Investigators at University of the South Pacific Report Findings in Climate Research (Historical and Future Drought Impacts In the Pacific Islands and Atolls)

2021 JUN 29 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Climate Change Daily News -- Researchers detail new data in Science - Climate Research. According to news reporting originating from Suva, Fiji, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Drought is known as a ‘creeping disaster’ because drought impacts are usually noticed months or years after a drought begins. In the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), there is almost no ability to tell when a drought will begin or end, especially for droughts other than meteorological droughts.”

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of the South Pacific, “Monitoring, forecasting and managing drought in the PICTs is complex due to the variety of different ways droughts occur, and the diverse direct and indirect causes and consequences of drought, across the PICT region. For example, the impacts of drought across the PICTs vary significantly depending on (i) the type of drought (e.g. meteorological drought or agricultural drought); (ii) the location (e.g. high islands versus atolls); (iii) socioeconomic conditions in the location affected by drought; and (iv) cultural attitudes towards the causes of drought (e.g. a punishment from God versus a natural process that is potentially predictable and something that can be managed).”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “This paper summarises what is known and unknown about drought impacts in the PICTs and provides recommendations to guide future research and investment towards minimising the negative impacts of droughts when they inevitably occur in the PICTs.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Historical and Future Drought Impacts In the Pacific Islands and Atolls. Climatic Change, 2021;166. Climatic Change can be contacted at: Springer, Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands. (Springer - www.springer.com; Climatic Change - https://www.springer.com/journal/10584)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Viliamu Iese, University of the South Pacific, Climate Change Food Secur Disaster Risk Managemen, Pacific Ctr Environm & Sustainable Dev PaCE Sd, Suva 3232828, Fiji. Additional authors for this research include Anthony S. Kiem, Azarel Mariner, Philip Malsale, Tile Tofaeono, Dewi G. C. Kirono, Vanessa Round, Craig Heady, Robson Tigona, Filipe Veisa, Kisolel Posanau, Faapisa Aiono, Alick Haruhiru, Arieta Daphne, Vaiola Vainikolo and Nikotemo Iona.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03112-1. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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