New data from the Fiji Meteorological Service reveals that 2024 was another year of above-normal ocean temperatures and rising sea levels across Fiji’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), reinforcing long-standing concerns about the country’s vulnerability to climate change.
The Fiji Meteorological Service’s Annual Climate Summary report shows that sea surface temperatures (SSTs) across Fiji were generally warmer than normal throughout 2024, influenced in part by the presence of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific Ocean.
SST anomalies ranged from +0.5°C to +1.5°C, with the western waters of Viti Levu experiencing the highest positive anomalies.
The annual mean sea surface temperatures in Fiji’s EEZ ranged between 26°C and 29°C.
A small region northeast of Fiji’s EEZ recorded its highest mean annual SST since monitoring began in 1982.
The long-term trend indicates a steady warming of Fiji’s waters, with SST increases of 0.1°C to 0.2°C per decade in areas around Vanua Levu and northern Viti Levu and 0.0°C to 0.1°C per decade across the wider EEZ since 1950.
Fiji is also experiencing sea level rise at a rate exceeding the global average, as shown by satellite data and tide gauge measurements.
Satellite altimeter data (1992–2024) indicate sea levels near Fiji are rising by 4–5mm per year, compared to the global average of 3.2mm per year.
The Lautoka Wharf tide gauge station, part of the Pacific Sea Level and Geodetic Monitoring Project (PSLGMP), recorded a statistically significant rise of 4.1mm per year between 1993 and 2024.
