Research Projects

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

A variety of plants from grasses to tall trees cluster together in an open space

Enhancing social-ecological resilience through restoration of coastal agroforestry systems

PI: Leah Bremer, Assistant Specialist and Conservation Scientist, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Tressa Hoppe, Botany Department, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2022

Healthy, colorful corals on diplay with butterfly fish swimming around them, reflected in the underside of the shallow water’s surface

Unlocking reef resilience drivers to inform Pacific coral reef management

PI: Megan Donahue, Marine Researcher, HIMB, UH Mānoa
Co-PIs: Jessica Glazner, Dept of Marine Biology, UH Mānoa; Chad Wiggins, Palmyra Program Director, The Nature Conservancy
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
Co-PIs: Jerolynn Myazoe, Dept of Anthropology, UH Hilo; Shania Tamagyongfal, Dept of Anthropology, UH Hilo; 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
Co-PIs: Josephine Tupu, TCBES, UH Hilo; 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
Co-PI: 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
Co-PI: 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
Co-PIs: Konapiliahi Dancil, TCBES, UH Hilo; Jonathan Price 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
Co-PI: Sheldon Rosa, Dept of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2022

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
Co-PI: 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
Co-PI: 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

RESEARCH