MASTERS CLIMATE CHANGE STUDENT COMPLETES STINT

Alick Haruhiru is a Masters student in Climate Change. Photo: Courtesy of USP

A Solomon Islands Masters in Climate Change student at The University of the South Pacific’s Pacific Center for Environment and Sustainable Development, PACE-SD, has recently completed a nine months research stint at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, in Boulder, Colorado, United States of America.

Alick Haruhiru is working on his thesis in investigating statistical downscaling techniques for the South Pacific cyclone basin.

A USP statement reported Mr Haruhiru as saying statistical downscaling is basically an approach that helps to improve global climate model output at regional scale.

He said Global climate models do not give an accurate account of climate therefore statistical downscaling becomes a useful method to practically reduce uncertainties in the global climate models.

Mr Haruhiru said he has been analyzing several existing cyclone indices to see if they have the skills in capturing the observed cyclone activities, at different time-scales in the Southwest Pacific for the past three decades.

He said tropical cyclone has been badly impacting societal key resources including, livelihoods of communities living on low lying Islands, the tourism industry, agriculture, transportation, infrastructure and socio-economic aspects of the Pacific Society.

Mr Harihiru adds, he has taken the challenge upon himself because little has been done in researching this phenomenon in this region.