Clouds of Change : climate research in the Pacific - "Engine room of the world's climate system"

Abstract

Most climate scientist agree that the world climate is changing and that the atmosphere is warming up. But little is known about how fast our climate is changing or how much. The Department of Energy of the United States is trying to find out. Atmoshperic Radiation Measurement (ARM) research programme, which is collecting long term weather climate and atmosphere observations in the United States mainland in Arctic Alaska and in the Tropical Western Pacific. This film is about the ARM programme in the Pacific Ocean. Currently there are 2 research stations: in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. Both stations have been set up in a collaborative effort between ARM, the Government of Papua New Guinea and Nauru and SPREP, the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme. The Central Pacific Ocean is sometimes called `the engine room of world climate". Slight changes in the surface temperature of the ocean here can have an immense effect on climate conditions worldwide. It is therefore extremely important for climate researchers to understand the changes in our region. Local observers have been trained and are now running the sophisticated scientific equipment in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. This film gives an insight into the ARM Programme itself, the stations in the Pacific and why climate research in the Pacific is particularly important.