School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology
Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa

SOEST in the News

photo of beach erosion Hawai‘i’s natural assets are rapidly eroding

Geology and Geophysics (G&G) department chair Chip Fletcher and UH Sea Grant extension agent Dolan Eversole discuss the changing Hawai‘i shoreline. Geologists say more than 70 percent of Kaua‘i’s beaches are eroding while O‘ahu has lost a quarter of its sandy shoreline. They warn the problem is only likely to get significantly worse in coming decades as global warming causes sea levels to rise more rapidly.

Read more about in Time Magazine, MSNBC, ABC News, the London Telegraph, and in the Daily Mail. Eversole is also quoted in articles in Maui News and mysanantonio.com about plans to replenish the beach at Waikiki. Image courtesy of Eugene Tanner / AP; click on it to see the full version.

HNEI logo Top-secret WWII Japanese combat subs discovered

Two World War II Japanese submarines, designed with revolutionary technology to attack the U.S. mainland, have been discovered off the Hawaiian coast of O‘ahu, it was announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Hawai‘i Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), and the National Geographic Channel (NGC). The wreckage will be seen for the first time in “Hunt for the Samurai Subs,” premiering Tuesday 17 November 2009 on NGC (in high definition).

Read more about it in the New York Times, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the Honolulu Advertiser, and the SOEST Press Release; image courtesy of Wildlife Productions.

Photo of IFA response to '2012' fakery. Doomsday: denied!

Mostly amused or bemused by the upcoming end-of-the-world fantasy “2012,” some scientists are also a tiny bit annoyed at viral marketing that pretends to be legitimately scientific. Peter Mouginis-Mark, director of the Hawai‘i Institute Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP), “nearly died laughing” when he first saw the trailer. “One of the main functions of institutions such as [UH] is to educate the public so that they can be informed on what is plausible and what is fantasy.”

Read more about it in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Image courtesy Jamm Aquino, Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Photo of wave by Steven Businger Impact of El Niño on O‘ahu surf

Surf forecaster and oceanographer Pat Caldwell of the University of Hawai‘i Sea Level Center (UHSLC) discusses the potential impact of this year’s El Niño event on surf and waves around the island of O‘ahu, including the possible impacts of higher-than-normal waves on nearshore property. (For additional information about wave and shore conditions, visit the Hawai‘i Ocean Observing System’s Swimmers, Surfers, and Beachcombers page.)

Watch the video at KITV4.com. Image courtesy of Steven Businger.

Small photo of Hurricane Iniki over the Hawaiian Islands.Reminder: Hurricane season is June 1st thru November 30th

Visit the NWS Central Pacific Hurricane Center for forecasts and information on how to be prepared. Other disaster news and preparedness info is found on the Civil Defense web site and in the Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Natural Hazards (available from UH Sea Grant). Learn about emergency management at UH Mānoa and find links to other agencies at the Campus Emergency Management Program web site.

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