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The Government of Belize, through the Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation (MBECA), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Representative for Belize and Belize's National Designated Authority to the Green Climate Fund (GCF), today handed-over the National Meteorological Service of Belize (NMS) with weather equipment to monitor sea level and upgrade some functionalities of the 'SURFACE' Climate Database Management System (CDMS).

The donation includes two radar water level sensors, one measurement and control datalogger, and one weather-resistant enclosure. The equipment is valued at US$10,301.33 for a total investment of US$40,201.33.

Through its climate services, the NMS provides critical support for managing risks and reducing disasters in climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, health, the blue economy, etc. The NMS continues to monitor climate trends in rainfall, temperature, heatwaves, and other extremes and share new records of long-term climate change indicators. One way in which this is done is through its Climate Database System 'SURFACE' CDMS. Its capabilities go beyond the capture and storage of weather and climate data. It encompasses practical interaction between weather, climate, and water in various sectors within Belize, and is something the NMS has been planning for over the past few years. This database plays an integral role in the NMS' overall goal of providing meteorological and climate-based products and services to protect life and property and contribute to the enhancement of the social, economic, and physical well-being of the people of Belize.

On September 2, 2022, FAO signed a contract with Elligence Solucoes Em Technologia Ltda. for the upgrading of the 'SURFACE' CDMS of the NMS for better coastal management; a deliverable under the project "Enhancing adaptation planning and increasing climate resilience in the coastal zone and fisheries sector of Belize," valued at US$29,900. The upgrades to the NMS' CDMS include ocean wave management features and metadata management features to facilitate ocean wave parameters. A two-day training will be provided to improve the capacity of the Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute, NMS, and the Fisheries Department on ocean wave dynamics based on raw data collected.

The database upgrade is a hallmark of the climate change initiative in Belize. The primary goal of the project is to enable the NMS to enhance its data collection and management capabilities to measure and process basic ocean wave information that could support coastal monitoring and modelling activities such as monitoring sea level rise, which has yet to be monitored extensively in Belize.