Management

flying drone with sunset clouds in the background

Wai, from mauka to makai

by Michael Mathioudakis It is a peaceful Saturday morning on windward O‘ahu as my co-pilot Daniel and I wait for the sun to peak over the horizon. We are FAA-licensed pilots gearing up to fly our octocopter, an aircraft equipped ...
View of Atitia, Moorea, French Polynesia

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 ...
Graphic saying "The Plans"

Hawaiʻi Coastal Resilience at PRiMO 2020

by Katia ChikasuyeAttending a new conference is always an exciting opportunity to learn and connect! As a new E. Gordon Grau Coastal and Marine Resource Management Fellow, this was my first time at the annual Pacific Risk Management ‘Ohana (PRiMO) ...
Small plants are growing in numerous pots in a laboratory setting

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 ...
A water hazard sign sits near a beach

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 ...
Green water within a rocky pool

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 ...
Map view image showing 2/3 of pond-ringing mangrove removed between 2007 and 2017 and project sampling sites

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 ...
Against the backdrop of the Pali mountainscape, a long line of volunteers prepare to plant

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 ...
A view back towards land across the fishpond showing a cluster of trees on the shoreline next to a denuded area of very few mangrove trees

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, ...
On a rocky shoreline, one student crouches next to a bucket while another stands ready to write on a clipboard

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 ...