Research Projects

PI-CASC supports research that generates actionable climate science within several key focus areas defined by regional stakeholder needs.

Pilons and interpretive signs border flooded walkways and grassy areas as the surf lies feet away.

The impact of climate change and sea-level rise on the future flooding of coastal parks and refuges in Hawaiʻi and the US Affiliated Pacific Islands

PI: Curt Storlazzi , Research Geologist, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Funded: FY2019

A small historical hut backed by palms sits on a rocky headland with waves in the foreground.

Visualizing sea-level rise at Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historic Park

PI: Philip Thompson, Assoc. Director of UH Sea Level center, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Nemanja Komar , Scientific Programmer, UH Sea Level center, UH Mānoa; Darren Lerner, Director, Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program
Funded: FY2019

A student, grinning at the camera, sits in a small boat beached on a sandbar while she takes water samples from a bag

Coral reef CO2 variations at the Coastal Ocean Hawai‘i Acidification Network (COHAMN): Impact of basin scale oceanographic forcing

PI: Eric DeCarlo, Professor of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Lucie Knor, Department of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2018

Student controls a drone that has lifted off from an orange landing spot in a scrubby landscape.

Developing geospatial models in Hawaiian watersheds to mitigate erosion and climate change

PI: Ryan Perroy, Assistant Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies (TCBES), UH Hilo
Co-PIs: Kimo Melcher, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo; Rebecca Ostertag, Professor of Biology (TCBES), UH Hilo
Funded: FY2018

Narrow strips and circles of land rise barely above sea level.

Characterizing inundation risk for Majuro Atoll

PI: Dean Gesch, Research Scientist, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Co-PI: Jeff Danielson , Physical Geographer, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Funded: FY2017

Wind-swept waves tumble towards a rocky shoreline.

Near-term climate projections to inform adaptation in the Hawaiian Islands

PI: Thomas Giambelluca, Professor of Geography, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Han Tseng, Department of Geography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2017

Kilo Lani: Reconstructing historical climate patterns in Hawai‘i using traditional knowledge and dendrology

PI: Rosie Alegado, Assistant Researcher, Oceanography/Sea Grant Program, UH Mānoa
Collaborators: Axel Timmermann, Professor of Oceanography, UH Mānoa/IPRC; Puakea Nogelmeier, Professor, Kawaihu‘elani Center for Hawaiian Language
Funded: FY2016

A satellite image of the rectangular ring of Majuro Atoll in the midst of a blue sea.

Collecting elevation data to understand climate change effects in the Marshall Islands

PI: Jeffrey Danielson , Physical Geographer, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS)
Co-Is: Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, Research Geographer, USGS Eastern Geographic Science Center; Cindy Thatcher, Research Biologist, Cooperative Data Acquisition, NGPO; Dean Gesch, Research Scientist, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center; Matthew Barbee, Biologist, UH Mānoa; Romina King, Asst. Professor of Geography, University of Guam; Maria Kottermair, GIS specialist, University of Guam
Funded: FY2016

Ocean water floods over a lawn and into a house along a low shoreline.

Simulating and projecting future impacts of sea-level rise on Majuro Atoll

PI: Charles Fletcher, Professor of Earth Sciences, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2016

Forecasting climate and land use/cover change impacts on freshwater ecosystem services in Maui

PI: Christopher Lepczyk, Dept. Natural Resources & Environmental Mgmt, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Kirsten Oleson, NREM, UH Mānoa
Co-Is: Steven Gray, NREM, UH Mānoa; Yin-Phan Tsang, NREM, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2015

An underwater view shows coral-covered rocks, some brown or purple-y, but many spots of branching, skeletal white coral.

Assessing the sustainability of culturally important marine sites in Guam and CNMI

PI: Laurie Raymundo, Professor of Marine Biology, University of Guam
Co-PI: Jeffrey Maynard, Marine Applied Research Center
Funded: FY2015

Projecting the frequency and impact of future coastal fooding and inundation events in the Pacific Islands

PI: Philip Thompson, Assoc. Director of UH Sea Level center, UH Mānoa
Co-Is: Matthew J. Widlansky, International Pacific Research Center, UH Mānoa; Janet M. Becker, Professor of Geology, UH Mānoa; Mark A. Merrifield, Professor of Oceanography, UH Mānoa; John J. Marra, Regional Climate Services Director, NOAA
Funded: FY2015

RESEARCH