Research Projects

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

Map of the Hawaiian Island chain is colored in bands, illustrating the strong variability of temperatures around and across the islands

Making regional climate model outputs more accessible to diverse user community

PI: Tom Giambelluca, Professor of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Co-PI: Oliver Elison Timm, Research Assoc. Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, University of Albany
Funded: FY2021
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Student and others pose amidst the mud while working an a taro field

2021 SURF Projects

Six students completed projects in climate adaptation science for the 2021 SURF program, investigating stream flow quality and variability, coastal erosion, fish thermal tolerance, fishpond phytoplankton distribution, and reef microplastics.
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Open forest view of taller trees and lower ferns

Machine learning approaches to improve projections of future climate in Hawai‘i

PI: Tom Giambelluca, Professor of Geography, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Yusuke Hatanaka, Department of Computer and Data Science, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2020
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Spume-capped waves crash against a low black basalt rock shoreline

A shoreline inventory for Hawai‘i island to increase resilience

PI: Ryan Perroy, Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Science, UH Hilo
Co-PI: Aloha Kapono, Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science Program, UH Hilo
Funded: FY2020
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View down a white sandy beach overhung with palms, being lapped by sparkling waters with steep green mountains further along the coast

Sea-level rise viewer for American Samoa

PI: Phil Thompson, Associate Director of UH Sea Level center, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Carla Baizeau, Department of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Co-Is: Kelley Anderson Tagarino, Extension Specialist, American Samoa Community College; Justin E. Stopa, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; Curt Storlazzi, Research Geologist, USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
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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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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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
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A small historical hut backed by palms sits on a rocky headland with waves in the foreground.

Visualizing Sea-level Rise at Pu‘uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historic Park

PI: Philip Thompson, Assoc. Director of UH Sea Level center, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Nemanja Komar , Scientific Programmer, UH Sea Level center, UH Mānoa; Darren Lerner, Director, Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program
Funded: FY2019
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A student, grinning at the camera, sits in a small boat beached on a sandbar while she takes water samples from a bag

Coral reef CO2 variations at the Coastal Ocean Hawai‘i Acidification Network (COHAMN): Impact of basin scale oceanographic forcing

PI: Eric DeCarlo, Professor of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Lucie Knor, Department of Oceanography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2018
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Student controls a drone that has lifted off from an orange landing spot in a scrubby landscape.

Developing geospatial models in Hawaiian watersheds to mitigate erosion and climate change

PI: Ryan Perroy, Assistant Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies (TCBES), UH Hilo
Co-PIs: Kimo Melcher, Tropical Conservation Biology & Environmental Science, UH Hilo; Rebecca Ostertag, Professor of Biology (TCBES), UH Hilo
Funded: FY2018
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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
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Wind-swept waves tumble towards a rocky shoreline.

Near-term climate projections to inform adaptation in the Hawaiian Islands

PI: Thomas Giambelluca, Professor of Geography, UH Mānoa
Co-PI: Han Tseng, Department of Geography, UH Mānoa
Funded: FY2017
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Kilo Lani: Reconstructing historical climate patterns in Hawai‘i using traditional knowledge and dendrology

PI: Rosie Alegado, Assistant Researcher, Oceanography/Sea Grant Program, UH Mānoa
Collaborators: Axel Timmermann, Professor of Oceanography, UH Mānoa/IPRC; Puakea Nogelmeier, Professor, Kawaihu‘elani Center for Hawaiian Language
Funded: FY2016
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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
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