VIDEOS ABOUT PI-CASC EFFORTS
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Ridge-to-Reef and Icefield-to-ocean: Collaborative Research in Extreme Environments
In July 2022, USGS federal directors of PI-CASC and Alaska CASC gave a joint seminar as part of the National CASC webinar series, describing an ongoing cross-regional collaboration of research and cultural engagement to approach common challenges in these two areas. In this video, Dr. Mari-Vaughn Johnson and Dr. Stephen Gray highlight the projects and forums for scientists, managers, and students to explore the steep watershed systems that characterize the Pacific Islands and Southeast Alaska. Be sure to watch videos (further down this page) for details on two of the PI-AK projects.
From Land to Sea: How will hydrologic regime shifts influence Southeast Alaska and Hawaiʻi rivers?
Streamflows are changing in both Hawaiʻi and Southeast Alaska, impacting riverine ecosystems and the marine ecosystems into which rivers flow. This project examines how changes in sequence affect nutrient cycling, how the timing of high and low-flow in rivers and streams will impact surrounding ecosystems, and how the human dimension is impacted by these changes. This video was a part of a National Climate Adaptation Science Center Webinar on December 7, 2021 and featured the PI-AK collaboration.
Analyzing Future Precipitation Extremes for Resource Management Planning
Drought and precipitation extremes are of significant concern to natural resource management in both Hawai‘i and Southeast Alaska. This project will make existing CASC-supported numerical modeling results more accessible for resource managers who experience barriers to incorporating climate change projections into their planning. This video was a part of a National Climate Adaptation Science Center Webinar on December 7, 2021 and featured the PI-AK collaboration.
Understanding Nutrient Transport through Streamflow and Fish Populations
The overall goal of the proposed project is to develop a multidisciplinary team to evaluate the effect of flow alteration on R2R and I2O watersheds. This project will evaluate the effects of annual variability in flow conditions on the growth and survival of invasive armored suckermouth catfish in Hawaiian streams, and compare/contrast findings to those of a complementary study linking hydrology to freshwater salmon growth in southeast Alaska. This video was a part of a National Climate Adaptation Science Center Webinar on December 7, 2021 and featured the PI-AK collaboration.
Hawaiʻi Island: Voices from the Front Lines of Community-based Climate Adaptation
A research team comprising staff from PI-CASC, the UH Hilo, and the County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department recently set out to quantify historic and contemporary rates of change along different types of shorelines on Hawaiʻi Island, using those data to model observed changes into the future through sea-level rise impacts. The research team combined existing datasets (historic aerial photos) with new data (drone imagery, topographic surveys, etc.) to quantify past and present rates of coastal change. Watch this video summary of their efforts.
US Fish and Wildlife Climate Webinars with Chip Fletcher
In August and October, the US Fish and Wildlife agency sponsored presentations by Dr. Charles “Chip” Fletcher on climate and sea-level rise (SLR), recordings of which we offer here. In the first seminar, “Climate Crisis: The pivotal decade,” Dr. Fletcher discusses the state of current global climate change science and leads the audience through a series of interlinked and compounding climate change impacts (e.g., arctic amplification, unstable oceanic/atmospheric currents, and intensifying political unrest).
In his second presentation, “Sea-level rise: An unstoppable reality to be managed, not solved,” Dr. Fletcher focuses on the complex relationships between climate, geology, and sea-level rise, including how SLR is measured, how future projections are modeled, and discusses potential scenarios and impacts for decision-makers to consider. To learn more about Dr. Fletcher and his research, visit his website.
Adaptation Research in Our Waters from Clouds to Coast
Check out the Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center’s virtual field trip submission for the 2021 International Tropical Islands Water Conference (April 12-15, 2021). To create this video, PI-CASC reached out to our researchers that are currently or have been involved in water science and management projects from mauka to makai (mountains to the sea). Please enjoy this slideshow featuring the unique people, places, and waters of PI-CASC projects!
US Fish & Wildlife Service ‘Opihi Project Podcast
The US Fish & Wildlife Service hosts a podcast with Manager Climate Corps graduate student, Lauren Kapono. The video highlights her research focused on monitoring ‘opihi populations across the Kalaemanō shoreline of Hawai’i to learn about seasonal shifts in shellfish habitats. Her work emphasizes the importance of long-term knowledge held by local communities and supports healthy and resilient ecosystems in the face of change (climate and social), land use, and unknown future pressures. Also, check out the related blog by USFWS.
Resilient Voices: Adaptation across Worldviews (MCC)
PI-CASC’s Manager Climate Corps program developed and hosted a Climate Change Camp in 2016. This video highlights the four-day event at the Kiolokaʻa Ranger Station in Kaʻū, which showcased collaborative research efforts within UH Hilo’s Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science graduate program that are driven by local natural resource managers across Hawaiʻi Island.
Voice of the Sea (Season 5, Episode 8): Climate from the Mountains to the Past
This 2018 episode of the Voice of the Sea profiles two PI-CASC projects in Hawaiʻi: researchers on Maui studying how climate affects the amount of water trapped by high elevation forests, which are critical to the freshwater supply for island communities and wildlife; and researchers on Oʻahu using the Hawaiian Newspaper Archives to study changes in weather patterns and reveal previous El Niño events.
Voice of the Sea (Season 5, Episode 9): Adapting Culture to Climate Change
This 2018 episode explores how scientists, cultural practitioners, and community members are working together to understand and adapt to the effects of climate change. We investigate the relationship between a changing environment and water quality in local fishponds as well as the relationship between changing ocean conditions and people’s personal connection to place.
Building Climate Resiliency at Honokea Loko Iʻa (PICCC)
PI-CASC’s Manager Climate Corps program developed and hosted a Climate Change Camp in 2016. This video highlights the four-day event at the Kiolokaʻa Ranger Station in Kaʻū, which showcased collaborative research efforts within UH Hilo’s Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science graduate program that are driven by local natural resource managers across Hawaiʻi Island.
Albizia Mulch Project
The Big Island of Hawai’i has a major problem with invasive Albizia trees. Every year more and more of these trees are being eradicated, but what use do we have for their wood? Joanna Norton explores the possibilities of using the wood as fertilizer in this project.
Marshall Islands Migration Research Summary
Climate change, in the form of drought and sea-level rise, is affecting many aspects of life in the low-lying Republic of the Marshall Islands, from water and food availability to job prospects and health care and even the prospect of permanent ocean inundation. Maxine Burkett and Kees van der Geest explored these effects on the migration of Marshallese between islands and from RMI to other countries. This video summarizes their results.