Research Projects

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

A large tree borders a view looking upslope across a dry grassy landscape.

Effects of drought on soil moisture and water resources in Hawaiʻi

PI: Alan Mair, Hydrologist, USGS Pacific Islands Water Science Center
Funded: FY2016
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Evaluating the economic impacts of climate variability and change on Maui’s freshwater resources and ecosystem services

PI: Kirsten Oleson, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa
Co-I: Victoria Keener, PacRISA, East-West Center, UH Mānoa
Collaborator: Carlo Fezzi NREM, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2016
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Albizia as a solution for climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture

PI: Rebecca Ostertag, Professor of Biology, UH Hilo
Co-PI: Joanna Norton, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Collaborators: Bruce Mathews, Professor of Soil Science, UH Hilo; Flint Hughes, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, US Forest Service
Funded: FY2016
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An overhead view shows white surf crashing along a dark sandy coastline backed by green vegetation.

Estimating coastal erosion rates on Hawai‘i Island to inform setbacks

PI: Ryan L. Perroy, Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Co-PI: Rose Hart, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Collaborators: Steven Colbert, Assistant Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo; Charles Fletcher, Professor of Geology & Geophysics, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2016
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Color-scaled map of Oahu indicating average temperatures

Predicting Hawaiʻi water demand under climate change

PI: Michael J. Roberts, Associate Professor of Economics, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Nathan DeMaagd, Department of Economics, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2016
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Graphic showing where sewers versus on-site disposal systems are located

Assessing the vulnerability of coastal wastewater infrastructure to climate change

PI: Daniele Spirandelli, Asst. Professor of Coastal Policy & Community Development, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Theresa Dean, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa
Collaborators: Roger Babcock, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UH Mānoa; Suwan Shen, Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2016
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A professor reads off an instrument while her student records information, on the blacksand shore of the bay.

Investigating climate driven shifts in Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA for water resource and land management solutions

PI: Tracy Wiegner, Associate Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo
Co-PI: Louise Economy, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2016
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A student stands near a fence on a scrub-covered hillside with a faint rainbow in the mist behind her.

The effects of climate change on high elevation ecosystems and freshwater resources in Hawaiʻi

PI: Thomas Giambelluca, Professor of Geography, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Abby Frazier, Department of Geography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2015
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View across high-elevation slopes with clouds intruding between foreground bushes and background volcanic crests.

Cloud water interception in Hawai‘i – Part 1: Understanding the impact of fog on groundwater and ecosystems

PI: Thomas Giambelluca, Professor of Geography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2015
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Flames glow yellow and red behind a road-lining hedge.

Influences of climate change, climate variability, and drought on human communities and ecosystems in Hawaiʻi

PI: Christian Giardina, Research Ecologist, Inst. of Pacific Islands Forestry, US Forest Service
Funded: FY2015
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Tracking climate variability through chloride concentration in municipal production well histories on the Yigo-Tumon basin

PI: Nathen Habanai, Assistant Professor of Groundwater Hydrology, University of Guam
Co-PI: Erin Miller, Environmental Science Graduate Program, University of Guam
Funded: FY2015
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RESEARCH