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 Research Projects 2024-2026

Effects of climate-driven increases in sediment delivery on coral reef ecosystem productivity and accretion: Developing predictive models for management priorities across Maui

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Andrea Kealoha
Co-INVESTIGATOR: Craig Nelson
PI-CASC Graduate Scholar: Sean Swift
Research Track: Island Resilience and Sustainability

Steep vegetated cliffs plunge to coastal ocean waters, some of which are noticably brown compared to bluer waters further out from the land.
Damage to watershed vegetation can cause excessive sediment delivery to coastal waters, impacting coral reefs. (Photo: Kirsten Oleson)

Climate change is increasing sediment delivery to Hawaiian coral reefs. However, differences in the source, composition, and ecological impacts of sediments require research to help inform different management strategies. Researchers plan to investigate the impacts of sediment delivery on coral reef ecosystem metabolism to advance the understanding of coral reef resilience to the effects of multiple climate stressors and ecosystem tipping points. The research team will measure how reef metabolism (production and accretion) responds to sediment delivery, from climate-driven increases in terrestrial sediment loading and coastal erosion, and explore the water quality parameters that predict those metabolic responses.

High-resolution sampling from six sites around Maui during clear periods and during sedimentation events will help characterize the full cycle of reef metabolism and predictor covariates (e.g., dissolved nutrients, particulate nutrients, total suspended solids, etc.). The research team also plans to deploy in situ real time sensors to measure turbidity, oxygen, temperature, and salinity. The goal is to characterize two indicators of reef metabolism before and during disturbance events that will be used to determine ecosystem tipping points, including defining threshold ranges for sediment characteristics that should be targeted for coastal and watershed management in the improvement of coral reef health.