NEWS

Last month, Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC) Consortium Program Director, Dr. Ryan Longman, traveled to American Samoa to strengthen partnerships and share new climate tools aimed at supporting local resilience.

Joining him were Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange (PDKE) GIS Specialist Derek Ford, University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s Dr. Keri Kodama, and University of Hawaiʻi’s Water Resources Research Center Dr. Christopher Shuler. The group met with the American Samoa National Weather Service (NWS) office to discuss forecasting challenges and opportunities with the American Samoa Climate Data Portal. They also met with the American Samoa Resilience Office to align climate data resources with the territory’s resilience goals.

The team participated in the PacIOOS Coastal and Water Resources Workshop in Pago Pago, where they presented new and enhanced PI-CASC-supported tools, including new and enhanced PI-CASC-supported tools, including a daily rainfall map viewer, updates to the American Samoa Climate Data Portal, and a customizable climate portfolio tool for Hawaiʻi. Breakout sessions allowed participants—from government agencies, nonprofits, federal partners, and educators—to explore and test these resources.

The PDKE team received positive feedback on the daily rainfall map viewer and the idea of building an American Samoa Climate Portfolio. Workshop activities also included field visits to the Afono stream gage and Lion’s Park, offering hands-on learning about climate data collection and coastal erosion mitigation.