the work that went into this process, as we work to safeguard our beautiful islands, especially issues like promoting reef health, preventing severe wave damage, and preserving shorelines from erosion.”

Key Messages
Climate Change in American Sāmoa lays out the changes the Territory is already experiencing, as well as what lies ahead. The key messages for decision-makers include:

• Temperatures have risen, and hotter days and nights affect human health. Heat waves can exacerbate a range of pre-existing health issues, and hot weather poses a particular threat to children and elderly people.
• Stronger tropical storms and cyclones are expected globally and around American Sāmoa. More intense tropical cyclones mean a greater potential for loss of life, damage, and public health issues from these storms.
• Sea level rise threatens infrastructure, including drinking water, agriculture, housing, and transportation, as well as ecosystems and cultural sites. More frequent and intense coastal flooding and erosion are anticipated as sea level rise accelerates. Continued effects of the 2009 earthquakes magnify local sea level rise in American Sāmoa.
• Oceans are warming, causing coral bleaching that is already widespread and severe. Extensive coral loss is possible within the next few decades if current trends in rising ocean temperatures continue. American Sāmoa has some of the oldest and largest corals in the world, and coral reefs inject millions of dollars annually into the local economy. In addition, American Sāmoa’s fringing coral reefs provide the best natural shoreline protection for the island.
  Photo: Coral bleaching off Tāfuna, American Sāmoa. Credit: Valentine Vaeoso.

About Climate Change in American Sāmoa and the PIRCA
The collective efforts of the technical contributors, coordinating authors, and PIRCA Advisory Committee made the American Sāmoa PIRCA report possible. The report builds upon the US Fourth National Climate Assessment, offering a closer look at climate change impacts in American Sāmoa and providing information for a wide range of sectors.

The PIRCA is funded and supported by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s RISA Program (through the Pacific RISA), the East-West Center’s Research Program, the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center, and the US Global Change Research Program.

Contact American Sāmoa PIRCA authors:
Kelley Anderson Tagarino, University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, American Sāmoa Community College, Mapusaga, +1-684-699-3353
Victoria Keener, East-West Center, Honolulu, HI, +1-808-944-7220
Zena Grecni, East-West Center, Honolulu, HI, +1-808-944-7242
Christopher Shuler, University of Hawaiʻi Water Resources Research Center, Honolulu, HI, +1-808-956-7847
Wendy Miles, US Fish and Wildlife Service and East-West Center, Honolulu, HI, +1-808-284-7636

HONOLULU (December 4, 2012)—The Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA) today released its first report, Climate Change and Pacific Islands: Indicators and Impacts (Island Press). The report highlights the findings of more than 100 scientists and other experts who assessed the state of knowledge about climate change and its impacts on the Hawaiian archipelago and the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands. The report also examines the adaptive capacity of island communities in the region.

“Climate change is real, and it’s already having an impact on Hawai‘i and throughout the Pacific,” said Hawai‘i Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz, who leads the state’s clean energy efforts and Asia Pacific relations. “We islanders must make the necessary preparations for warmer, unstable weather. It will affect every aspect of our society and economy, including agriculture, real estate and tourism. The time is now for serious change.”

Among the major concerns for Pacific Islands discussed in the report are:

• Decreased freshwater supplies in the future
• Higher air temperatures, especially at high elevations
• Higher sea-surface temperatures causing coral bleaching and linked to the increased prevalence of certain coral diseases
• Threats to traditional lifestyles of indigenous Pacific Island communities
• Rising sea levels, causing coastal flooding and erosion that are likely to damage coastal infrastructure and agriculture, impact tourism, and negatively affect ecosystems and endangered species.

“The effects of climate change are already being seen across the Pacific, and now the PIRCA report provides a foundation for prioritizing adaptation measures,” said Dr. Victoria Keener, East-West Center Fellow and Lead Editor for the report. “The report is a truly collaborative effort, incorporating many perspectives to create a clear picture of what is known about climate change in the Pacific Islands to date, and what we still need to study.”

Free Public Forum Dec. 10

To highlight and discuss the report’s findings, PIRCA will hold a free public forum on Monday, December 10 from 9:00 AM to noon at the Hawai’i Imin International Conference Center, 1777 East-West Road, Honolulu. Lieutenant Governor Brian Schatz will give an opening address, followed by a presentation on PIRCA’s findings and a panel discussion with leaders from diverse sectors across Hawai’i and the Pacific region. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/pircaforum to RSVP for this event.

The 2012 PIRCA report is one in a series of technical contributions to the 2013 National Climate Assessment (NCA). The NCA is conducted under the auspices of the Global Change Research Act of 1990, which requires a report to the US President and Congress every four years on the status of climate change science and impacts. The 2012 PIRCA and the 2013 NCA will inform the nation about already observed changes and anticipated trends. Policymakers will use the NCA to set federal science priorities.  Government agencies, communities, and businesses will utilize both reports to make decisions and plans for the future.

For more information about specific aspects of the report, please contact the following people: