Research Projects

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

Plant seedlings grow in small black buckets

Vulnerability of coastal ecosystems to increased salinity from climate change

PI: Kasey Barton, Associate Professor of Botany, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Anna McCormick, Department of Botany, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2020
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Students examine rocks and marine life at the oceanʻs edge.

He ala ʻae kai – The path near the sea: Climate inflictions upon intertidal

PI: John Burns, Assistant Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo
Co-PI: Lauren Kapono, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo; Haunani Kane, Post-doctoral Researcher, Marine Science Department, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2020
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Firefighters tend a grassy fire break line in front of burning brush, with a blackened, smoky landscape behind

Future of fire in the Pacific Islands: Towards a national synthesis for wildland fire under a changing climate

PI: Christian Giardina, Research Ecologist, Inst. of Pacific Islands Forestry, US Forest Service
Co-PI: Alyssa Anderson, Fire Post-doctoral Fellow, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2020
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Student examines plants along a greenery-bordered path

2020 SURF Projects

Three students completed projects in climate adaptation science for the 2020 SURF program, investigating salinity tolerance in coastal plants, fire-plant interactions, and new techniques to improve reforestation efforts.
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A small reef fish, with bright yellow rings around the eyes.

How will changing reefscapes affect the prevalence of ciguatera on Hawaiian reefs?

PI: Tim Grabowski, Fish Biologist, Hawai‘i Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, USGS/Adjunct Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo
Co-PI: Nikola Rodriguez, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2020
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A small, brown bird sits on the branch of a tree

Development of an early warning system for climate-change related invasion by mosquitoes into Hakalau Forest NWR

PI: Patrick Hart, Professor of Biology, UH Hilo
Co-PI: Stephanie Mladinich, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2020
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Image looking up the trunk of a light-barked tree

Comparing arbuscular mycorrhizal diversity among different life stages of Intsia bijuga (Colebr.) Kuntze in Guam’s Limestone Forests

PI: Alexander Kerr, Professor of Marine Biology, University of Guam
Co-PI: Charles "CJ" Paulino, Environmental Science, University of Guam
Funded: FY2020
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Corals spread across an outcrop, some beautifully purple, others deadly white

Using cutting-edge technology to assess coral reef bleaching and recovery in Guam and CNMI

PI: Romina King, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Guam
Co-PI: Ved ChirayathResearch Scientist, NASA Ames Research Center
Funded: FY2020
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Healthy coral outcrop bursting with colorful reef fish

How ridge-to-reef governance in Palau can enhance coastal food security

PI: Kirsten Oleson, Associate Professor of Ecological Economics, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Michelle Harangody, Department of Geography and Environment, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2020
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A dry grassy landscape of gently rolling hillocks and occasional trees.

Optimizing techniques to restore forest to increase endangered species habitat and mitigate future drought

PI: Jonathan Price, Professor of Geography , UH Hilo
Co-PI: Amberly Pigao, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2020
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An inner slope of the cone shows grass and sparse trees

Understanding plants of the past to inform community reforestation efforts in the future

PI: Jonathan Price, Professor of Geography , UH Hilo
Co-PI: David Russell , Restoration & Outplanting Field Assistant, Nāpuʻu Natural Resources Management
Funded: FY2020
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Underwater scene of colorful corals and fish

Sea-level rise impacts on coral reef and mangrove interactions and resulting coastal flooding hazards

PI: Curt Storlazzi, Research Geologist, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Co-I: Karen Thorne, Research Ecologist, USGS Western Ecological Research Center
Funded: FY2020
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A narrow stream runs between vegetation covered banks

Impacts of extreme events on native and nonnative Hawaiian aquatic species

PI: Yinphan Tsang, Associate Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa
Co-Is: Abigail Lynch, Climate Adaptation Science Centers; Timothy Grabowski, Hawaiʻi Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
Funded: FY2020
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Predicting the Effects of Climate Change on the Spread of Fire-Promoting Plants in Hawai‘i

PI: Curt Daehler, Professor of Botany, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Lucas Fortini, Research Ecologist, USGS Pacific Islands Ecosystem Research Center; Clay Trauernicht Associate Fire Specialist, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2019
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A hiker steps off a boradwalk snaking through a swampy area

Assessing mosquito populations in Kauaʻi to help limit the spread of avian disease and inform the conservation of Hawaiian forest birds

PI: Dennis LaPointe, Research Ecologist, USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
Funded: FY2019
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