Research

Aerial image of Waikiki Beach

Sea Grant awards $8.1 million to strengthen community resilience nationwide

Sea Grant awards $8.1 million to strengthen community resilience nationwide   February 2, 2023 (Honolulu, HI) – To build on Sea Grant’s nationwide initiatives to improve coastal community resilience, NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program recently announced two complementary initiatives ...
Webpage consisting of seven headshots of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Interdisciplinary Research Team

Envisioning Sea Level Rise Adaptation Strategies in Waikīkī

Waikīkī is the economic hub of Hawai‘i’s tourism industry and is threatened by flooding from sea level rise, king tides, high wave events, rainfall and storm drain backflow, groundwater inundation, and overflow of the Ala Wai canal. This research merges ...
Screenshot-Hawai‘i Cesspool Prioritization Tool

Hawai‘i Cesspool Hazard Assessment & Prioritization Tool

Hawai‘i Cesspool Prioritization Tool  The Hawai‘i Cesspool Prioritization Tool (HCPT) is a map-based tool that displays the prioritization level for each of Hawai‘i's 83,000+ cesspools. Per Act 125 Session Laws of Hawai‘i (2017), all cesspool owners are required to upgrade, ...
Rootlets abound in a brown chunk of mud held for the camera

Sneaking up on mud

by Becca Lensing In between mud sample collections, Uncle Clay Ching, of Hallelujah Hou fishing on Molokaʻi, gave us a crash course on throw net fishing on one of the largest fringing reef flats in the world. He taught us ...
Bacteroides: The clingy bacteria that mammals just can’t shake

Bacteroides: The clingy bacteria that mammals just can’t shake

by Nicolas VanderzylEvery parent knows the feeling: sneaking away to the restroom, yearning for a few minutes to yourself, only to be interrupted in seconds by light knocks and fifty questions. But alas, even if you aren’t a parent, you ...
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 ...
In the zone: How salinity research can aid native Hawaiian plants

In the zone: How salinity research can aid native Hawaiian plants

by Anna H McCormickThe islands of Hawaiʻi are approximately 2,000 miles from the nearest continental landmass, making them some of the most isolated islands in the world. There are approximately 1,400 plant taxa that are considered native, with 90 percent ...
A crowded beach scene with beach goers, umbrellas, and even a boat, with sparkling blue-green water in the background

Must like long walks on the beach

Must like long walks on the beach by Marcus PengA day of surveying starts with arriving in Waikīkī early in the morning. As I sit down at the Starbucks Reserve store with a coffee, I start to plan out the ...
Looking down on coastal pool whose waters glow bright green

Tracing the Pollution Problem

by Shayla WaikiWho would have ever thought that the little girl who grew up playing in the waters around Hawaiʻi Island would soon be doing research along those very shorelines that were so influential to her? I was raised in ...