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110-531: The main observational office is on Funafuti . TMS operates outstations on Nanumea , Nui and Niulakita . TMS operates or monitors: 4 synoptic stations ; 5 rainfall stations; 1 upper air research program; 1 tide gauge with Tsunami warning system; 1 Continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) station; 1 seismic station . The TMS publishes weather forecasts , warnings as to tropical cyclones , weather charts and weather satellite images on its website, with weather forecasts and storm warnings also broadcast by

220-568: A cooler West Pacific and a warmer East Pacific, leading to a shift of cloudiness and rainfall towards the East Pacific. This situation is called El Niño. The opposite occurs if trade winds are stronger than average, leading to a warmer West Pacific and a cooler East Pacific. This situation is called La Niña and is associated with increased cloudiness and rainfall over the West Pacific. The close relationship between ocean temperatures and

330-602: A decrease in the strength of the Pacific trade winds , and a reduction in rainfall over eastern and northern Australia. La Niña episodes are defined as sustained cooling of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, thus resulting in an increase in the strength of the Pacific trade winds , and the opposite effects in Australia when compared to El Niño. Although the Southern Oscillation Index has

440-489: A larger EP ENSO occurrence, or even displaying opposite conditions from the observed ones in the other Niño regions when accompanied by Modoki variations. ENSO Costero events usually present more localized effects, with warm phases leading to increased rainfall over the coast of Ecuador, northern Peru and the Amazon rainforest , and increased temperatures over the northern Chilean coast, and cold phases leading to droughts on

550-553: A long station record going back to the 1800s, its reliability is limited due to the latitudes of both Darwin and Tahiti being well south of the Equator, so that the surface air pressure at both locations is less directly related to ENSO. To overcome this effect, a new index was created, named the Equatorial Southern Oscillation Index (EQSOI). To generate this index, two new regions, centered on

660-411: A negative SSH anomaly (lowered sea level) via contraction. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation is a single climate phenomenon that quasi-periodically fluctuates between three phases: Neutral, La Niña or El Niño. La Niña and El Niño are opposite phases which require certain changes to take place in both the ocean and the atmosphere before an event is declared. The cool phase of ENSO is La Niña, with SST in

770-517: A quarter of the planet, and particularly in the form of temperature at the ocean surface, can have a significant effect on weather across the entire planet. Tropical instability waves visible on sea surface temperature maps, showing a tongue of colder water, are often present during neutral or La Niña conditions. La Niña is a complex weather pattern that occurs every few years, often persisting for longer than five months. El Niño and La Niña can be indicators of weather changes across

880-420: A report describing the traders and trading activities he observed on each of the islands he visited. Davis identified Jack O'Brien as a trader on Funafuti, and O’Brien was also reported to be living on the atoll in 1896. In 1894 Count Rudolph Festetics de Tolna, his wife Eila (née Haggin), and her daughter Blanche Haggin visited Funafuti aboard the yacht Le Tolna . The Count spent several days photographing

990-425: A secondary peak in sea surface temperature across the far eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean sometimes follows the initial peak. An especially strong Walker circulation causes La Niña, which is considered to be the cold oceanic and positive atmospheric phase of the broader El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) weather phenomenon, as well as the opposite of El Niño weather pattern, where sea surface temperature across

1100-521: A very narrow, shallow basin. The Funafuti Conservation Area is located 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) across the lagoon from the main island of Fongafale , and is accessed by boat. Tausoa Lima Falekaupule is the traditional meeting house on Funafuti. Tausoalima means "hand of friendship" and Falekaupule means "traditional island meeting hall." There is the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel , and other guesthouses as well as homes, constructed both in

1210-583: A wall of coral rubble along the ocean side of Fongafale and Funafala that was about 10 miles (16 km) long, and was about 10 feet (3.0 m) to 20 feet (6.1 m) thick at the bottom. The storm surge also destroyed or contaminated the area's sources of fresh drinking water. In June 1996, the Funafuti Conservation Area was established along the western rim of the reef, encompassing six islets. It has an area of 33 square kilometres (13 sq mi), containing 20 per cent of

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1320-461: Is a climate switch phenomenon that results in changes from periods of La Niña to periods of El Niño. This has an effect on sea levels. For example, in 2000 there was a switch from periods of downward pressure of El Niño on sea levels to an upward pressure of La Niña on sea levels, which upward pressure causes more frequent and higher high tide levels. The Perigean spring tide (often called a king tide ) can result in seawater flooding low-lying areas of

1430-603: Is an oscillation in surface air pressure between the tropical eastern and the western Pacific Ocean waters. The strength of the Southern Oscillation is measured by the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). The SOI is computed from fluctuations in the surface air pressure difference between Tahiti (in the Pacific) and Darwin, Australia (on the Indian Ocean). El Niño episodes have negative SOI, meaning there

1540-695: Is associated with higher than normal air sea level pressure over Indonesia, Australia and across the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic . La Niña has roughly the reverse pattern: high pressure over the central and eastern Pacific and lower pressure through much of the rest of the tropics and subtropics. The two phenomena last a year or so each and typically occur every two to seven years with varying intensity, with neutral periods of lower intensity interspersed. El Niño events can be more intense but La Niña events may repeat and last longer. A key mechanism of ENSO

1650-405: Is known as Ekman transport . Colder water from deeper in the ocean rises along the continental margin to replace the near-surface water. This process cools the East Pacific because the thermocline is closer to the ocean surface, leaving relatively little separation between the deeper cold water and the ocean surface. Additionally, the northward-flowing Humboldt Current carries colder water from

1760-503: Is located on Fongafale . Fiji Airways , the owner of Fiji Airlines (trading as Fiji Link ) operates air transport services three times per week (on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) between Suva and Funafuti. The flights originate in Nadi , and use ATR 72 -600 aircraft, which can carry up to 68 passengers. Fongafale has port facilities and two passenger/cargo ships, Nivaga III and Manu Folau , which make roundtrips between Fongafale and

1870-492: Is located on Fongafale. The installed PV capacity in Funafuti in 2020 was 735 kW compared to 1800 kW of diesel (16% penetration). Funafuti has a tropical rainforest climate ( Köppen climate classification Af ). Because it experiences frequent cyclones, it is not considered to have an equatorial climate. It sees an extraordinary amount of rainfall throughout the year, being the fourth-wettest national capital in

1980-520: Is longer, it is classified as an El Niño "episode". It is thought that there have been at least 30 El Niño events between 1900 and 2024, with the 1982–83 , 1997–98 and 2014–16 events among the strongest on record. Since 2000, El Niño events have been observed in 2002–03, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2014–16 , 2018–19, and 2023–24 . Major ENSO events were recorded in the years 1790–93, 1828, 1876–78, 1891, 1925–26, 1972–73, 1982–83, 1997–98, 2014–16, and 2023–24. During strong El Niño episodes,

2090-561: Is lower pressure over Tahiti and higher pressure in Darwin. La Niña episodes on the other hand have positive SOI, meaning there is higher pressure in Tahiti and lower in Darwin. Low atmospheric pressure tends to occur over warm water and high pressure occurs over cold water, in part because of deep convection over the warm water. El Niño episodes are defined as sustained warming of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, thus resulting in

2200-406: Is not predictable. It affects the climate of much of the tropics and subtropics , and has links ( teleconnections ) to higher-latitude regions of the world. The warming phase of the sea surface temperature is known as " El Niño " and the cooling phase as " La Niña ". The Southern Oscillation is the accompanying atmospheric oscillation , which is coupled with the sea temperature change. El Niño

2310-533: Is responsible for approvals of the construction of houses or extension to an existing buildings on private land and the Lands Management Committee is the responsible authority in relation to lands leased by Government. Funafuti is one of the eight constituencies in Tuvalu, and elects two members of parliament . The 2024 general election in Tuvalu resulted in the re-election of Simon Kofe ,

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2420-565: Is shared with Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers (RSMCs) in Nadi , Wellington , Brisbane , Melbourne and Honolulu . The weather modelling carried out by the RSMCs enables more accurate forecasts to be prepared for Tuvalu and for the tropical western Pacific. The meteorological observations of the TMS are shared with other regional agencies that attempt to predict how many tropical cyclones and severe tropical cyclones will develop within

2530-522: Is the Bjerknes feedback (named after Jacob Bjerknes in 1969) in which the atmospheric changes alter the sea temperatures that in turn alter the atmospheric winds in a positive feedback. Weaker easterly trade winds result in a surge of warm surface waters to the east and reduced ocean upwelling on the equator . In turn, this leads to warmer sea surface temperatures (called El Niño), a weaker Walker circulation (an east-west overturning circulation in

2640-406: Is typically around 0.5 m (1.5 ft) higher than near Peru because of the buildup of water in the West Pacific. The thermocline , or the transitional zone between the warmer waters near the ocean surface and the cooler waters of the deep ocean , is pushed downwards in the West Pacific due to this water accumulation. The total weight of a column of ocean water is almost the same in

2750-462: The USFC Albatross to investigate the formation of coral reefs on Pacific atolls . During that visit, Harry Clifford Fassett , the captain's clerk and a photographer, took pictures of people, communities, and scenery in Funafuti. George Westbrook, a trader based in Funafuti, recorded a tropical cyclone that struck Funafuti on 23–24 December 1883. At the time the cyclone struck, he was

2860-477: The 1972–73 South Pacific cyclone season . Bebe was a pre-season tropical cyclone that hit the Gilbert , Ellice , and Fiji island groups. The cyclone system was first spotted on 20 October. It intensified and grew in size through 22 October. At about 4 p.m. on Saturday the 21st, sea water bubbled through the coral on the airfield and rose to a height of about 5 feet (1.5 m). Cyclone Bebe continued to ravage

2970-595: The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The upper air observation programme in Funafuti makes radiosonde observations to collect upper air weather for weather forecasting and research. The radiosonde observations use a small, expendable instrument package is suspended below a 2 metres (6.6 ft) wide balloon filled with hydrogen or helium . As

3080-528: The International Date Line and 120°W ), including the area off the west coast of South America , as upwelling of cold water occurs less or not at all offshore. This warming causes a shift in the atmospheric circulation, leading to higher air pressure in the western Pacific and lower in the eastern Pacific, with rainfall reducing over Indonesia, India and northern Australia, while rainfall and tropical cyclone formation increases over

3190-526: The International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the atoll in its list of 100 'geological heritage sites' worldwide. There are at least 29 islets in the Funafuti atoll. The largest is Fongafale, followed by Funafala. At least three of these islets are inhabited: Fongafale (the main island) in the east, Funafala in the south, and Amatuku in the north. The district of Funafuti comprises nine villages on six islets, with four of

3300-675: The Pacific Climate Change Science Program published by the Australian Government, describes a strong zonal (east‑to-west) sea-level slope along the equator, with sea level west of the International Date Line (180° longitude) being about a half metre higher than found in the eastern equatorial Pacific and South American coastal regions. The trade winds that push surface water westward create this zonal tilting of sea level on

3410-605: The Samoan Islands . The name Funafati is derived from the word "Funa", which means "chief" in Samoan. Furthermore, the name of one of the islets, Funafala , means "the pandanus of Funa." Arent Schuyler de Peyster , captain of the armed brigantine privateer vessel Rebecca , was one of the first recorded non-Polynesian visitors to Funafuti. His vessel sailed under British colors, and in May 1819, de Peyster passed through

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3520-559: The South Pacific Convergence Zone (SPCZ), semi-permanent subtropical high-pressure belts , and zonal westerlies to the south, with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as the dominant mode of year to year variability (…). The Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) also is a major mode of variability of the tropical atmosphere-ocean system of the Pacific on times scales of 30 to 70 days (…), while

3630-599: The Southern Ocean to the tropics in the East Pacific . The combination of the Humboldt Current and upwelling maintains an area of cooler ocean waters off the coast of Peru. The West Pacific lacks a cold ocean current and has less upwelling as the trade winds are usually weaker than in the East Pacific, allowing the West Pacific to reach warmer temperatures. These warmer waters provide energy for

3740-664: The Tuvalu Media Corporation , which operates Radio Tuvalu. The meteorological office on Funafuti was established in 1951 under the auspices of the South Pacific Air Transport Council (SPATC). An upper air observation programme was established in 1960. After the dissolution of SPATC in 1979, the Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited supported the upper air programme until the TMS assumed responsibility for

3850-595: The Tuvalu Telecommunications Corporation , National Bank of Tuvalu , Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau , Tuvalu Meteorological Service , Tuvalu National Library and Archives and the Tuvalu Media Department that operates Radio Tuvalu . The police service has its headquarters and the jail on Fongafale. The High Court of Tuvalu is also located on Fongafale. The Princess Margaret Hospital , the only hospital in Tuvalu,

3960-478: The upward movement of air . As a result, the warm West Pacific has on average more cloudiness and rainfall than the cool East Pacific. ENSO describes a quasi-periodic change of both oceanic and atmospheric conditions over the tropical Pacific Ocean. These changes affect weather patterns across much of the Earth. The tropical Pacific is said to be in one of three states of ENSO (also called "phases") depending on

4070-478: The 1850s, John (Jack) O'Brien became the first European to settle in Tuvalu. He became a trader on Funafuti and married Salai, the daughter of Funafuti's paramount chief; with his family name continuing on Funafuti. Alfred Restieaux , a native of England, lived and worked as a trader on Funafuti from July 1881 until about 1888 or 1889. In 1882, members of the US Fish Commission visited Funafuti on

4180-569: The Bjerknes feedback naturally triggers negative feedbacks that end and reverse the abnormal state of the tropical Pacific. This perspective implies that the processes that lead to El Niño and La Niña also eventually bring about their end, making ENSO a self-sustaining process. Other theories view the state of ENSO as being changed by irregular and external phenomena such as the Madden–Julian oscillation , tropical instability waves , and westerly wind bursts . The three phases of ENSO relate to

4290-482: The Coastal Niño Index (ICEN), strong El Niño Costero events include 1957, 1982–83, 1997–98 and 2015–16, and La Niña Costera ones include 1950, 1954–56, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967–68, 1970–71, 1975–76 and 2013. Currently, each country has a different threshold for what constitutes an El Niño event, which is tailored to their specific interests, for example: In climate change science, ENSO is known as one of

4400-621: The EP and CP types, and some scientists argue that ENSO exists as a continuum, often with hybrid types. The effects of the CP ENSO are different from those of the EP ENSO. The El Niño Modoki is associated with more hurricanes more frequently making landfall in the Atlantic. La Niña Modoki leads to a rainfall increase over northwestern Australia and northern Murray–Darling basin , rather than over

4510-497: The El Niño state. This process is known as Bjerknes feedback . Although these associated changes in the ocean and atmosphere often occur together, the state of the atmosphere may resemble a different ENSO phase than the state of the ocean or vice versa. Because their states are closely linked, the variations of ENSO may arise from changes in both the ocean and atmosphere and not necessarily from an initial change of exclusively one or

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4620-496: The El Niños of 2006-07 and 2014-16 were also Central Pacific El Niños. Recent years when La Niña Modoki events occurred include 1973–1974, 1975–1976, 1983–1984, 1988–1989, 1998–1999, 2000–2001, 2008–2009, 2010–2011, and 2016–2017. The recent discovery of ENSO Modoki has some scientists believing it to be linked to global warming. However, comprehensive satellite data go back only to 1979. More research must be done to find

4730-555: The Equator, were defined. The western region is located over Indonesia and the eastern one over the equatorial Pacific, close to the South American coast. However, data on EQSOI goes back only to 1949. Sea surface height (SSH) changes up or down by several centimeters in Pacific equatorial region with the ESNO: El Niño causes a positive SSH anomaly (raised sea level) because of thermal expansion while La Niña causes

4840-530: The Funafuti lagoon is about 20 fathoms (120 ft; 37 m). With a surface area of 275 square kilometres (106.2 sq mi), it is by far the largest lagoon in Tuvalu. The land area of the 33 islets around the atoll of Funafuti totals 2.4 square kilometres (0.9 sq mi); taken together, they constitute less than one percent of the total area of the atoll. Much of Funafuti is less than one meter above sea level, making it highly susceptible to flooding. Projections indicate that by 2050, around half of

4950-531: The Pacific Ocean and are dependent on agriculture and fishing. In climate change science, ENSO is known as one of the internal climate variability phenomena. Future trends in ENSO due to climate change are uncertain, although climate change exacerbates the effects of droughts and floods. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report summarized the scientific knowledge in 2021 for the future of ENSO as follows: "In

5060-765: The Seventh Day Adventist Primary School and Nauti Primary School, which, combined, have a register of more than 900 pupils. This makes it the largest primary school in Tuvalu (with 45 per cent of the total primary school enrollment). The Church of Tuvalu operates Fetuvalu Secondary School . The University of the South Pacific (USP) Extension Centre on Funafuti operates the Augmented Foundation Programme for sixth form students who pass their Pacific Secondary School Certificate (PSSC) so that students have

5170-508: The South-West Pacific Ocean. The TMS also hosts other scientific and research programmes, which involves the TMS monitoring: TMS participates in research projects including: TMS participates in the activities of: Funafuti Funafuti is an atoll , comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu . As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than

5280-602: The Southern Pacific between 135°E and 120°W as well as how many will affect a particular island nation. The Fiji Meteorological Service, while collaborating with NIWA and partners, also publishes its own seasonal forecast for the South Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W. The data collected by the regional meteorological agencies is provided to the World Meteorological Organisation , which publishes current tropical cyclone information for

5390-487: The Southern Pacific. New Zealand's National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and collaborating agencies including the Meteorological Service of New Zealand and Pacific Island National Meteorological Services (including the TMS) issue the "Island Climate Update Tropical Cyclone Outlook" for the Pacific. This forecast attempts to predict how many tropical cyclones and severe tropical cyclones will develop within

5500-457: The Walker circulation, which was named after Gilbert Walker who discovered the Southern Oscillation during the early twentieth century. The Walker circulation is an east-west overturning circulation in the vicinity of the equator in the Pacific. Upward air is associated with high sea temperatures, convection and rainfall, while the downward branch occurs over cooler sea surface temperatures in

5610-457: The West Pacific northeast of Australia averages around 28–30 °C (82–86 °F). SSTs in the East Pacific off the western coast of South America are closer to 20 °C (68 °F). Strong trade winds near the equator push water away from the East Pacific and towards the West Pacific. This water is slowly warmed by the Sun as it moves west along the equator. The ocean surface near Indonesia

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5720-465: The West Pacific to a depth of about 30 m (90 ft) in the East Pacific. Cooler deep ocean water takes the place of the outgoing surface waters in the East Pacific, rising to the ocean surface in a process called upwelling . Along the western coast of South America, water near the ocean surface is pushed westward due to the combination of the trade winds and the Coriolis effect . This process

5830-427: The area through Sunday 22 October. The Ellice Islands Colony's ship Moanaraoi , which was in the lagoon, survived. However, three tuna boats were wrecked. As waves broke over the atoll, five people died: two adults and a 3-month-old child were swept away by waves, and two sailors who had been in the wrecked tuna boats were drowned. Cyclone Bebe also knocked down 90% of the area's houses and trees. The storm surge created

5940-429: The asymmetric nature of the warm and cold phases of ENSO, some studies could not identify similar variations for La Niña, both in observations and in the climate models, but some sources could identify variations on La Niña with cooler waters on central Pacific and average or warmer water temperatures on both eastern and western Pacific, also showing eastern Pacific Ocean currents going to the opposite direction compared to

6050-438: The atmosphere) and even weaker trade winds. Ultimately the warm waters in the western tropical Pacific are depleted enough so that conditions return to normal. The exact mechanisms that cause the oscillation are unclear and are being studied. Each country that monitors the ENSO has a different threshold for what constitutes an El Niño or La Niña event, which is tailored to their specific interests. El Niño and La Niña affect

6160-436: The atmospheric and oceanic conditions. When the tropical Pacific roughly reflects the average conditions, the state of ENSO is said to be in the neutral phase. However, the tropical Pacific experiences occasional shifts away from these average conditions. If trade winds are weaker than average, the effect of upwelling in the East Pacific and the flow of warmer ocean surface waters towards the West Pacific lessen. This results in

6270-536: The coast of Peru and Chile. In 1892, each of the Ellice Islands was declared a British protectorate by Captain Herbert Gibson of HMS  Curacoa . In 1909, the first resident magistrate was appointed to Funafuti; in 1915, Funafuti, along with the rest of the Ellice Islands, were incorporated into the Gilbert and Ellice Islands as a crown colony. In October 1942, during World War II, Funafuti

6380-536: The coral structure. Professor Sollas led the 1896 expedition and later published a report on the atoll study. Professor Edgeworth David of the University of Sydney participated in the 1896 expedition and led the 1897 effort. Photographers on the expeditions recorded people, communities and scenes at Funafuti. The geological significance of Funafuti in testing Darwin's theory was recognized in October 2022 when

6490-591: The correlation and study past El Niño episodes. More generally, there is no scientific consensus on how/if climate change might affect ENSO. There is also a scientific debate on the very existence of this "new" ENSO. A number of studies dispute the reality of this statistical distinction or its increasing occurrence, or both, either arguing the reliable record is too short to detect such a distinction, finding no distinction or trend using other statistical approaches, or that other types should be distinguished, such as standard and extreme ENSO. Likewise, following

6600-559: The currents in traditional La Niñas. Coined by the Peruvian Comité Multisectorial Encargado del Estudio Nacional del Fenómeno El Niño (ENFEN), ENSO Costero, or ENSO Oriental, is the name given to the phenomenon where the sea-surface temperature anomalies are mostly focused on the South American coastline, especially from Peru and Ecuador. Studies point many factors that can lead to its occurrence, sometimes accompanying, or being accompanied, by

6710-469: The east. During El Niño, as the sea surface temperatures change so does the Walker Circulation. Warming in the eastern tropical Pacific weakens or reverses the downward branch, while cooler conditions in the west lead to less rain and downward air, so the Walker Circulation first weakens and may reverse.   The Southern Oscillation is the atmospheric component of ENSO. This component

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6820-614: The eastern Pacific below average, and air pressure high in the eastern Pacific and low in the western Pacific. The ENSO cycle, including both El Niño and La Niña, causes global changes in temperature and rainfall. If the temperature variation from climatology is within 0.5 °C (0.9 °F), ENSO conditions are described as neutral. Neutral conditions are the transition between warm and cold phases of ENSO. Sea surface temperatures (by definition), tropical precipitation, and wind patterns are near average conditions during this phase. Close to half of all years are within neutral periods. During

6930-479: The eastern Pacific. However, in the 1990s and 2000s, variations of ENSO conditions were observed, in which the usual place of the temperature anomaly (Niño 1 and 2) is not affected, but an anomaly also arises in the central Pacific (Niño 3.4). The phenomenon is called Central Pacific (CP) ENSO, "dateline" ENSO (because the anomaly arises near the dateline ), or ENSO "Modoki" (Modoki is Japanese for "similar, but different"). There are variations of ENSO additional to

7040-404: The eastern equatorial part of the central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3–5 °C (5.4–9 °F). The phenomenon occurs as strong winds blow warm water at the ocean's surface away from South America, across the Pacific Ocean towards Indonesia. As this warm water moves west, cold water from the deep sea rises to the surface near South America. The movement of so much heat across

7150-567: The eastern portion of the country as in a conventional EP La Niña. Also, La Niña Modoki increases the frequency of cyclonic storms over Bay of Bengal , but decreases the occurrence of severe storms in the Indian Ocean overall. The first recorded El Niño that originated in the central Pacific and moved toward the east was in 1986. Recent Central Pacific El Niños happened in 1986–87, 1991–92, 1994–95, 2002–03, 2004–05 and 2009–10. Furthermore, there were "Modoki" events in 1957–59, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1968–70, 1977–78 and 1979–80. Some sources say that

7260-409: The election of Tuafafa Latasi , and the defeat of incumbent Kausea Natano . Four tertiary institutions on Funafuti offer technical and vocational courses: Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute (TMTI), Tuvalu Atoll Science Technology Training Institute (TASTII), Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) and University of the South Pacific (USP) Extension Centre. There are two junior schools,

7370-524: The equator. Below the equator a higher sea level can also be found about 20° to 40° south (Tuvalu is spread out from 6° to 10° south). The Pacific Climate Change Science Program Report (2011) describes the year-by-year volatility in the sea-level as resulting from the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO): ENSO has a major influence on sea levels across the Pacific and this can influence the occurrence of extreme sea levels. During La Niña events, strengthened trade winds cause higher than normal sea levels in

7480-737: The following years: Transitional phases at the onset or departure of El Niño or La Niña can also be important factors on global weather by affecting teleconnections . Significant episodes, known as Trans-Niño, are measured by the Trans-Niño index (TNI). Examples of affected short-time climate in North America include precipitation in the Northwest US and intense tornado activity in the contiguous US. The first ENSO pattern to be recognised, called Eastern Pacific (EP) ENSO, to distinguish if from others, involves temperature anomalies in

7590-534: The global climate and disrupt normal weather patterns, which as a result can lead to intense storms in some places and droughts in others. El Niño events cause short-term (approximately 1 year in length) spikes in global average surface temperature while La Niña events cause short term surface cooling. Therefore, the relative frequency of El Niño compared to La Niña events can affect global temperature trends on timescales of around ten years. The countries most affected by ENSO are developing countries that are bordering

7700-409: The globe. Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes can have different characteristics due to lower or higher wind shear and cooler or warmer sea surface temperatures. La Niña events have been observed for hundreds of years, and occurred on a regular basis during the early parts of both the 17th and 19th centuries. Since the start of the 20th century, La Niña events have occurred during

7810-471: The internal climate variability phenomena. The other two main ones are Pacific decadal oscillation and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation . La Niña impacts the global climate and disrupts normal weather patterns, which can lead to intense storms in some places and droughts in others. El Niño events cause short-term (approximately 1 year in length) spikes in global average surface temperature while La Niña events cause short term cooling. Therefore,

7920-563: The islands of Tuvalu. The purpose of the meteorological programmes operated by the TMS is to gather data in the tropical western Pacific so as to work to achieve “accurate production of weather forecasts, seasonal and interannual climate forecasting (ENSO predictions), and understanding changes in climate and sea level for Tuvalu and its neighbouring Pacific Islands. Tuvalu lies across a known development region for tropical cyclones and ENSO activity. It provides crucial data to global weather, climate modelling and forecasting centres. It also provides

8030-499: The key data used for tropical cyclone and ENSO forecasting.” The TMS operates 2 meteorological programmes (surface observation programme and upper air programme) and hosts other climatological research projects. The TMS carries out ground level observations of various weather elements. This data is shared with collaborating partners in the World Meteorological Organization - World Weather Watch (WWW),

8140-453: The land area of Funafuti could be submerged during high tides as a result of rising sea levels, and by 2100, as much as 95% of the land may be flooded regularly. The capital of Tuvalu is sometimes said to be Fongafale or Vaiaku , but, officially, the entire atoll of Funafuti is its capital, since it has a single government that is responsible for the whole atoll. The oral history of Funafuti maintains that its founding ancestor came from

8250-427: The last several decades, the number of El Niño events increased, and the number of La Niña events decreased, although observation of ENSO for much longer is needed to detect robust changes. Studies of historical data show the recent El Niño variation is most likely linked to global warming. For example, some results, even after subtracting the positive influence of decadal variation, are shown to be possibly present in

8360-497: The leading mode with decadal time-scale is the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) (…). A number of studies suggest the influence of global warming could be a major factor in accentuating the current climate regimes and the changes from normal that come with ENSO events (…). The sea level in Tuvalu varies as a consequence of a wide range of atmospheric and oceanographic influences. The 2011 report of

8470-559: The lone inhabitant of Fongafale , Funafuti's largest islet, because Tema, a Samoan missionary, had taken everyone else to Funafala to work on erecting a church. The cyclone destroyed the buildings in Fongafale, including the church and the trading stores belonging to George Westbrook and Alfred Restieaux . Despite this, rebuilding work instantly began at Fongafale. In 1892, Captain Edward Davis of HMS  Royalist provided

8580-528: The long term, it is very likely that the precipitation variance related to El Niño–Southern Oscillation will increase". The scientific consensus is also that "it is very likely that rainfall variability related to changes in the strength and spatial extent of ENSO teleconnections will lead to significant changes at regional scale". The El Niño–Southern Oscillation is a single climate phenomenon that periodically fluctuates between three phases: Neutral, La Niña or El Niño. La Niña and El Niño are opposite phases in

8690-616: The men and woman of Funafuti. The population of Funafuti during the years 1860 to 1900 is estimated to have been between 280 and 300 people. The Funafuti Post Office opened around 1911. During the Pacific War (World War II) the Ellice Islands were used as a base to prepare for the subsequent seaborn attacks on the Gilbert Islands ( Kiribati ) that were occupied by Japanese forces . The United States Marine Corps 5th Defense Battalion landed on Funafuti on 2 October 1942;

8800-413: The nation of Tuvalu. It is about 52 metres (28 fathoms) deep in some places, but only 6 metres (3 1 ⁄ 4 fathoms) deep in other places (because it has several submerged rocks and reefs along its bottom, some of which are that close the surface). The deepest basin is in the northern part of the lagoon (the maximum recorded depth is 54.7 metres [30 fathoms]), while the southern part of the lagoon has

8910-644: The neutral ENSO phase, other climate anomalies/patterns such as the sign of the North Atlantic Oscillation or the Pacific–North American teleconnection pattern exert more influence. El Niño conditions are established when the Walker circulation weakens or reverses and the Hadley circulation strengthens, leading to the development of a band of warm ocean water in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between

9020-419: The newly founded nation of Tuvalu in 1978. As the capital of Tuvalu, Funafuti is by far the most urbanized atoll in the country, and is the hub of governmental, administrative, and economic activities. The atoll consists of a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres (66 and 1,312 feet) wide, encircling a large lagoon ( Te Namo ) 18 km (11 miles) long and 14 km (9 miles) wide. The average depth of

9130-400: The observed phenomenon of more frequent and stronger El Niño events occurs only in the initial phase of the global warming, and then (e.g., after the lower layers of the ocean get warmer, as well), El Niño will become weaker. It may also be that the stabilizing and destabilizing forces influencing the phenomenon will eventually compensate for each other. The consequences of ENSO in terms of

9240-591: The operation was kept secret until the Japanese discovered it for themselves on 27 March 1943. On Funafuti the islanders were shifted to the smaller islets, to allow the American forces to build an airfield (now Funafuti International Airport ), along with a 76-bed hospital and the Naval Base Funafuti port facilities on Fongafale islet. In 1972, Funafuti lay in the path of Cyclone Bebe during

9350-610: The operations of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). The climate of the Pacific region at the equator is influenced by a number of factors; the science of which is the subject of continuing research. The SPREP described the climate of Tuvalu as being: [I]nfluenced by a number of factors such as trade wind regimes, the paired Hadley cells and Walker circulation , seasonally varying convergence zones such as

9460-468: The opportunity to enroll in tertiary education programmes outside of Tuvalu. The Tuvalu Maritime Training Institute (TMTI) is located on the islet of Amatuku . El Ni%C3%B1o El Niño–Southern Oscillation ( ENSO ) is a global climate phenomenon that emerges from variations in winds and sea surface temperatures over the tropical Pacific Ocean . Those variations have an irregular pattern but do have some semblance of cycles. The occurrence of ENSO

9570-652: The oscillation which are deemed to occur when specific ocean and atmospheric conditions are reached or exceeded. An early recorded mention of the term "El Niño" ("The Boy" in Spanish) to refer to climate occurred in 1892, when Captain Camilo Carrillo told the geographical society congress in Lima that Peruvian sailors named the warm south-flowing current "El Niño" because it was most noticeable around Christmas. Although pre-Columbian societies were certainly aware of

9680-415: The other. Conceptual models explaining how ENSO operates generally accept the Bjerknes feedback hypothesis. However, ENSO would perpetually remain in one phase if Bjerknes feedback were the only process occurring. Several theories have been proposed to explain how ENSO can change from one state to the next, despite the positive feedback. These explanations broadly fall under two categories. In one view,

9790-714: The outer islands about once every three or four weeks, and also travel between Suva , Fiji, and Funafuti about three or four times a year. In 2015 the Japanese government donated the Nivaga III , to Tuvalu, to replace the Nivaga II , which had served Tuvalu since 1989. The Funafuti Falekaupule is the local council, with the Kaupule as the executive of the Falekaupule. On Fongafale, the Funafuti Kaupule

9900-557: The outer islands to compete in the games. Football in Tuvalu is played at club and national team level. The Tuvalu national football team trains at the Tuvalu Sports Ground on Funafuti and competes in the Pacific Games and South Pacific Games. The Parliament of Tuvalu or Palamene o Tuvalu is located on Fongafale, together with the offices of the government departments and the government agencies, including

10010-417: The peruvian coast, and increased rainfall and decreased temperatures on its mountainous and jungle regions. Because they don't influence the global climate as much as the other types, these events present lesser and weaker correlations to other significant ENSO features, neither always being triggered by Kelvin waves , nor always being accompanied by proportional Southern Oscillation responses. According to

10120-489: The phenomenon, the indigenous names for it have been lost to history. The capitalized term El Niño refers to the Christ Child , Jesus , because periodic warming in the Pacific near South America is usually noticed around Christmas . Originally, the term El Niño applied to an annual weak warm ocean current that ran southwards along the coast of Peru and Ecuador at about Christmas time. However, over time

10230-956: The programme, with continuing support by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT)/ NZAID . The TMS works with the New Zealand MetService , the Fiji Meteorological Service , the Australian Bureau of Meteorology , Geoscience Australia , the United States Geological Survey and the National Weather Service . Ms Hilai Vavae retired as Director of the Tuvalu Met Service in 2014. Tuvalu participates in

10340-405: The radiosonde rises at about 300 meters/minute (1,000 ft/min), sensors on the radiosonde measure profiles of pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. These sensors are linked to a battery-powered radio transmitter that sends the sensor measurements to a ground receiver. By tracking the position of the radiosonde in flight, information on wind speed and direction are also obtained. The data

10450-566: The reef area of Funafuti. The land area of the six islets in the conservation area is 8 ha (20 acres). Below is a list of the islets in the conservation area, in order from north to south, with their estimated areas in hectares: The Darwin's Drill project, conducted by the Royal Society of London in 1896, 1897, and 1898, involved drilling boreholes on Funafuti to test Charles Darwin 's theory of coral atoll formation . The expeditions sought evidence of shallow-water organisms deep within

10560-406: The relative frequency of El Niño compared to La Niña events can affect global temperature trends on decadal timescales. There is no sign that there are actual changes in the ENSO physical phenomenon due to climate change. Climate models do not simulate ENSO well enough to make reliable predictions. Future trends in ENSO are uncertain as different models make different predictions. It may be that

10670-449: The rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 60% of the nation's population. The main islet, Fongafale, hosts Vaiaku , the administrative center of the nation. Funafuti was first sighted by Europeans in 1819 by Arent Schuyler de Peyster , an American sea captain, who named it Ellice's Island. Between 1850 and 1875, Funafati, with its navigable lagoon, was targeted by blackbirders who kidnapped natives to work at mines off

10780-550: The southern waters of Tuvalu and sighted Funafuti. He named it Ellice Island, after Edward Ellice , an English politician and member of parliament for Coventry. In 1841, the United States Exploring Expedition , led by Charles Wilkes , visited Funafuti. The United States claimed Funafuti, along with based on the 1856 Guano Islands Act , and maintained this claim until 1983, when a treaty of friendship , concluded in 1979, went into effect. In

10890-431: The strength of the trade winds was first identified by Jacob Bjerknes in 1969. Bjerknes also hypothesized that ENSO was a positive feedback system where the associated changes in one component of the climate system (the ocean or atmosphere) tend to reinforce changes in the other. For example, during El Niño, the reduced contrast in ocean temperatures across the Pacific results in weaker trade winds, further reinforcing

11000-521: The temperature anomalies and precipitation and weather extremes around the world are clearly increasing and associated with climate change . For example, recent scholarship (since about 2019) has found that climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme El Niño events. Previously there was no consensus on whether climate change will have any influence on the strength or duration of El Niño events, as research alternately supported El Niño events becoming stronger and weaker, longer and shorter. Over

11110-618: The term has evolved and now refers to the warm and negative phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The original phrase, El Niño de Navidad , arose centuries ago, when Peruvian fishermen named the weather phenomenon after the newborn Christ. La Niña ("The Girl" in Spanish) is the colder counterpart of El Niño, as part of the broader ENSO climate pattern . In the past, it was also called an anti-El Niño and El Viejo, meaning "the old man." A negative phase exists when atmospheric pressure over Indonesia and

11220-574: The traditional manner, out of palm fronds, and more recently out of cement blocks. The most prominent building on Funafuti atoll is the Fētu'ao Lima (Morning Star Church) of the Church of Tuvalu . Other sites of interest are the remains of Japanese aircraft that crashed on Funafuti during World War II. The airfield was constructed during World War II by American troops for the Pacific Theater . After

11330-452: The tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface trade winds , which normally blow from east to west along the equator, either weaken or start blowing from the other direction. El Niño phases are known to happen at irregular intervals of two to seven years, and lasts nine months to two years. The average period length is five years. When this warming occurs for seven to nine months, it is classified as El Niño "conditions"; when its duration

11440-459: The villages located on Fongafale . Many islands only contain one village. Their populations as of the 2012 census are listed below: The Funafuti atoll's lagoon ( Te Namo in Tuvaluan ) is 24.5 km (15 1 ⁄ 4 miles) long, north to south, and 17.5 km (10 3 ⁄ 4 miles) wide, east to west, and has an area of 275 km (106 sq. mi.), making it by far the largest lagoon in

11550-617: The war, it was adapted to serve as the Funafuti International Airport , which serves both as the airstrip for the flights from Fiji as well as providing a place for sporting and other recreational activities. A major sporting event is the "Independence Day Sports Festival", held annually at Fongafale on 1 October. The most important sports event within the country is arguably the Tuvalu Games , which are held yearly since 2008, with teams coming to Funafuti from

11660-466: The west Pacific is abnormally high and pressure over the east Pacific is abnormally low, during El Niño episodes, and a positive phase is when the opposite occurs during La Niña episodes, and pressure over Indonesia is low and over the west Pacific is high. On average, the temperature of the ocean surface in the tropical East Pacific is roughly 8–10 °C (14–18 °F) cooler than in the tropical West Pacific . The sea surface temperature (SST) of

11770-441: The western and east Pacific. Because the warmer waters of the upper ocean are slightly less dense than the cooler deep ocean, the thicker layer of warmer water in the western Pacific means the thermocline there must be deeper. The difference in weight must be enough to drive any deep water return flow. Consequently, the thermocline is tilted across the tropical Pacific, rising from an average depth of about 140 m (450 ft) in

11880-437: The western tropical Pacific, and lower than normal levels in the east. Conversely, during El Niño events, weakened trade winds are unable to maintain the normal gradient of sea level across the tropical Pacific, leading to a drop in sea level in the west and a rise in the east. Pacific islands within about 10° of the equator are most strongly affected by ENSO‑related sea-level variations." The Pacific (inter-)decadal oscillation

11990-541: The world behind Monrovia , Freetown and Conakry . Unlike those West African capitals, Funafuti has no dry season : the town has no month in which less than 200 millimetres (7.9 in) rain falls, and an average of about 3,500 millimetres (140 in) of precipitation annually. As is common in many areas with a tropical rainforest climate, the temperature varies little during the year; average daily temperatures hover around 28 °C (82 °F) year-round. Funafuti International Airport ( IATA : FUN , ICAO : NGFU )

12100-479: Was occupied by American forces to serve as a strategic staging ground for the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign . Over the course of the war, the Americans dredged Funafuti's lagoon harbor and established the atoll's airfield, now known as Funafuti International Airport . In October 1972, Cyclone Bebe struck Funafuti, causing extensive damage; despite this Funafuti was chosen as the administrative capital of

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