MenuMain navigation

Feature article

The Pacific Hydrological Cycle Observing System

David Scott and Komal Raman, SOPAC

Figure 1. The regional HYCOS projects comprising the WHYCOS programme. Source: www.whycos.org

The announcement in June of the agreement between the European Union (EU) and the South Pacific Applied Geosciences Commission (SOPAC) regarding funding of the Pacific-HYCOS project represents the culmination of a long period of planning and advocacy for strengthening of the human and technical capacity of National Hydrological Services (NHSs) in Pacific Island Countries. The Pacific-HYCOS project was developed under the framework of the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS). The WHYCOS programme, which has the ultimate objective to "promote and facilitate the collection, exchange, dissemination and use of water-related information, using modern information technologies", is being implemented in the form of regional HYCOS projects as shown in Figure 1.

The design of the Pacific-HYCOS project, which emerged from detailed needs analysis of Pacific Island Countries completed in 2000, recognises the need for a regional approach to improve management and protection of freshwater resources in island nations of the South Pacific. The goal of the project is to enable more informed decision making on integrated catchment management and the sustainable development of freshwater resources particularly during increasingly frequent climatic extremes.

The Pacific HYCOS project will ensure that the data collected is of improved quality and easily accessible to all users, primarily via the Internet. To achieve this, the project is expected to reinforce the hydrological observing networks using various remote-sensing technologies, facilitate the development of national and regional databases, promote regional cooperation and organize training programmes.

The Pacific-HYCOS project involves 14 participating Pacific Island countries: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The Project will be implemented by SOPAC with supervision and facilitation by WMO and with linkages to the Fiji Meteorological Service and UNESCO.

The project focuses on the following 6 technical components:

  • Flood forecasting capability
  • Water resources assessment in major rivers
  • Water resources databases
  • Drought forecasting
  • Groundwater monitoring and assessment
  • Water quality monitoring and assessment

A Project Regional Centre (PRC) will be established at SOPAC and the Coordinator and Advisor positions are currently being filled. A Project Steering Committee comprising of Hydrologists from participating countries will be the highest executive body of the Project. Its role will be to ensure Project coherence and to oversee Project policy, strategy, and implementation. The PRC will provide technical support and training to augment and strengthen the national capacity in the participating countries. Priority activities in the first year of the project will be:

  • identification of priority monitoring sites for each country (critical catchments or aquifers)
  • selection, installation and implementation of field equipment and data transfer technology
  • consideration of the primary technical activity (or activities) for each country.

The Regional scope and scale of the Pacific-HYCOS project should provide some exciting challenges and opportunities for those working in NHSs and for enhanced collaboration with their colleagues in National Meteorological Services. Some of the technical components will be particularly relevant for only some of the participating countries (e.g. flood forecasting capability is likely to be of most interest in Papua New Guinea and Fiji Islands whereas groundwater monitoring and assessment may be the priority for atoll countries). Other components of the project are likely to be relevant to all countries and for some, such as the water resources database activity, a regional approach is arguably a priority.

Programmes such as the Island Climate Update (ICU) have the potential to contribute to the Pacific-HYCOS project activities. The goal of "making forecasts better" which was promoted by the Dialogue on Water and Climate presents a real challenge to those working in the water and climate fields. The technology for flood forecasting is well developed and methods for drought forecasting are emerging. The capacity to benefit from these forecasting capabilities, however, depends on close collaboration and cooperation amongst technical workers and the development of a social capacity to respond to warnings. One of the aims of the Pacific-HYCOS project is to "improve the capacity to mitigate and plan for climate change and land-use impacts on freshwater resources at the catchment and national level." Achievement of that aim will require the involvement of those on either side of the Water and Climate divide.

More information and guidelines about the WHYCOS programme can be found at www.whycos.org or for the Pacific HYCOS project, contact Marc Overmars at [email protected] or Komal Raman at [email protected].