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Feature article

Schools of the Pacific Rainfall Climate Experiment (SPaRCE)

Students from Eauripik, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, putting up their new shelter for weather instruments

Dr Susan Postawko and Dr Mark Morrisey (University of Oklahoma)

The Schools of the Pacific Rainfall Climate Experiment (SPaRCE) is a cooperative field project involving the meteorological services, schools, and community groups from Pacific island nations. These groups participate in collecting and analyzing a unique set of environmental measurements. Working from a grassroots level throughout the Pacific Islands, the SPaRCE program strives to enhance education and communication regarding the weather and climate in one of the most environmentally vulnerable regions of the planet. The program is administered from the School of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in the United States of America, with support from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The SPaRCE program has been operating across the Pacific basin since 1992. During this time the program has undergone many changes in response to local Pacific island needs. The basic tenet of the program, however, has remained the same: to provide basic meteorological and climatological information to any interested group, supply some basic meteorological equipment to these interested groups, and facilitate the exchange of information between the global research community and local island communities.

Within this project, students and community groups have the opportunity to become involved in a hands-on, scientifically valid research program, in which the sciences of meteorology and climatology are presented in a regionally-relevant context. In addition, the implications of climate change brought about by human activities are discussed as they apply to individuals and to society as a whole.

During the past 15 years over 500 schools and community groups have participated in the program at various times. Each participating group is provided a package containing a direct-read rain gauge, a maximum/minimum thermometer, data sheets on which to record measurements, workbooks, and a single-use camera. The first workbook introduces the SPaRCE program, explains the protocols to site the rain gauge and thermometer, and how to make the daily measurements. Other workbooks include basic meteorological, climatological, and environmental information, as well as simple exercises and questions to aid teachers in classroom discussions. Additionally, a quarterly newsletter is sent to all participating groups that contains news about the program as well as current environmental information of general interest. There is no charge to participate in the SPaRCE program.

In addition to basic education, one of the original motivations for the SPaRCE program was to increase the measurement of rainfall across the Pacific at a relatively low cost by involving interested local groups. The tropical Pacific is one of the most important regions of the world in terms of global weather and climate studies. In a region made up of so many independent island nations, international cooperation is vital to monitoring of the environment. The SPaRCE measurement sites have made a significant contribution to the daily rainfall database for the Pacific. These data have played a key role in many major science studies. In most countries the data are also incorporated into the local Meteorological Service database, which allows better local and regional assessment of water resources.

The SPaRCE program has attempted to bridge the gap between climate researchers and local communities by presenting often confusing scientific information at a level understandable by the layperson. This has been done through the SPaRCE workbooks as well as printed posters and a web site open to any group with Internet access (http://www.evac.ou.edu/sparce). SPaRCE scientists have also been involved in a large number of informational workshops concerning weather, climate, and climate change. These workshops have been presented to a variety of audiences, including schools, governmental agencies, and local communities.

In a rapidly changing world, education is the key to ensuring that all citizens of our planet have a basic understanding of vital issues such as global climate change, and other environmental problems that affect us all.

If you would like further information about the SPaRCE program, please contact:
Dr. Susan Postawko (email address: [email protected]), or
Dr. Mark Morrissey (email address: [email protected])
School of Meteorology
University of Oklahoma
120 David L. Boren Blvd., Suite 5900
Norman, Oklahoma 73072
USA