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TOPICS: DEVELOPMENT

A comprehensive approach to value Waikīkī Beach

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Nori Tarui Co-INVESTIGATORS: Takahiro Tsuge Graduate Fellow: Marcus Peng How much would we lose with further Waikīkī Beach erosion? Though the value is likely substantial, no study has a holistic estimate of various types of values ...

About the Center

"Smart Building" is the process of designing and constructing a structure while considering how it will interact with its inhabitants and its environment. Is it a nice place to work? Is it an efficient place to work? Does it take ...

Assessing the vulnerability of coastal wastewater infrastructure to climate change

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Daniele Spirandelli Graduate Fellow: Theresa Dean Clean water is vital for stable economic growth, as well as human and environmental health. Water, wastewater services, and other critical infrastructures enable communities to prosper while protecting sensitive ...

Building on the Shore

In this episode, we’re learning about coastal erosion and how it affects homes built near the shore. We explore the coastline with Hawai’i Sea Grant Extension Agent, Ruby Pap, and County of Kauai planner, Kaʻaina Hull, to see what happens when buildings are ...

Collaborative study of groundwater transport paths and discharge loads of wastewaters and other land-uses that impact the Ewa coastal zones of West Oʻahu

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Glenn Co-INVESTIGATORS: Aly El-Kadi, Celia Smith, Marek Kirs, Niels Grobbe, Robert Whittier Graduate Fellows: John Cameron, Matthew Duff The risk that sewage effluent released to the environment poses to human health and the environment is well ...

Do seawalls lower property values?

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: John Lynham Co-INVESTIGATOR: Arlan Brucal Seawalls protect homes but also cause beach loss. Is the benefit worth the cost? One way to estimate the cost is to see how much property values and associated property ...

Dr. Darren T. Lerner elected president of Sea Grant Association for two-year term

Dr. Darren T. Lerner elected president of Sea Grant Association for two-year term The appointment will help focus nationwide attention on ocean and coastal issues throughout the Pacific region   (Honolulu, HI) – Dr. Darren T. Lerner, director of the ...

Economic activity, technological progress, and water resource utilization on Oʻahu

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Peter Fuleky Co-INVESTIGATOR: Kimberly Burnett Graduate Fellow: Sisi Zhang Water management authorities on Oʻahu are increasingly looking for improved methods to plan for future water demand. Our proposed project will provide an innovative way to ...

Economic Impact Analysis of the Potential Erosion of Waikīkī Beach

This report provides an update to a 2008 report on the value of Waikīkī Beach using 2016 economic and visitor arrival data. Hospitality Advisor’s 2008 report concludes that just under $2 billion (2007 U.S. dollars) in overall visitor expenditures could ...

Economic Impact Analysis Waikiki Beach: A 2016 Update

This report provides an update to a 2008 report on the value of Waikīkī Beach using 2016 economic and visitor arrival data. Hospitality Advisor’s 20081 report concludes that just under $2 billion (2007 U.S. dollars) in overall visitor expenditures could ...

Economic Valuation of changes in Waikīkī Beach characteristics

Executive Summary Waikīkī Beach accounted for some $7.8 billion in visitor expenditures in 2019, representing 38% of total visitor expenditures statewide. Though the economic value of Waikīkī Beach is considered to be substantial, few studies have estimated the value in ...

Envisioning in situ sea-level rise adaptation strategies for a densely developed coastal community, Waikīkī

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Wendy Meguro Co-INVESTIGATOR: Charles Fletcher Graduate Fellows: Josephine Briones, Ireland Castillo This proposal addresses the problem of adaptation of a coastal urban area to flooding as sea level rises in Waikīkī, with globally replicable methods. Waikīkī, ...

Green Infrastructure Glossary

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Home A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z A An aquifer is a formation, group of formations, or part ...

Green Infrastructure Practices for Hawaii

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Home PRACTICE SUMMARY Permeable surfaces reduce runoff volumes and pollutant loads by allowing stormwater to infiltrate into the ground and through pavement, rather than flowing across it. These surfaces are particularly cost effective in flood-prone ...

Green Infrastructure Recommended Practices for Streamside Homes

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Home The Streamside Guide: Recommendations for Hawaiʻi Owners of land along waterways have the important responsibility to maintain areas of river and stream frontage on their properties. This guidance was created to encourage the application ...

Green Infrastructure-Runoff + Reuse in the Hawaiian Context

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Home As the development of Hawaiʻi's urban and residential areas has increased, the land's natural capacity to absorb rainwater and and filter pollutants has been diminished. The draining and filling of floodplains, including lowland wetlands ...

Green Infrastructure-Stormwater + Flooding in the Coastal Zone

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Home Water has sculpted the Hawaiian islands into the beautiful and dramatic archipelago we see today. For millenia, water has fallen from the sky and followed the force of gravity from mountains to sea. This ...

Green Infrastructure-Streamside Recommendations

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Home ...

Green Infrastructure-Tools + Resources

Green Infrastructure for Stormwater Management Home The Environmental Protection Agency site on Green Infrastructure. This site contains information to help you build and learn about national partnerships.The National Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Network is a collection of outreach ...

Guidance for Addressing Sea Level Rise in Community Planning in Hawaiʻi

Through a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Regional Coastal Resilience Grant, the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program together with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Office of Planning, and Tetra Tech, Inc., developed statewide ...

Guidance for Disaster Recovery Preparedness in Hawaii

Through a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Regional Coastal Resilience Grant, the Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program together with the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), Office of Planning, and Tetra Tech, Inc., developed statewide ...

Hawai’i Sea Grant’s Voice of the Sea television series wins six Telly Awards

  March 30, 2022 (Honolulu, HI) – Out of 12,000 entries from all 50 U.S. states and 5 continents, the Voice of the Sea television series, produced by the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program (Hawai‘i Sea Grant), took ...

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, ...

Hawai‘i Sea Grant honors life and legacy of Peter J. Rappa through summer graduate fellowship

Hawai‘i Sea Grant honors life and legacy of Peter J. Rappa through summer graduate fellowship August 6, 2021 Today we will be honoring the life and legacy of Peter J. Rappa, a long-time University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program ...

Hawai‘i Sea Level Rise Viewer

Across the Hawaiian Islands vulnerability to coastal hazards is increasing with climate change and sea level rise and as development along our shorelines continues to expand. Access to high-resolution local hazard exposure and vulnerability data and maps is critical for ...

Hawaii Coastal Hazard Mitigation Guidebook

As a coastal homeowner, have you ever wondered where to get technical, yet easy to understand information about minimizing erosion concerns on your property? Or as a contractor have you thought about how vulnerable your building is to a hurricane? ...

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 ...

Improving Water Quality in the Ala Wai Watershed — Updated

Improving Water Quality in the Ala Wai Watershed This webpage is a resource for community members, planners, and policy makers to learn about water quality issues the Ala Wai Watershed. The University of Hawai'i Sea Grant College Program is kicking ...

Innovative place-based graduate education at UH Mānoa receives funding boost

(Honolulu, HI) – University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa faculty who developed an innovative graduate course focused on place-based research were awarded funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of their efforts. The NSF Innovations in Graduate Education ...

Integrating Coastal Hazards and Sea Level Rise Resilience in Community Planning

Over the past decade, Hawai‘i has progressed in recognizing and addressing coastal hazards and the need for adaptation to sea level rise. However, more work still needs to be done to translate broad-scale guidelines and scientific information into action at ...

Investigating the origin and impact of sedimentation on the health of Hawaiian mesophotic reefs for sustainable coastal development

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen Graduate Fellow: Evan Barba Hawaiian coral reefs have been valued at over $33.5 billion per year to the US public, and are a major driver of tourism revenue in the State. Yet, coral ...

Ka Pili Kai Fall 2016

Center of Excellence: Coastal and Climate Science and Resilience Center of Excellence: Marine Science Education Center of Excellence: Smart Building and Community Design Center of Excellence: Sustainable Coastal Tourism Institute of Hawaiian Language Research and Translation To address the needs, ...

Ka Pili Kai Spring 2016

Humpback Whale Vocal Communications Between Mothers and Calves Wastewater’s Influence on Coastal Groundwater Quality and the Health of Coral Reefs in Maunalua Bay, O‘ahu Attack of the Drones: Characterizing Groundwater Discharge on Maui Using the Latest Research Tools Simulating Sea-Level ...

Ka Pili Kai Summer 2016

Hawai‘i ’s Water Resources Submarine Groundwater Discharge Water Resources Research Center Highlight: Dr. Aly El-Kadi UH Water Resources Research Center and Sea Grant Partner on $20 M Water Sustainability Project Increasing Access to Safe Drinking Water on Hawai‘i Island The ...

Land-based pollutants in herbivorous reef fishes on Hawaiian reefs

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Megan Donahue Co-INVESTIGATOR: Stephen Karl Graduate Fellows: Eileen Nalley, Julie Zill Pollutants, such as metals, pose a serious threat to coral reef ecosystems. In the past century Hawaiʻi has experienced significant changes in land use, ...

Land-based pollutants on Hawaiian reefs

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Megan Donahue Co-INVESTIGATORS: Kim Falinski Graduate Fellow: Honour Booth This research will examine land-based pollutants, such as metals and persistent organic pollutants (e.g., PCBs), in coastal ecosystems in Hawaiʻi. Ongoing habitat degradation and coastal development, along with ...

Last chance to help shape Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s strategic plan

The University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) is undertaking a strategic planning process to guide our program's research, outreach, and education efforts over the next four years. We invite you to take this survey and to ...

NATIONAL SEA GRANT INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT AND JOBS ACT Marine Debris Challenge Competition Now Open

Important Due Dates: July 29, 2022, 12:00PM (noon) HST: Completed Partnership form due to Hawaiʻi Sea Grant August 9, 2022, 8:59PM HST: Letters of Intent (LOI) will be sent to the National Sea Grant Office by Hawaiʻi Sea Grant September ...

News & Events

A team of students from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa School of Architecture were one of two student teams to win a national design competion. They were students of Dr. Steve Meder, UH architecture professor and director of the ...

NOAA’s Sea Grant and Disaster Preparedness Programs help address disaster impacts and recovery with three new projects

June 23, 2022 (Honolulu, HI) – Hurricanes. Flood events. Oil spills. When disaster strikes, communities come together to respond. NOAA Sea Grant and NOAA’s Disaster Preparedness Program are partnering to help communities respond to and recover from these occurrences through ...

Nonprofit shares in $50K grant to reduce marine debris, protect sea turtles, seabirds, and monk seals

Nonprofit shares in $50K grant to reduce marine debris, protect sea turtles, seabirds, and monk seals August 25, 2021 Hawai‘i Sea Grant and Hawai‘i Marine Animal Response (HMAR), the largest Hawai-based marine species response and conservation nonprofit organization, have received ...

Ongoing Projects

Campus Spatial Survey and Integrated Planning Light Pollution in Hawaiʻi Delamping Initiative Forest City Military Community Energy Efficiency Monitoring Kuykendall Hall Water Resources Working Group ...

Podcast #1: Waterworks

Dr. Peter Fuleky and Sisi Zhang are conducting an innovative study to identify the relationship between economic conditions in different sectors (tourism, health, agriculture, etc.) and the state’s limited water resources. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #10: Metallic Phish

Dr. Megan Donahue and Eileen Nalley look for traces of land-based, metallic pollutants in tissues of commonly eaten reef fishes and the mechanisms involved in their transport from land to fishes. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #3: Urban understandings and changing coasts

Meet Dr. Daniele Spirandelli and Theresa Dean and delve into the vulnerability of Hawaiʻi's wastewater infrastructure to a changing climate. Read more about their project here ...

Podcast #9: Mesophotic Mapping

Dr. Rob Toonen and Evan Barba explore sediment distribution across the sensitive ecosystems of the mesophotic zone and its connection to land use management decisions. Read more about their project here ...

Predicting and mapping Hawaiian mesophotic coral ecosystems for sustainable coastal development

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen Graduate Fellow: Lindsay Veazey Although there is little question about the economic, ecological, cultural, and conservation value of coral reef habitats, growing population, tourism, and coastal development are rapidly degrading them. Our fundamental ...

Protecting Hawaiʻi’s beaches, dunes focus of free webinar

Protecting Hawaiʻi’s beaches, dunes focus of free webinar To increase awareness of the importance of preserving and restoring coastal dunes, the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program (Hawaiʻi Sea Grant) released the newly published Hawaiʻi Dune Restoration Manual, and ...

Q & A with Matthew Gonser

by Cindy Knapman and Kanesa SeraphinMatthew Gonser, former extension faculty with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, was recently appointed as the chief resilience officer and executive director of the City and County of Honolulu Office of Climate ...

Rainwater Catchment Project

What is Rainwater Catchment? Rainwater catchment is the capture of rainwater, most commonly in barrels or tanks, for household, landscape or commercial use. With proper design, maintenance and water treatment, a rainwater catchment system can provide water that is free ...

Resilience-Focused Disaster Reconstruction Planning

Hawai‘i’s coastal communities are particularly vulnerable to impacts from hurricanes, tsunamis, and other coastal disaster events due to the state’s isolated location in the Pacific and development concentrated along low-lying shores. Impacts from infrequent coastal disaster events will become more ...

Salt Pond Hydrogeologic Investigation Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i

The Hawaiian cultural practice of making salt is one of Hawai‘i’s oldest traditions and Hanapēpē Salt Pond is one of the last places in all of Hawaiʻi that continues this tradition. The area and practice is highly treasured and protected ...

Sea Level Rise and the Ala Wai Canal

In this episode, we head inland to take a look at how rising sea level will affect our infrastructure, aquifers, and fresh water supplies. Researchers from the Univerity of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program and the School of Ocean and ...

ThinkTech Hawaii: Hurricane Season Preparation

We can expect stronger and more numerous hurricanes due to climate change. How can Hawaii be prepared for the 2018 hurricane season?. In this episode of Research in Manoa guest Dr. Dennis J. Hwang, JD with the Hawaii Sea Grant ...

Three graduates from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in prestigious marine policy fellowship in Washington, D.C.

  July 20, 2023 (Honolulu, HI) – Three graduate students from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Gina Selig, Sarah Tucker, and Emily Young, are spending one year focusing on critical marine policy issues in Washington, D.C. representing the University ...

Three graduates from University of Hawai‘i begin NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship in Washington, D.C.

  March 30, 2022 (Honolulu, HI) – Three graduate students from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Sean Mahaffey, Roberto Porro, and Mariana Rocha de Souza, were awarded the prestigious 2022 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship and began their ...

Three Hawai‘i Sea Grant postgraduate fellows gain hands-on experience in state and federal agencies

  January 26, 2022 The 2021 cohort of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Grau Fellows will focus on conservation and management of natural and cultural resources through Hawai‘i-based host offices (Honolulu, HI) – Three postgraduate fellows have a unique opportunity to work ...

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 ...

Turning Down the Temperature on Urban Heat Islands

by Josh McDanielAugust 31, 2019, tied the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded at the Honolulu airport. On the same day, volunteers and city workers placed sensors on their vehicles and drove through O‘ahu neighborhoods throughout the day. Staff ...
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