RESEARCH

Research Projects

RESEARCH PROJECTS

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

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: FY2021
Read More
Airplane view looking down along a line of small, tree-covered islands surrounded by shallow lagoons and ocean waves

Enhancing Stakeholder Capacity for Coastal Inundation Assessment in the Marshall Islands

PI: Dean Gesch, Research Scientist, USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Collaborator: Dolores deBrum Kattil, Director, Marshall Islands Conservation Society
Funded: FY2020
Read More
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
Read More
Two men stand amidst elevated root systems of mangrove trees, watching another installing an instrument.

The future resiliency of mangrove forests to sea-level rise in the Western Pacific

PI: Karen Thorne, Research Ecologist, USGS Western Ecological Research Center
Co-PI: Richard MacKenzie, Research Ecologist, US Forest Service
Funded: FY2019
Read More
Three students stand on shoreline, one holding a water sample bottle

Water Quality in the face of Climate Change: Establishing a baseline in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia

PI: Tracy Wiegner, Assoc. Professor of Marine Science, UH Hilo
Co-I: Bryan Tonga, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2019
Read More
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
Read More
Local children wade through calf-high dirty water, past flood accumulated trash and a flooded house.

Understanding the effect of climate change on the migration of Marshallese Islanders

PI: Maxine Burkett, Professor of Law, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2016
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
Baseline assessment of coral-associated microbial communities

Baseline assessment of coral-associated microbial communities

PI: Craig Nelson, Assistant Researcher of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Emilia Sogin, Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany
Funded: FY2015
Read More
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
Read More
Waves splash against a railed cement wall that bears a "Caution: Sidewalk closed" sign.

Multi-year sea level predictions for the Pacific Ocean

PI: Axel Timmermann, International Pacific Research Center, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Matthew Widlansky, International Pacific Research Center, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2015
Read More
Image shows dense, lush tropical trees and bushes

Developing an agroforestry dashboard for the Marshall Islands

PI: Maria Haws, Assoc. Professor of Aquaculture, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2014
Read More
A diver examines a reef

Coral reef resilience to climate change in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands

PI: Laurie Raymundo, Professor of Marine Biology, University of Guam
Co-PI: Jeffrey Maynard, Marine Applied Research Center
Funded: FY2013
Read More