PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – American Samoa faces significant challenges in weather monitoring due to its remote location and limited infrastructure. The lack of critical meteorological and hydrological monitoring assets further heightens the risk of unpreparedness for extreme weather events. In response, researchers have developed innovative solutions to enhance data collection and disaster preparedness in the region.
Filling the Void
For over a decade, Dr. Christopher Shuler, a University of Hawai’i groundwater and surface water hydrologist, has led efforts to strengthen American Samoa’s hydrometeorological capabilities. Partnering with local agencies such as the American Samoa Power Authority and the National Weather Service, his team has established a network of telemetered streamflow and weather stations that now integrate into the National Mesonet Program. These initiatives have been enhanced with CIROH research support to ensure that American Samoa’s data contributes to national and global forecasting models.
Innovative Solutions for a Unique Environment
The isolation of American Samoa presents unique challenges in ensuring accurate forecasting. The region also lacks traditional weather radar coverage, making it difficult to predict rainfall and flooding precisely. To overcome these obstacles, the research team leveraged artificial intelligence and machine learning to downscale satellite data and improve local forecasts.
“We’re trying to downscale global climate models so that they’re more useful at these small regional levels that do not have weather radars,” Shuler explains. “The island of Tutuila is very small, so we’re trying to take satellite data and downscale that to something more pertinent on this very small level using machine learning techniques that our group is working on in Hawai’i.”
Integrating American Samoa into the Hydrometeorological Community
Beyond enhancing local forecasting capabilities and water resource management, this project ensures that American Samoa is no longer an underserved outlier in global hydrometeorological research. As the southernmost U.S. territory, its data contributes to broader hydroclimate studies and weather models used across the Pacific. The data collected supports energy initiatives, such as solar farm placement, and broader water management strategies.
“The folks working on renewable energy solar farms used our solar radiation data to understand where the best placement for solar farms would be,” says Shuler . “We’re also supporting the mission of National Weather Service and strongly supporting the mission of the water utility, strengthening the water resources management. American Samoa is the farthest south part of the U.S., so with these stations, we’re able to really increase our ability to understand global weather phenomena and hydrology and just have a bigger presence in that part of the world.”
Through strategic partnerships, cutting-edge technology and a steadfast commitment to weather monitoring, Shuler ’s team is transforming American Samoa’s forecasting capabilities and furthering CIROH’s mission to enhance our understanding of hydrological interactions and translate research into operations. Their work underscores the importance of filling critical data gaps to support disaster preparedness, infrastructure planning and scientific advancement, ensuring a safer and more resilient future for the region.