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TOPICS: MANAGEMENT

A comprehensive approach to value Waikīkī Beach

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Nori Tarui Co-INVESTIGATORS: Takahiro Tsuge Graduate Fellow: Marcus Peng How much would we lose with further Waikīkī Beach erosion? Though the value is likely substantial, no study has a holistic estimate of various types of values ...

Amouli Village Meeting

In this episode we’re talking about village life in American Samoa. We talk with the mayor of Amouli Village about Samoan village traditions, and we attend a village meeting where climate change and fishing pressures are changing how locals manage ...

Building on the Shore

In this episode, we’re learning about coastal erosion and how it affects homes built near the shore. We explore the coastline with Hawai’i Sea Grant Extension Agent, Ruby Pap, and County of Kauai planner, Kaʻaina Hull, to see what happens when buildings are ...

Climate Change Impacts in Hawaii

The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program  prepared this climate change impacts report to provide Hawai‘i communities with a foundational understanding of the effects of global climate change on Hawai‘i’s resources and ecosystems. The report presents a summary of ...

Coastal Erosion on Maui

In this episode, we're looking at eroding beaches of West Maui, where large condos are being threatened by loss of sand and sea-level rise with Hawai’i Sea Grant Coastal Hazards Expert Tara Owens and Maui County planner, Jim Buika. Watch ...

Collaborative investigation of hydraulic and geochemical connectivity between wastewater and land-use and the oceanic waters of Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Glenn Co-INVESTIGATORS: Henrietta Dulai, Aly El-Kadi, Craig Nelson, Celia Smith, Robert Whittier Graduate Fellow: Michael Mathioudakis The risk that sewage effluent released to the environment poses to human health and the environment is well documented, ...

Collaborative investigation of hydraulic and geochemical connectivity between wastewaters and other land-uses and the ocean waters of Waialua Bay, Oʻahu

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Glenn Co-INVESTIGATORS: Aly El-Kadi, Henrietta Dulai, Celia Smith, Robert Whittier Graduate Fellows: Jordan Mason, Lucas Ellison The risk that sewage effluent released to the environment poses to human health and the environment is well documented, and ...

Collaborative study of groundwater transport paths and discharge loads of wastewaters and other land-uses that impact the Ewa coastal zones of West Oʻahu

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Glenn Co-INVESTIGATORS: Aly El-Kadi, Celia Smith, Marek Kirs, Niels Grobbe, Robert Whittier Graduate Fellows: John Cameron, Matthew Duff The risk that sewage effluent released to the environment poses to human health and the environment is well ...

Contaminated Conservation Area

In this episode, we're looking at the effect of sewage injection wells on the health of Maui's coral reefs. We're at Kahekili Beach Park with researchers, managers, and community activists to learn what members of the community can do to ...

Defining Ecosystem-based Management Boundaries Using Genetics and Fisheries Data

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: ROBERT TOONEN Graduate Student: Johanna Wren The exchange of individuals among populations, termed connectivity, is a central element of population persistence and maintenance of genetic diversity, and influences most ecological and evolutionary phenomena. To date, field studies of ...

Differentiating treated and untreated wastewater contamination in a tropical coastal community using microbial community genomics

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Nelson Co-INVESTIGATORS: Tracy Wiegner Graduate Fellow: Nicolas Vanderzyl Sewage contamination of coastal waters is a global phenomenon and is an important public health concern. In tropical areas where coral reefs thrive in relatively pristine waters, even trace ...

Economic activity, technological progress, and water resource utilization on Oʻahu

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Peter Fuleky Co-INVESTIGATOR: Kimberly Burnett Graduate Fellow: Sisi Zhang Water management authorities on Oʻahu are increasingly looking for improved methods to plan for future water demand. Our proposed project will provide an innovative way to ...

Effects of watershed restoration to traditional Hawaiian land use practices on health of nearshore coral reef ecosystems

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Rob Toonen Co-INVESTIGATOR: Chris Jury Graduate Fellow: Paolo Marra-Biggs Native Hawaiians used the ahupuaʻa system to successfully manage their natural resources for centuries prior to Western contact. Following Western contact, this land management system was largely abandoned, ...

Enhancing social-ecological resilience and ecosystem services through restoration of coastal agroforestry systems

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Leah Bremer Co-INVESTIGATORS: Tamara Ticktin, Clay Trauernicht, Kawika Winter Graduate Scholar: Gina McGuire Agroforestry systems have the capacity to support resilient coastal communities through providing food, conserving native biodiversity, and supporting multiple ecosystem services, and represent ...

Environmental DNA: Ground-truthing a new tool for coral reef monitoring

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Peter Marko Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Patrick Nichols Given the rapid pace of climate change, successful conservation relies on frequent, fast, and reliable monitoring of at-risk organisms and habitats. Most coral reef monitoring relies on time-consuming ...

Fish Flow: Filling the gap between spawning and settlement

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brian Bowen Co-INVESTIGATOR: Stephan Karl Graduate Fellow: Derek Kraft The proposed research will track fish from egg production to the reefs where they settle and enter local fisheries on Oʻahu and adjacent islands. To promote sustainable use of ...

Guidance for Using the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area in Local Planning and Permitting Decisions

This document is a supplement to the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report (“Report”; Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, 2017) and the Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Viewer (“Viewer”) (both available at climate.hawaii.gov). The primary purpose of ...

Hehihehi management for microbial-mediated sediment removal in fishponds

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Kiana Frank Sedimentation has been identified as one of the top five challenges for restoration faced by fishpond stewards. It is not clear what the most effective (and cheap) mechanisms are for removing such large ...

Identifying hot spots of sewage pollution in Hilo, Hawaiʻi

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Tracy Wiegner Co-INVESTIGATORS: Steven Colbert, Craig Nelson Graduate Fellows: Shayla Waiki, Joseph Nakoa With the majority of the world’s population living within coastal areas, sewage pollution is a growing global problem. In rural areas, like much of ...

Integrating climate science with local knowledge through community vulnerability assessment on Kauaʻi

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Daniele Spirandelli Graduate Fellow: Alisha Summers Like many low-lying coastal regions of the world, the County of Kauaʻi in Hawaiʻi is vulnerable to the impacts of present and future hazards associated with climate change. While ...

Integrating social and cultural considerations into planning and community-based monitoring to reach marine conservation goals

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Mehana Vaughan Co-INVESTIGATOR: Meghan Tait PI-CASC Graduate Scholar: Kapono Gaughen Communities and marine ecosystems around the world are facing increasing impacts from climate change, including rising sea levels, intensifying storms, and degradation of coral reefs ...

Integration of next-generation sequencing into traditional Hawaiian practices to improve management and restoration of fishponds

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen Graduate Fellow: Kaleonani Hurley Hawaiian fishponds, or loko iʻa, are ancient aquaculture systems that are models of sustainable aquatic resource management based on long-term experience from traditional Native Hawaiian practices. There is much ...

Investigating the origin and impact of sedimentation on the health of Hawaiian mesophotic reefs for sustainable coastal development

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen Graduate Fellow: Evan Barba Hawaiian coral reefs have been valued at over $33.5 billion per year to the US public, and are a major driver of tourism revenue in the State. Yet, coral ...

Ka Pili Kai Ho‘oilo 2018

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Welcome to our inaugural issue of the new Ka Pili Kai! Embracing knowledge from generations past and present: For our dedicated readers who have been receiving and reading our quarterly ...

Ka Pili Kai Spring 2016

Humpback Whale Vocal Communications Between Mothers and Calves Wastewater’s Influence on Coastal Groundwater Quality and the Health of Coral Reefs in Maunalua Bay, O‘ahu Attack of the Drones: Characterizing Groundwater Discharge on Maui Using the Latest Research Tools Simulating Sea-Level ...

Ka Pili Kai Summer 2016

Hawai‘i ’s Water Resources Submarine Groundwater Discharge Water Resources Research Center Highlight: Dr. Aly El-Kadi UH Water Resources Research Center and Sea Grant Partner on $20 M Water Sustainability Project Increasing Access to Safe Drinking Water on Hawai‘i Island The ...

Ka Pili Kai Winter 2016

50 Years of Putting Science to Work for Coastal Communities O‘ahu Maui Hawai‘i Island Kaua‘i Pacific Region 50 Years of Putting Science to Work for Coastal Communities In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed The National Sea Grant College and Program ...

Knowledge of the Past

We meet with elders from the island of Moorea, in French Polynesia. We learn about the Te Pu 'Atiti'a Center and how it is helping to perpetuate local knowledge and traditions. The elders tell us about changes to the ocean ...

Mapping the Freshwater of Hawaiʻi

In this episode, we learn how scientists use chemical signatures to track the flow of freshwater underground and into the ocean as part of the ‘Ike Wai project’s work to map and model the aquifer system of underground, stored freshwater ...

Microbial biogeochemical cycling across a chronosequence of mangrove introductions across Hawaiʻi

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Rosanna Alegado Graduate Scholar: Becca Lensing The red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) was introduced to Molokaʻi in 1902 and has spread quickly across the main Hawaiian islands. Mangroves are critical to the health of environment where they ...

Mitigating climate change impacts: What drives thermal resiliency in Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs?

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Ruth Gates Graduate Fellow: Shayle Matsuda Reef-building corals engineer the reef structure that provides habitat for an incredible amount of biodiversity. These diverse ecosystems generate economic services valued at billions of dollars annually and have profound cultural ...

Podcast #1: Fish Flow

Meet Dr. Brian Bowen and Michael Hoban and learn about their project tracking important aquaculture fish species from egg production to the reefs where they settle and grow. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #1: Waterworks

Dr. Peter Fuleky and Sisi Zhang are conducting an innovative study to identify the relationship between economic conditions in different sectors (tourism, health, agriculture, etc.) and the state’s limited water resources. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #13: Waialua Wastewater

Jordan Mason and Lucas Ellison work with Dr. Craig Glenn using drones to explore possible pollution of Waialua Bay from local on-site sewage disposal systems leaking into groundwater that flows to the bay. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #2: Resilient Communities

Dr. Daniele Spirandelli and Alisha Summers work with Kauaʻi communities to develop assessments of their vulnerability to developing coastal hazards associated with climate change. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #4: Wave Runup

Dr. Martin Guiles and Camilla Tognacchini explore the risks to west Maui of inundation and increased erosion from ordinary ocean waves as base-line sea levels rise. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #5: The two-to-three-day rule

Meet Dr. Craig Nelson and Krissy Remple and hear about their attempts to develop a new rapid, cost-effective tool to determine water quality where groundwater contamination might occur. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #6: Filter feeders

Meet Dr. Brian Popp and Leilei Shih as they describe their project to evaluate the role of a recent invasive sponge population in Kāneʻohe Bay--for bad or good. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #7: Hawaiian water

Meet Dr. Michael Roberts and Nathan DeMaagd and discover the intricacies of the economics of shifting water demands in the face of climate change. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #8: Microbial Mechanisms

Dr. Kiana Frank combines modern microbial biology with traditional fishpond management techniques to explore sediment removal from Hawaiian fishponds. Read more about her project here ...

Podcast #9: Mesophotic Mapping

Dr. Rob Toonen and Evan Barba explore sediment distribution across the sensitive ecosystems of the mesophotic zone and its connection to land use management decisions. Read more about their project here ...

Predicting and mapping Hawaiian mesophotic coral ecosystems for sustainable coastal development

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen Graduate Fellow: Lindsay Veazey Although there is little question about the economic, ecological, cultural, and conservation value of coral reef habitats, growing population, tourism, and coastal development are rapidly degrading them. Our fundamental ...

Predicting Hawaiʻi water demand under climate change

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Michael Roberts Graduate Fellow: Nathan DeMaagd How will climate change affect supply and demand for water? The answer to this question is complex, uncertain and depends critically on location and context. On the supply side, ...

Q & A with Matthew Gonser

by Cindy Knapman and Kanesa SeraphinMatthew Gonser, former extension faculty with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, was recently appointed as the chief resilience officer and executive director of the City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate ...

RMI Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards

Introduction When a natural hazard occurs - whether it be a tropical cyclone, tsunami, extratropical storm, king tide, flood, sea-level rise, erosion, or drought - the results can be devastating for your land, your home, your family, and your possessions ...

Source tracking coastal groundwater and runoff contamination with microbial genomics and dissolved organic fluorometry

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Nelson Graduate Fellow: Kristina Remple Contamination of Hawaiian coastal waters by human activities is widespread and threatens coastal ecosystems and water quality. The high density of cesspools in Hawai‘i is potentially a significant source of ...

Super corals in Kāneʻohe Bay provide hope for survival of coral reefs around the globe

May 16, 2019 (Honolulu, HI) – A journal article published this week by researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology concluded that naturally occurring super corals in Kāne‘ohe Bay, O‘ahu are ...

Testing Freshwater

We’re working with Hawai'i Sea Grant researchers and graduate students to examine the water quality of freshwater as it heads to the ocean. Freshwater travels in streams and underground, picking up pollution from our cesspools and agricultural run-off. We take ...

The role of sponges in nitrogen cycling in Kāneʻohe Bay, Oʻahu

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brian Popp Graduate Fellow: Joy Shih Coastal ecosystems are regions of remarkable biological productivity and diversity, yet they are among our most disturbed natural environments. Although many human activities cause change in the coastal zone, ...

The use of a euryhaline Tilapia to assess the endocrine disrupting effects of anthropogenic chemicals on growth and osmoregulation of a tropical teleost species inhabiting coastal waters and wetlands in Hawaiʻi and the tropics

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Andre Seale Many agricultural and industrial chemicals have demonstrated the capacity to disrupt the physiology of wildlife by impacting the endocrine system. These man-made substances, termed endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), cause immediate physiological effects or ...

Tracking groundwater nutrients using novel tracers to inform coastal watershed management in South Kohala, Hawaiʻi

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Henrietta Dulai Co-INVESTIGATORS: Kim Falinksi Graduate Fellow: Casey McKenzie We propose to provide land use managers in the South Kohala Coastal Partnership information that identifies the path of the groundwater that emerges at the coast, and estimates ...

Vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to increased salinity from climate change

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Kasey Barton Co-INVESTIGATORS: Dustin Wolkis, Seana Walsh, Tamara Sherrill Graduate Scholar: Anna McCormick Coastal habitats are critical for the welfare of island people, providing food, ensuring clean water, stabilizing beaches, and promoting cultural well-being. Due to ...

West Maui wave run-up forecasts

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Douglas Luther Co-INVESTIGATOR: Mark Merrifield Graduate Fellow: Camilla Tognacchini The long-term rising trend in sea level (typically, an inch or so every 10 years around Hawaiʻi) alone will not be obvious to the casual observer at ...

Working towards sustainability of Hawaiʻi’s nearshore fisheries through characterizing and modeling fisheries regulation effects

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Elizabeth Madin Co-INVESTIGATORS: Kirsten Oleson, Lisa McManus, Zack Rago Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Annie Innes-Gold Research Track: Interdisciplinary Nearshore fisheries provide extremely important services for coastal communities. However, nearly 25 percent of these fisheries, globally, ...
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