Research Projects

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

Three wading birds perch on a small islet amidst a wetlands area

Applying a novel spatial prioritization technique to support climate-resilient conservation planning in Maui Nui

PI: Lucas Fortini, Research Ecologist, USGS Pacific Islands Ecosystem Research Center
Co-Is: Christina Leopold, Conservation Ecologist, Hawaiʻi Cooperative Studies Unit, UH Hilo; Scott Fretz, DOFAW Maui Branch Manager, Hawaiʻi DLNR
Funded: FY2022

A crew of six in life vests steer a colorful double-hulled sailing canoe on deep blue ocean waters

Using oral histories of Marshallese and Yapese voyaging to develop sustainable sea transport

PI: Joseph Genz, Associate Professor of Anthropology, UH Hilo
Graduate Scholars: Jerolynn Myazoe, Dept of Anthropology, UH Hilo; Shania Tamagyongfal, Dept of Anthropology, UH Hilo
Co-I: Alexander Mawyer, Associate Professor, Center for Pacific Island Studies, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2022

A picturesque ʻōhiʻa forest with tall trees spread about nicely with ferns and green grass beneath.

Improving tools to monitor bird abundance and detect mosquito invasion in Hakalau Forest

PI: Patrick Hart, Professor of Biology, UH Hilo
MCC Graduate Scholar: Josephine Tupu, TCBES, UH Hilo
Co-I: Donna Ball, Deputy Refuge Manager, Hakalau Forest NWR
Funded: FY2022

A clear waterway snakes between tall trees with interwoven, gnarled root systems

Developing a Pacific mangrove monitoring network (PACMAN) in response to sea-level rise

PI: Richard Mackenzie, Research Ecologist, USDA FS Pacific Southwest Research Station
Graduate Scholar: Maybeleen Apwong, TCBES, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2022

Waves wash up a golden beach where two Monk seals sleep, with the Waikiki skyline in the distance

Embedding climate impacts into routine decision-making by applying natural capital accounting

PI: Kirsten Oleson, Associate Professor of Ecological Economics, UH Mānoa
Graduate Scholar: Louis Chua Bing Chao, Dept of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2022

A sun-dappled, dense understory of ferns mixes with mature ʻōhiʻa trees

Developing a climate-resilient restoration approach combining functional, climate, and geographic data

PI: Rebecca Ostertag, Professor of Biology, UH Hilo
MCC Graduate Scholar: Konapiliahi Dancil, TCBES, UH Hilo
Co-I: Jonathan Price Professor of Geography, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2022

Overhead shot of tree canopy with a variety of trees visible in the mass

Using high-resolution imagery and AI to support resilience in Pacific agroforestry

PI: Ryan Perroy, Professor of Geography, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2022

Resource habitat mapping and diet characterization of native and non-native mullet species in Heʻeia Fishpond

PI: Shimi Rii, Research Coordinator, Heʻeia NERR/HIMB, UH Mānoa
Graduate Scholar: Sheldon Rosa, Dept of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2022

Five SURF students pose in front of a steep vegetated slope

2022 SURF Projects

Five students completed projects in climate adaptation science for the 2022 SURF program, investigating fire-prone invasive grasses, spillover effects of Marine Protected Areas, shifts in estuarine fish biodiversity, optimal regeneration conditions for koa, and effects of marine warming on different phytoplankton strains.

A large clam with deep blue flesh showing between the slightly opened lips of the shell sits on a bland coral reef

Genetic assessment of giant clam stocks in American Samoa

PI: Robert Toonen, Research Professor, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, UH Mānoa
Graduate Scholar: Paolo Marra-Biggs, Department of Marine Biology, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2022

An elder shows students a fishing net at the edge of a rocky pool

Integrating social and cultural considerations into community-based monitoring

PI: Mehana Vaughan, Associate Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa
Graduate Scholar: Kapono Gaughen, Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa
Co-I: Meghan Tait, Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2022

A wide, chaotic streambed is flanked by green trees and underlain by irregular pahoehoe lava rocks.

Shifts in carbon exports from a Hawaiian watershed under a changing climate

PI: Tracy Wiegner, Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo
Graduate Scholar: Walter Boger, TCBES, UH Hilo
Co-PIs: Steven Colbert, Assistant Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2022

Two students stand recording data at the water’s edge near a black rocky outcropping, while another student walks up the sand.

Predicting sea level rise impacts to coastal wastewater infrastructure and water quality

PI: Tracy Wiegner, Professor of Marine Sciences, UH Hilo
MCC Graduate Scholar: Ihilani Kamau, TCBES, UH Hilo
Co-Is: Steven Colbert, Associate Professor of Marine Sciences, UH Hilo; Ryan Perroy, Professor of Geography, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2022

High, aerial view of coral-fringed vegetated coastline

Coral response to land-to-ocean freshwater flux

PI: John Burns, Assistant Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2021

A wide brown stream meanders across lush grass and tree-covered plain into a bay

Prioritization planning for coastal wetland restoration on Molokaʻi

PI: Judith Drexler, Research Hydrologist, USGS California Water Science Center
Co-Is: James Jacobi, Biologist, USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center; Curt Storlazzi, Research Geologist, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Funded: FY2021