Coastal ecosystems
Identifying the physiological responses to extreme environmental changes in Hawaiian sea cucumbers found in traditional fishponds
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Andre Seale Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Tyler Goodearly Research Track: Aquaculture In Hawaiʻi, there is rising market demand for locally-produced seafood. For the past several years, revitalization and restoration of traditional Hawaiian fishponds, or loko i‘a, ...
Genetic assessment of giant clam stocks in American Samoa
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen PI-CASC Graduate Scholar: Paolo Marra-Biggs Some scientists consider giant clams (Genus Tridacna) as keystone species, as they benefit species of all ecological levels, and they have among the highest rates of photosynthesis of any ...
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 global warming, successful conservation relies on frequent, fast, and reliable monitoring of threatened organisms and habitats. Most coral reef monitoring relies on time-consuming ...
Enhancing social-ecological resilience and ecosystem services through restoration of coastal agroforestry systems
Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Leah Bremer Co-INVESTIGATORS: Tamara Ticktin, Clay Trauernicht, Natalie Kurashima PI-CASC Graduate Scholar: Tressa Hoppe Research Track: Interdisciplinary Agroforestry systems, along with loʻi kalo and other systems, were abundant in historical Hawaiʻi, and there is great ...
A model situation
by Brytne Okuhata Imagine this: you take a deep breath and jump into the ocean. The water surrounds you and flows through your hair. You come back up to the surface and soak in the beauty around you. But invisible ...
Designing mesocosms
By Zack RagoWe generally think of ecology as the study of interactions between organisms and their environment. This can be easier said than done. Ecosystems are unimaginably complicated at every scale, from the microscopic world to patterns so large they ...
My lifelong question
by Crispin NakoaI grew up in and around the ocean. When I was little, almost every weekend was spent fishing on my dad’s boat out of Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor on Hawaiʻi Island. We often caught ono and mahimahi and ...
The Ocean is Feeling the Heat
by Lonny LippsettA fever is rising in the ocean. Our rampant burning of fossil fuels has produced a heat-trapping blanket of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere that has warmed the Earth. But the situation would be much worse without ...
Changing ocean chemistry, bubbling under the surface
by Amy MarkelAt this stage, most people are aware that the continued use of fossil fuels releases too much carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. But much of that excess CO2 is then absorbed by the oceans, something that has ...
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 ...
