The Pacific Islands Region
The Pacific Islands region spans a large geographic area including the North and South Pacific subtropical gyres and the archipelagic waters of Hawai'i, American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) and the U.S. Pacific remote island areas.
The Regional Action Plan
The PIRAP was developed to increase the production, delivery, and use of climate-related information required to fulfill the NOAA Fisheries mission in the region. The PIRAP identifies priority needs and specific actions to implement the NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy in the region over the next 3–5 years.
Climate Change
The Pacific Islands region supports a wide variety of ecologically and economically important species and habitats from coral reefs to pelagic fish stocks. Climate-related changes in the region include a rise in ocean temperatures, reduced nutrients in the euphotic zone, an increase in ocean acidity, a rise in sea level, and changes in ocean currents. Many of these changes have already been observed and are projected to increase further. These changes will directly and indirectly impact insular and pelagic ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them. Decision-makers need actionable information on how changing climate will impact this region’s marine resources, and what can be done to reduce impacts and increase resilience.
