Climate Change in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Indicators and Considerations for Key Sectors is a report developed by the Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA). It is one in a series of reports aimed at assessing the state of knowledge about climate change indicators, impacts, and adaptive capacity of the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) and the Hawaiian archipelago. PIRCA is a collaborative effort engaging federal, state, and local government agencies, non-governmental organizations, academia, businesses, and community groups to inform and prioritize their activities in the face of a changing climate.

The initial phase of PIRCA activities was conducted during June-October 2019 and included meetings and workshops in American Sāmoa, the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam. Draft PIRCA reports were developed and refined through engagement with the PIRCA network. The material presented in this report is based largely on published research and insights from participants in PIRCA activities. The PIRCA Advisory Committee reviewed this report. Workshop participants and reviewers independent of the PIRCA workshops who made contributions are recognized as Technical Contributors.

The Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (Pacific RISA) program has primary oversight of the 2020 PIRCA. The Pacific RISA is funded by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and supported through the East-West Center. Key partners and supporters are NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the Department of the Interior’s Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center (PI-CASC), and the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).

This series represents the latest assessment in a sustained process of information exchange among scientists, businesses, governments, and communities in the Pacific Islands region that began with the 2012 PIRCA (which produced Climate Change and Pacific Islands: Indicators and Impacts, Island Press). We anticipate that in conjunction with other collaborative regional assessment efforts, the PIRCA reports will provide guidance for decision-makers seeking to better understand how climate variability and change impact the Pacific Islands region and its peoples.