Abstract
We analyse the location, stability and continuity of the two tide-gauge stations in Fiji. Both stations are awkwardly placed on heavy harbour constructions resting on soft sediments susceptible to serious compaction problems. The nearby GPS stations resting on a bedrock hill offer no solution to the stability problems. The Suva tide-gauge has been moved three times, and must accordingly be analysed in segments. Even the last location covering years 1989 to 2917 provides a mixed picture of 16 years of stability, 10 years of rapid rise, and 4 years of rapid fall in relative sea level. This suggests the interaction of subsidence and cyclic changes in sea level. Any application of mean trends would produce meaningless values rather misguiding than assisting in the handling of estimation of on-going absolute sea level changes. We find this vital for the discussions of local sea level changes to be held at the UN conference on “Our Oceans, Our Future” in June in New York and at the main COP23 conference in November in Bonn.
Highlights
The nation of Fiji will play an important international role in 2017
We find this vital for the discussions of local sea level changes to be held at the UN conference on “Our Oceans, Our Future” in June in New York and at the main COP23 conference in November in Bonn
The only real data on present day relative sea level changes on the Fiji Islands comes from the two tide-gauge stations on the main island of Viti Levu
Summary
The nation of Fiji will play an important international role in 2017. The governments of Sweden and Fiji are co-hosts for the UN conference on “Our Oceans, Our Future” in New York, June 5-9 [1]. The government of Fiji is the main organizer of the UNFCCC COP23 conference in Bonn, November 6-17 [2]. At both conferences, the oceans and the changes in sea level are bound to play a central role. There are several papers addressing past sea level changes in the Fiji Islands; e.g. M. Klein shortcoming, a new international project termed “The Fiji New Sea Level Project” was started and had its first expedition in March 2017 [6]. The only real data on present day relative sea level changes on the Fiji Islands comes from the two tide-gauge stations on the main island of Viti Levu. It seems urgent to undertake a careful examination of the stability and continuity of these stations
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