by Josh McDanielThe science of tsunamis has expanded in leaps in recent decades. From advances in detection and alert systems to coastal inundation modeling and mapping, we now know more about the seismic forces that trigger tsunamis and can forecast ...

by Rayne SullivanWith worsening ocean health, the Pacific and much of the world are facing a multifront threat to heritage and culture, livelihoods, security, health, and ultimately their very existence. In Palau, it is said that when there is threat to one mesekuuk (surgeonfish), ...

Relevance: Living shorelines integrate habitat restoration techniques, coastal engineering, and conservation to mitigate coastal hazards through the incorporation of natural elements. Living shorelines have been used effectively in the US along the eastern, western, and gulf coasts as an effective ...

Relevance: Aging and failing cesspools, increasingly large episodic storms, and rising groundwater present unprecedented challenges for wastewater management in Hawaiʻi. Concerns remain about the impacts of 90,000 existing on-site wastewater systems on Hawaiʻi’s beaches, aquatic resources, and community health. Response: ...

4-Day Workshop Overview As part of a workshop series on building simulation and lighting and energy analysis, the first workshop consisted of a three half-day sessions and one full-day session, focused on building-level daylighting simulation and energy analysis. This workshop ...

Relevance: Knowledge of sustainable and resilient building practices is needed in Hawaiʻi to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the State’s 100% clean energy goal, adapt to a changing climate, and recover from natural and man-made disruptions. Response: To educate ...

by Josh McDanielHarry Lynch is a commercial fisherman and diver who lives on Oʻahu’s windward side. For over two decades, he’s been removing “ghost gear,” or discarded, lost, or abandoned fishing gear, that drifts into Hawaiian waters. Ghost gear continues ...

 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 ...

by Jake BuehlerQuiet. For the first time in generations, the schools of ulua, pāpio, and ‘o‘io glinting across the outer edge of Hanauma Bay’s crater experienced relative silence. The perpetual din of thousands of thunderous splashes and shrill voices reverberating ...

"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 ...

by Lurline Wailana McGregorWhen the last of its four counties implemented laws to ban plastic bags from store checkouts in 2021, Hawaiʻi became the first in the nation with a full statewide ban. Since then, the City and County of ...

by Stacy KishDespite the best efforts to contain it, untreated waste from the 88,000 cesspools in Hawai‘i escapes the confines of the system, polluting coastlines and endangering marine life and coral ecosystems. When treated properly, much of the wastewater is ...

APRIL 15, 2014 PAULEY SEMINAR Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore Vice President Gore, known for his visionary leadership and decades of work on reducing the harmful impacts of climate change. He will be sharing his insights on renewable energy, ...

Architect Weston Walker is Design Principal and Partner in charge of Studio Gang’s New  York office, where he leads a talented team of architects and a diverse portfolio of projects.  Weston’s work spans many different types and scales, including cultural ...

 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 ...

During the six-week summer program, Rappa Fellows worked on the following projects to advance sustainability and resilience in the built environment. Fellow: Ryan Ringuette Mentors: Eileen Peppard, Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Center for Smart Building and Community Design and School of ...

Best practices for place-based research in Hawai‘i featured in new book (Honolulu, HI) – A new book titled Ignite: A Decolonial Approach to Higher Education Through Space, Place and Culture that looks closely at the role of colonization on the ...

Biden-Harris Administration Makes Over $2.1 Million Grant Investments in Innovative Reuse and Refill Program in Hilo, Hawai'i Project to protect public health, replace single-use plastics, and reduce marine debris (Hilo, HI) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) celebrated the ...

by Lurline Wailana McGregor“Wehe i ka mākāhā i komo ka iʻa,” open the fish gate that the fish may enter, is an ʻōlelo noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) referencing a strategy used to trap fish in the loko iʻa, as well as ...

(Honolulu, HI) – The Land Back movement has called for global solidarity to address the oppression and dispossession of Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories. The alienation of Indigenous Peoples from Water has largely been absent from this call to action ...

by Alice Van VeenendaalNOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center has welcomed a new leader, Dr. Charles Littnan, whose path from Minnesota to the Pacific Islands speaks volumes about his dedication to marine biology and fisheries science. From jokes made in ...

by Amanda MillinNearly three decades ago, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that “the gravest effects of climate change may be those on human migration.” Estimates differ widely, but most experts agree that upwards of 25 million people ...

by Natasha VizcarraDays before Hurricane Iniki slammed into the island of Kauaʻi in 1992, condominium and apartment managers went door-to-door to make sure their residents were preparing for the storm. Hours before the storm struck, motorists honked their horns in ...

 Research Projects 2024-2026 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Nina Rønsted Co-INVESTIGATORS: Tim Gallaher, Tamara Ticktin, Kalikoaloha Martin PI-CASC Graduate Scholar: Research Track: Island Resilience and Sustainability Pandanus (screwpine or hala) forests historically covered large stretches of the Hawaiian coastline, protecting them from storm ...

Many of our research projects have involve deploying sensors in buildings to measure temperature, humidity, light, and power use. Some of these sensors have been deployed for years and we need reliable, customized software to automatically acquire sensor data and ...

This free webinar provides guidance on net zero energy design for architects, contractors and others involved in low-rise residential development. Topics: Recent UH research on how Hawai’i homes consume energy Cost effective beyond-code energy efficiency strategies Integrating solar energy for ...

 Research Projects 2024-2026 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Wendy Meguro Co-INVESTIGATOR: Charles Fletcher Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Research Track: Island Resilience and Sustainability Since 2020, the interdisciplinary research team has enhanced Hawai‘i’s resilience by gathering feedback from hundreds of community members to create ...

 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 ...

HONOLULU (June 20, 2024) - Hula Grill Waikiki will host an educational presentation on sea-level rise and local beach restoration efforts as part of its ongoing Mālama ʻĀina series. On Thursday, July 18 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., all are ...

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 ...

The appointment is pivotal to advancing the understanding of fisheries in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Region and engagement with coastal communities. (Honolulu, HI) – Dr. Eileen Nalley has been selected to serve as the new tenure-track fisheries extension faculty for ...

by Devin Reese Seafood has been a staple in Hawaiian diets for generations, since Polynesians settled the islands more than 1,000 years ago. Many communities across Hawai‘i fish locally and commercially, and restaurant menus feature fish that are both native ...

 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 ...

 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, ...

December 2, 2021 – Zero Energy Home Design The need for zero-energy homes is greater than ever as Hawaii transitions to 100 percent clean energy. This webinar provided information to help designers and contractors to integrate efficiency, solar energy, and ...

Energy Monitoring and Simulation Aims to Save Money for Residents Relevance: Reducing energy use in buildings is vital to achieve Hawaiʻi’s 100 percent clean energy goal by 2045 and mitigate climate change. Response: Monitoring and simulation of energy use in ...

Energy Performance Recommendations Inform Plans and Incentives for Multi-family Housing Associated with Rail Development Assistant professor Wendy Meguro and consultant WSP, an engineering firm, identified energy targets and effective energy efficiency measures in multi-family buildings and estimated the effects of ...

The Technology | Architecture + Design journal article by associate professor Wendy Meguro and Elliot Glassman from WSP, "Evaluating Energy Targets and Efficiency Measures in Multifamily Subtropical Buildings through Automated Simulation" (April 2021) is available free online here This study ...

 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 ...

 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 ...

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Wendy Meguro Co-INVESTIGATOR: Charles Fletcher Graduate Fellows: Josephine Briones, Ireland Castillo, Graduate Research Assistants: Eric Teeples, Gerry Failano Junior Research Assistants: Aiko Tells, Desiree Malabed SOEST Partners: Georgina Casey Sea Grant Partners: Eileen Peppard, Dolan Eversole, Melanie Lander ...

 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, ...

"The University of Hawai‘i research titled, “Envisioning Sea Level Rise Adaptation in Waikiki, Hawaiʻi, received Honorable Mention in the Unbuilt Project Category at the 2022 Northwest and Pacific AIA Honors and Design Awards in September 2022 held in Seattle, Washington ...

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 ...

by Sara LaJeunesseOn April 30, 2018, the Puʻu ʻŌʻō cone of the Kīlauea volcano collapsed, triggering an eruption that would last for four months. Over that time, as lava drained for miles underground, long fissures ripped through the Earth’s surface, ...

Estimating Thermal Comfort and Energy Use with Future Warmer Weather The whole-building energy model estimates that the prototypical, unconditioned multifamily building in Honolulu, HI will be warmer and less comfortable in the future, but ceiling fans and design strategies to ...

 Research Projects 2024-2026 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Haunani Kane Co-INVESTIGATORS: Atsuko Fukunaga, John Burns, Kainalu Steward PI-CASC Graduate Scholar: Research Track: Island Resilience and Sustainability Healthy and productive intertidal ecosystems support cultural identity through subsistence gathering and restoration of traditional food types ...

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Craig Nelson Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Sean Swift Research Track: Aquaculture The primary nutrient source for limu aquaculture by Ocean Era, LLC, an industry partner, is deep ocean water retrieved from 3,000 ft using a ...

by Mara Johnson-GrohSince the day it was born out of the Pacific, 65 million years ago, Hawaiʻi has been sculpted by storms, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, earthquakes, landslides, and tsunamis. In the 21st century Hawai‘i is facing an increasing frequency of ...

by Jake BuehlerIn Hawaiʻi and the Pacific, physical space for agriculture is substantially more limited than on continental landmasses. This has made farming practices that combine efficiency with a low impact on land and water use especially useful for producing ...

by Josh McDanielOn the island of Hawai‘i, about a half mile off Keāhole Point near Kona, nine large net pens teem with hundreds of thousands of kanpachi (Seriola rivoliana, or longfin amberjack). Blue Ocean Mariculture’s kanpachi fish farm is the ...

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brian Bowen Co-INVESTIGATOR: Stephan Karl Graduate Fellow: Derek Kraft The proposed research will track fish from egg production to the reefs where they settle and enter local fisheries on Oʻahu and adjacent islands. To promote sustainable use of ...

L-R: from University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (Elizabeth Benyshak, PhD; Erik Brush, PhD; Ryan Jones, PhD; Becca Lensing, PhD), from Hawai'i Pacific University (Hanna Odahara, MS) (Honolulu, HI) – Four graduate students from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and one graduate ...

Flood Hazard and Sea Level Rise Mitigation Standards Incorporated into Updated Waikiki Guidelines Relevance: The urgent regional need to address sea level rise is evident in The Hawai'i Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Resport's predicted predicted $19 billion in ...

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Barbara Bruno Co-INVESTIGATORS: Daniela Bottler-Wilson, Jennifer Engels Graduate Scholars: Tineill Dudoit In Hawai‘i and the Pacific, coastal communities are facing unprecedented stresses, which are adversely impacting water quality, quantity, and ecosystem health. The solutions lie ...

L-R: John Graves (Division of Aquatic Resources), Madeline Krueger (Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency), Claire Rossi de Leon (Honolulu Office of Climate Change,  Sustainability and Resiliency), Hoaka Thomas (Division of Aquatic Resources) (Honolulu, HI) – Four postgraduate ...

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 ...

by Grace CajskiSteamed mullet, grilled opelu, ahi poke: local seafood is delicious. It constitutes 51 percent of all the seafood eaten in the state of Hawaiʻi. On average, individuals in Hawaiʻi consume almost 19 pounds of local seafood every year, ...

by Tess JoosseThe United States uses and discards the most plastic in the world, churning out a whopping 42 million metric tons each year. Despite this distinction, as recently as 2020 the full scale of the U.S.’s contribution to ocean ...

To support Hawai'i's 100% renewable energy goal by 2045, Hawai'i Sea Grant faculty, their colleagues, and seven student researchers just published a paper to show how house design and construction practices can be modified to meet the newly adopted, more ...

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 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 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 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 for Stormwater Management Home ...

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 ...

by Natasha VizcarraHawai‘i Senator Glenn Wakai was in a Zoom meeting in late January when he noted a kink in the islands’ renewable energy plans. The state’s only coal-fired power station was shutting down in September 2022. However, solar power ...

by Damond BenningfieldGhosts haunt the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They glide in with the currents and tides, from all around the North Pacific Ocean. They destroy coral reefs and ensnare seals, sea turtles, and other endangered animals. They foul the beaches, present a hazard to boats, ...

  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 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, ...

The funding is part of a $60 million Inflation Reduction Act Climate-Ready Workforce Initiative (Honolulu, HI) – Today, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced that $60 million was awarded through the Climate-Ready Workforce for Coastal and Great Lakes States, ...

Hawai‘i Sea Grant awarded $1M for beach and dune management on O‘ahu’s North Shore On July 8, Governor Josh Green signed HB2248 which appropriates $1M to the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program to fund the development of a ...

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 ...

Staff from the Hawai‘i State Energy Office Clean Energy Wayfinders program share information on energy conservation and clean energy adoption with Hawai‘i’s schools and communities. (Honolulu, HI) – For island and remote communities in the United States, developing resilient electricity ...

by J. MattIn the 2023 run up to New Year’s Eve, Hawai‘i saw a bounty blow in from across the Pacific, the result of a difficult negotiation. The local fleet’s catch limit on ahi had been increased. There would be ...

by Lurline Wailana McGregorThe COVID-19 pandemic didn’t close down Honolulu harbor or wreak havoc on the environment, but it was a somber reminder of how our lifestyles and economy are dependent on the outside world for everything, from food supply ...

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Kiana Frank Sedimentation has been identified as one of the top five challenges for restoration faced by fishpond stewards. It is not clear what the most effective (and cheap) mechanisms are for removing such large ...

by Liz ColeyIn 2011, author, educator, entrepreneur Sylvia Bernstein wrote AQUAPONIC GARDENING: A Step by Step Guide to Raising Vegetables and Fish Together to share her passion with the uninitiated. The book offers an engaging and practical deep dive into ...

by Liz ColeyIf “developing solutions to monitor, protect, manage, and restore” ocean ecosystems sounds like a challenge the human species is unprepared to face, author Deborah Rowan Wright offers good news in Future Sea: How to Rescue and Protect the World’s Oceans. Her treatment of the subject ...

by Lurline Wailana McGregorBefore the Clean Water Act of 1972 became law, most of the agricultural wastewater and sewage from the Kaʻanapali coast on Maui, Hawai‘i was treated to remove only solids before being piped out into the ocean. After ...

by Lurline Wailana McGregorOn June first every year, the Central Pacific hurricane season officially begins. In anticipation of the heightened threat that it brings to the Hawaiian Islands, government preparedness offices take the opportunity to remind all residents to have ...

Huli ‘ia is an observational process documenting seasonal changes and shifts across entire landscapes, ma uka to ma kai (from the mountains to the ocean). Developed by Na Maka o Papahānaumokuākea, the Huli ‘ia process documents these natural changes over ...

In January 2020, we came together in a visioning ʻAha - to assemble around the questions of who, what, and why our Sea Grant Center of Excellence should focus its time, energy, and efforts. In this period of change, the ...

 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, ...

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Camilo Mora Co-INVESTIGATORS: A Zachary Trimble, Kasey Barton Graduate Fellow: Devon DeBevoise Plants sustain humanity, directly providing food, fiber, fuel, and oxygen, and are the foundation for some of the most diverse habitats in the world. In ...

by Lurline Wailana McGregorIn pre-contact Hawaiʻi, a lūʻau meant a lavish meal of foods grown in the ahupuaʻa, which extended from the mountain to the sea. From the land came ʻuala (sweet potato), kalo (taro), ʻulu (breadfruit), niu (coconut), and ...

(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 ...

 Research Projects 2018-2020 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Daniele Spirandelli Graduate Fellow: Alisha Summers Like many low-lying coastal regions of the world, the County of Kauaʻi in Hawaiʻi is vulnerable to the impacts of present and future hazards associated with climate change. While ...

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Robert Toonen Graduate Fellow: Kaleonani Hurley Hawaiian fishponds, or loko iʻa, are ancient aquaculture systems that are models of sustainable aquatic resource management based on long-term experience from traditional Native Hawaiian practices. There is much ...

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, ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Welcome to our inaugural issue of the new Ka Pili Kai! Embracing knowledge from generations past and present: For our dedicated readers who have been receiving and reading our quarterly ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. How Will COVID-19 Shape Our Future This issue discusses some of the impacts of COVID-19 in Hawai'i and explores what they might mean for our future. All of us at ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Science is Art Art is Science Mai ka moana ākea, nā ʻāina ā puni, ka lewa lani ā ka lewa lipo, ua mālamalama ke ao kānaka i ka wili pū ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. On the Cover Magazine covers are meant to inspire the reader to pause and reflect on the transformative potential of an issue’s contents. Through what they bring into focus, they offer a scaffold ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. On the Cover The numbers are hard to envision— 8 million metric tons of plastics entering the ocean each year—but the result is something we’ve all experienced: plastics on the ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Ola I Ka Wai Water is Life The myriad issues surrounding water – water rights and law, water availability, changing climate and rainfall patterns, and understanding our aquifers in Hawai‘i ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Community is Resilience Lucky we live Hawai‘i… as the local saying goes! In Hawai‘i, we’re blessed with an incredible environment with steep lush mountains and deep valleys sloping down to ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Climate Resilience Adapting to our warming world Climate change does not recognize borders or politics, fairness, or justice. Its impacts amplify and reverberate through our communities and shared ecosystems, affecting ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Cultivating sustainability through aquaculture ʻO nā loko iʻa, ʻo ia nō kekahi mau mea hiluhilu o ka Pae ʻĀina ʻo Hawaiʻi, a ua hana maoli ʻia e ka poʻe kahiko ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. On the Cover Welcome to our latest issue, dedicated to the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Through this initiative, the world's attention is focused on the ...

Click on the cover image to view the full issue. Fisheries are critical to the health and well-being of people throughout the Pacific Islands and world. In addition to their significant financial value, fisheries also offer nutritional and cultural benefits ...

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 ...

50 Years of Putting Science to Work for Coastal Communities O‘ahu Maui Hawai‘i Island Kaua‘i Pacific Region 50 Years of Putting Science to Work for Coastal Communities In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed The National Sea Grant College and Program ...

Place-based stewards in the Heʻeia ahupuaʻa expressed a need for a set of guidelines to help ensure that research projects focused in Heʻeia engage in equitable and reciprocal partnership with those connected to and caring for the ahupuaʻa. In response to this ...

 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 ...

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 ...

by Breanna RoseNative Hawaiian fisherman Uncle Mac Poepoe witnessed the decline in fish for decades at Moʻomomi, on Molokaʻi, where he grew up fishing. Poepoe turned his concern into action, and galvanized a community-led movement. In the 1990s, Poepoe spearheaded ...

by Josh McDanielThe health of fisheries is vital to the marine environment, economy, and culture of Hawaiʻi. Subsistence fishing also plays an outsized role in food security for many who live in the state. In a recent NOAA survey of ...

This report is the first comprehensive compilation of the research ideas and needs within the community of fishpond managers, landowners, and stewardship organizations to inform adaptation of fishpond practices toward their resilience, adaptation, and sustainability in the face of a ...

The boundary zone of the NASA Equity and Environmental Justice Program project and ArcGIS map of Pu'uloa   New study funded by NASA to assess threats to human health and the environment (Honolulu, HI) – NASA’s Equity and Environmental Justice ...

by Kate FurbyStuart Coleman loves potty humor. But unlike the rest of us, he has a work excuse. And while not all of his puns are suitable for print journalism, suffice it to say that he approaches his work on ...

by Amanda MillinFor Celeste Connors, living with aloha extended far beyond the shores of Hawaiʻi. The former American diplomat worked overseas for 20 years and served as the White House director for Climate Change and Environment. But she is from ...

 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 ...

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 ...

by Natasha VizcarraOn the morning of July 11, 2023, marine wildlife veterinarian Dr. Joe Gaydos stood in front of a beautiful, six-foot-long fish that had washed up on Crescent Beach, Orcas Island. Its body was torpedo-shaped, and its skin was ...

The FROG Classrooms on the UH Manoa College of Education Campus Serve as a Living Laboratory for Sustainable Design Research Energy research at the UH College of Education net-zero energy classrooms is part of an 8-year collaboration between The University ...

(Dennis Hwang is available for media inquiries via Zoom or phone between 12 p.m.–3 p.m. today, April 21, 2024 ) (Honolulu, HI) – In response to Gov. Josh Green proclaiming April as Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawai‘i, the University of ...

(Honolulu, HI) – Anyone interested in operating an aquaculture business in Hawai‘i now has a user-friendly, easy-to-use website outlining the federal, state, and county permits and major requirements. The website, available on the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program ...

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 ...

(Honolulu, HI) – The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program (Hawai‘i Sea Grant) and its partners were awarded over $5.1 million to address rampant marine debris issues in Hawai‘i and develop urgently needed, innovative solutions which can be shared ...

(Honolulu, HI) – Nationwide, NOAA Sea Grant awarded $3.3M aimed at bolstering workforce development efforts in both the wild-caught fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program (Hawai‘i Sea Grant) was awarded $400,000 to enhance and promote aquaculture workforce development ...

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 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 ...

Ola Waikīkī! Ola In Hawaiian, means well-being, living, thriving, and healthy—but it also connotes salvation, healing, and survival.  This webpage is a resource for community members, planners, and policy makers to learn about water quality issues the Ala Wai Watershed ...

This free webinar provides guidance on net zero energy design for architects, contractors and others involved in low-rise residential development. Topics: Recent UH research on how Hawai’i homes consume energy Cost effective beyond-code energy efficiency strategies Integrating solar energy for ...

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 ...

The Center has been involved in many outreach activities which are linked below ...

PAULEY SEMINARS IN SUSTAINABILITY The University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program periodically hosts speakers of the highest distinction through invitations to present a Stephen and Marylyn Pauley Seminar in Sustainability. The University’s most prestigious seminar series honors the Edwin ...

by Mark MarchandThere’s an “all hands on deck” effort underway to understand and counter the growing issue of derelict fishing nets and other plastic debris washing up on Hawaiʻi’s shores and reefs, and in its harbors. Organizations and individuals—environmentally conscious ...

Meet Dr. Brian Bowen and Michael Hoban and learn about their project tracking important aquaculture fish species from egg production to the reefs where they settle and grow. Read more about their project here ...

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 ...

Dr. Daniele Spirandelli and Alisha Summers work with Kauaʻi communities to develop assessments of their vulnerability to developing coastal hazards associated with climate change. Read more about their project here ...

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 ...

Dr. Camilo Mora and Devon DeBevoise are investigating the relative tolerance of invasive and endemic plants to growing with a wide range of water and temperature conditions that may occur with climate change. Read more about their project here ...

Meet Dr. Michael Roberts and Nathan DeMaagd and discover the intricacies of the economics of shifting water demands in the face of climate change. Read more about their project here ...

Dr. Kiana Frank combines modern microbial biology with traditional fishpond management techniques to explore sediment removal from Hawaiian fishponds. Read more about her project here ...

 Research Projects 2016-2018 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Michael Roberts Graduate Fellow: Nathan DeMaagd How will climate change affect supply and demand for water? The answer to this question is complex, uncertain and depends critically on location and context. On the supply side, ...

by Libby LeonardThe Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant, describes the area of Papahānaumokuākea as the realm of Pō, where life springs from a single coral polyp, and where spirits return upon death. Papahānaumokuākea got its name in 2007 from two ...

by Natasha VizcarraIt was a warm, cloudy Saturday at Maunalua Bay Beach Park. Under a blue tent, masked volunteers at the Mālama Maunalua Hana Pūko‘a​ event bent over water saws to gingerly cut coral into large thumb-sized pieces. Under a ...

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 ...

by Sara LaJeunesseIn 2019, Hawai‘i was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the top state in the nation for health care. Yet, it’s no secret that problems with access to care, affordability of care, and disparities in care ...

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 ...

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 ...

by Shannon WianeckiThe term “aquaculture” encompasses everything from restoring traditional fishponds to rearing seahorses for aquariums and reducing greenhouse gases with red algae. It’s a diverse field, and it’s booming: it’s the fastest growing sector of the agricultural industry worldwide, ...

by Shannon WianeckiDuring the last week of March 2020, the fallow sugarcane fields next to the Kahului Airport on Maui began to fill with cars. Hundreds, then thousands of nearly new Camaros, Jeep Wranglers, and SUVs appeared, parked bumper to ...

by Josh McDanielNot all disruptions from the coronavirus pandemic have been negative. Honolulu often sits at the top of the rankings for the worst traffic in the country, ahead of cities notorious for roadway congestion such as Los Angeles, San ...

by Lonny LippsettWhen COVID-19 shut off the lights in schools throughout Hawai‘i, it starkly illuminated long-ignored cracks and constraints in its educational system. The crisis-mode quick fix—using modern technology to create virtual online schooling—spotlighted age-old problems and exposed new ones ...

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Maria Haws Co-INVESTIGATOR: Karla J. McDermid Smith Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Christian Colo Research Track: Aquaculture The Hilo Bay Research and Training Farm is one of the few open-water, near-shore examples of mariculture in Hawaiʻi ...

 Research Projects 2020-2022 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brian Bowen Graduate Fellow: Emily Conklin, Cassie Kaʻapu-Lyons As the demand for sea food continues to rise, wild stocks are dwindling or disappearing. Meanwhile, the supply of marine ornamental fishes for the aquarium trade faces similar ...

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Brian Bowen Sea Grant Graduate Fellow: Cassie Kaʻapu-Lyons Research Track: Aquaculture The majority of the freshwater fishes in the pet store are raised in captivity on fish farms, while the vast majority of the marine ...

 Research Projects 2022-2024 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Shimi Rii Co-INVESTIGATORS: Rosanna Alegado, Kawika Winter PI-CASC Graduate Scholar: Sheldon Rosa Research Track: Aquaculture Moʻolelo (Hawaiian oral traditions) speak of Meheanu, the moʻo or reptilian freshwater guardian of Heʻeia Fishpond, who functioned as the bringer ...

by Abbey SeitzOver the past century, wastewater, stormwater, and other pollutants from land and development have damaged our islands’ coastal ecosystems and nearshore waters. This degradation is due in part to the islands’ increasing urbanization coinciding with global warming. Given ...

Retaining a Healthy Indoor Environment in On-Demand Mixed-Mode ClassroomsA study to measure energy performance and CO2 concentrations was conducted in two Hawai‘i classrooms to determine the impact of user decision-making on adequacy of fresh air. Using CO2 as a marker for indoor ...

by Stacy KishThe 400-year old stone walls of Waikalua Loko Iʻa, a Hawaiian fishpond in Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu, retain a history that has almost been lost to disrepair during the past century. Rosalyn (Roz) Concepcion has been working to restore the ...

by Mallory HoffbeckUndergraduate student Noah van Aardenne stands lookout on the bow of the tall ship SSV Robert C. Seamans, holding on to the forestay as the ship tosses. He watches the horizon for rain clouds, marine animals, or rare ...

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 ...

Rising sea levels along Hawai‘i’s shorelines call for state and local governments to take action by means of a wide range of coastal land use policy tools designed to help Hawai‘i successfully adapt to climate change. Hawai‘i is expected to ...

(Honolulu, HI) – A new interactive sea-level rise viewer for the Territory of American Samoa was recently released to the public, enabling the community to visualize how the shoreline is likely to change from coastal flooding, sea-level rise, hurricane storm surge, and ...

by Cary DeringerTo increase future sustainable food production while reducing methane emissions, scientists are turning to the ocean, specifically seaweed, for answers. Food production needs will have to double to feed nearly ten billion people by 2050. However, production of protein-rich foods ...

County of Maui Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for real-time updates County of Maui website County Emergency Shelters: Hannibal Tavares Community Center War Memorial Gym Maui High School Maui Preparatory Academy King’s Cathedral Maui The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

by Rachel LentzOften, coping with natural hazard preparation involves being aware of key information pertinent to that event. But sometimes that information may be hard to find or understand. Here are four resources that should prove useful to your own ...

by Natasha VizcarraIt’s easy to get lost in the weeds finding out how to empty that portable 5-gallon toilet at the back of the boat. A simple Google search turns up a messy list of how-to videos, along with state ...

by Robin DonovanIf you read the news, it’s everywhere: rising sea levels, warming oceans, degraded coastlines, and dying coral reefs. The consequences of climate change are apparent around the globe, but for fish-loving island communities like those in American Samoa, ...

Student research assistants study energy consumption patterns of the UH Manoa Campus Sea Grant has teamed up with the UH Office of Sustainability to manage a vast quantity of electricity metering data while also training and educating students. Students have ...

by MARIA FROSTICWith the ocean on track to teem with more plastic than fish by the year 2050, marine debris is making waves in local and global economies. Damage from marine litter on the global marine economy was estimated at ...

by Shannon KelleherAs Hawai‘i prepares to carry out a massive overhaul of its numerous cesspools by 2050, the state finds itself in a quandary — waste treatment is expensive, and homeowners’ pockets only run so deep. “This is one of ...

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 ...

by Jake BuehlerThe afternoon before the flooding, you would have been hard-pressed to find any reason to suspect it was coming. It was an idyllic, mid-April day in Hanalei, Kauaʻi, after all: 79 degrees, a mix of sun and clouds, ...

  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 ...

  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 ...

  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 ...

 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 ...

by Josh McDanielFew of the millions of tourists who flock to the sparkling beaches of Waikīkī are aware that the area was once a vast estuary fed by three streams, Makiki, Mānoa, and Pālolo, which plunged from the steep slopes ...

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 ...

by Keri KodamaIn July 2019, an 8000-acre brush fire, fueled by an abundance of dry vegetation and an oppressive heat wave, consumed Central Maui. The blaze began as a roadside fire and spread rapidly with help from the wind. Within ...

Two Hawai‘i Sea Grant fellows gain hands-on policy experience in disaster management, ecosystem restoration   October 21, 2022 The 2022 cohort of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant Grau Fellows will focus on national disaster preparedness and restoring healthy watersheds through Hawai‘i-based host ...

UH researchers investigate nearshore water quality, reef health after Maui fires (Honolulu, HI) – A team of researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are sampling West Maui reefs to assess the impact from the toxic ash from the ...

Updated guidance on best practices for community-embedded research in Hawaiʻi   November 1, 2021 A groundbreaking publication that seeks to build more just and generative relationships between researchers and community members was recently updated to better reflect the nuances and ...

by Robin Donovan“It’s not a million-dollar question; it’s a billion-dollar question,” says Sina Pruder of Hawaiʻi’s cesspool conversion challenge. As an engineering program manager for the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Health’s (DOH) wastewater branch, Pruder has faced a daunting ...

Hawaiʻi Sea Grant and School of Architecture Workforce Development in Sustainability Results in Job Placement for College Students Relevance: A knowledgeable and highly skilled workforce trained to excel in sustainability-related fields is required to meet Hawaiʻi’s goal of 100 percent ...