EVENT

Ecohydrology, a subdiscipline of hydrologic sciences, focuses on how vegetation alters the flow of water and energy. In Hawaiʻi, research in this field has emphasized the effects of montane forests, which are crucial for protecting native ecosystems and aquifer replenishment. While the ecohydrology community on the continental has been shifting attention to urban landscapes, the tools and paradigms developed for continental settings need adapting to apply to urbanized islands of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Climate change and urbanization together paint an uncertain water future for many islands, with the combined complications of more episodic and extreme rainfall, higher temperatures, sea-level rise, and groundwater flooding, alongside the increases in freshwater demand and sources of contamination associated with urbanization. In this talk, Dr. Aurora Kagawa-Viviani will share research and education initiatives that aim to advance more holistic, equitable, and sustainable island water futures by incorporating overlooked environmental and cultural flows and more participatory forms of hydrologic monitoring.