Regular maintenance of tide gauge stations continues with in-country technical teams

Technical staff from the Meteorology and Land Departments in Samoa and the Marshall Islands (RMI) have stepped in to ensure the regular 6 month infrastructure maintenance of the tide gauges continues, in light of COVID19 travel restrictions.

During Phase 2 of the COSPPac project, technical transitioning has taken place with representatives in the 13 countries where a tide gauge is in place. Local technicians have been trained by the SPC and Bureau of Meteorology Australia (BOM) team to perform a “site inspection visit” every 6 months.

This month, RMI and Samoa have just conducted their check-list with great success.

Twenty-one check-lists have been completed since the implementation of this project component in 2019. Thanks to the high engagement of our local in-country counterparts, tide gauge sites are maintained and any potential damage or deterioration are monitored and reported to SPC and BOM. The maintenance, performance checks and upgrades of the stations are performed every 18 months by SPC and BOM.

These sites provide high quality sea level, climate and geodetic information that assists with better planning and preparedness.