Coral reefs

Student with a concentrated look bites on her tongue as she works on an object with a screwdriver

Treating climate anxiety with action

by Devynn Wulstein (she/her)Imagine flipping to the back synopsis of a random book in the bookstore and reading this: "The year is 2021. A pandemic has swept across the globe, leaving a tidal wave of scientific denial, and fueling greater ...
Close up of small round baby fish with large eyes

Feed me! How examining larval diets could be a game-changer for aquaculture

by Cassie Kaʻapu-LyonsNext time you visit your local pet store, take a look at the fishes. Many of the freshwater fishes available to you have been bred and raised in captivity, but most marine fishes have been harvested from the ...
Aerial view of reefs off a sandy beach with superimposed graphics illustrating locations of pens and their layout

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, ...
Underwater photo with coral clusters growing in ranks upon tables set up on the sandy bay floor, with a scuba diver inspecting them

Next generation husbandry for resilient coral reef restoration in Hawaiʻi

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Crawford Drury Research Track: Aquaculture Coral reefs are important ecosystems that support marine diversity, but they are threatened by multiple stressors, including climate change. Among these stressors, increasing temperatures are particularly dangerous and lead to ...
A closed giant clam shell, with royal blue insides just showing, sits on a coral reef

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 ...
Close-up image of a vibrant invertebrate (nudibranch) atop coral

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 ...
A colorful assortment of corals on display in an aquarium

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 ...
Article 'From loss to recovery to resilience' by Lurline McGregor. Includes images on turtles resting on a beach and a map of the North West Hawaiian Islands

From Loss to Recovery to Resilience

by Lurline Wailana McGregorIn 2018, Hurricane Walaka circumvented the Hawaiian Islands before circling back to pass directly over Kānemilohaʻi, also known as the French Frigate Shoals, an atoll 550 miles northwest of Honolulu. It washed away East Island, an 11-acre ...
Article 'The Ocean is Feeling the Heat' by Lonny Lippsett. Includes images of a feeding Blue Whale, Coastal flooding, melting ice sheets.

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 ...
Beth Lenz (masked) poses for a selfie on a path to the White House

Knauss 2020: A coral biologist in Washington

by Beth Lenz I never thought I would find myself in D.C. working for Congress - let alone in a year like 2020. After living on Oʻahu for five years studying coral reef resilience, I defended my Ph.D. in the ...