A Sustainable Hawai‘i

The Hawai‘i Community Sustainability Initiative (E/ET-31).

A microcosm of other coastal communities, Hawai‘i possesses a range of coastal conditions and impacts that are present worldwide, including urbanization, population growth and increased pressure on the natural resource base. Hawai‘i can serve as a model for communities by developing the ability to use resources in a regenerative manner that does not harm future generations’ quality of life. As the state is forced to find ways to develop compatibly with limited land and scarce resources, it will provide a model for other coastal communities to develop. Working collaboratively with the different actors in the development process and bringing together the experts from the university and community will assure that the solutions created will have real world applicability. In partnership with the UH Office of Sustainability, this project proposes to continue to develop the Manoa campus as a model coastal community demonstrating state-of-the-art building environmental systems, sustainable water use and local waste treatment and recycling. Specific goals are 1) to plan, develop and coordinate an outreach program to bring business, academia, government, and the public together to move Hawai‘i to a sustainable future; 2) to develop the University of Hawai‘i and its Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology as models for sustainable coastal community development and resource use; 3) to further develop the Center of Smart Building and Community Design to assist communities in Hawai‘i in designing buildings that are less resource intensive and to build communities that use fewer resources, protect open space, less automobile dependent and remain livable.

E. Gordon Grau UH Sea Grant College Program 2525 Correa Road, HIG 238 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-7031 Fax: (808) 956-3014 E-mail: sgdir@hawaii.edu

Sustainable Aquaculture

Ultraviolet Radiation: Chemical and Ecological Bases of Fish Coping Mechanisms (R/FM-19).

Organisms must cope with a range of environmental factors; physical, chemical and biological, and have evolved mechanisms to deal with factors that have impacted them in their evolutionary history. This research seeks to understand the means by which organisms cope with the physical and physiological stress brought on by exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Specifically, this project aims to identify compounds used by fishes living in coral reef systems that block UVR and protect them from damage. Previous Sea Grant funded research has discovered such compounds in the surface mucus covering fishes bodies. Animals are not know to synthesize these UVR blocking amino acids and are thought to obtain them from their diets; this research will also examine target species diets to identify such compounds. Diet composition with regard to UVR blockers w also be correlated with UVR exposure. Knowledge of how living organisms cope with UVR exposure can provide crucial predictions as to how the organisms will respond (or not respond) to changing environmental conditions, as well as provide practical applications for sunscreens for cultured organisms and human use.

Robert A. Kinzie III UH Department of Zoology 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson Hall 255 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-6147 Fax: (808) 956-9812 Email: kinzie@hawaii.edu

Production of Copepod Eggs and Nauplii for Aquaculture (R/AQ-80).

A worldwide increase in demand for ornamental fish species coupled with a decline in wild populations has increased the need for captive cultivation of ornamental reef fishes and invertebrates. Captive cultivation of finfish, however, requires well-controlled delivery of adequate nutrition at the earliest feeding stages. Because of their small size, copepod nauplii are considered an optimum food source early in the growth phase of ornamentals. Unfortunately, our inability to mass produce copepod nauplii remains a bottleneck limiting the development of this industry. The goal of this research is to develop technology that reliably produces a steady source of live feeds appropriate for finfish larvae. To accomplish this goal, we propose to establish the biology of adult copepod survival and egg production under a range of conditions in captivity, thus providing the basic physiological parameters required to maintain stable populations and egg production; study egg preservation and hatching patterns under different conditions of controlled temperature, dissolved oxygen, and light cycling; combine the biological knowledge gained from objectives 1 and 2 with good engineering design of a bench-scale (5 to 10 liter) “prototype” continuous cultivation system for efficient collection, isolation, and initial preservation of copepod eggs, and; use the prototype continuous cultivation system in preliminary trials that yield data suggesting new biological studies or design modifications that would improve the design of the second, larger scale prototype model. This research will provide techniques to farm highly valued marine ornamentals, thus reducing fishing pressure on wild populations.

Petra H.Lenz University of Hawai‘i at Manoa 1993 East-West Road, Pacific Biosciences Research Center # 204 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-8003 Fax: (808) 956-6984 Email: petra@hawaii.edu

Marine Biotechnology

Isolation of antifouling compounds from marine algae (R/MP-19).

Within hours, non-biological man-made surfaces immersed in the marine environment undergo a succession of discrete physical, chemical, and biological events that ultimately result in the formation of a complex layer of attached organisms, otherwise known as a biofouling community. Unfortunately, these natural and complex communities degrade man made structures and foul oceanographic sensors, thus limiting lifetime and increasing maintenance costs. Because of this, biofouling is one of the most common and serious problems facing any technological application in the marine environment. If cell-cell signaling can be accepted as a global phenomenon that controls coordinate “community” phenotypes when population densities achieve a critical quorum, it is also acceptable, particularly in marine the environment, that an equally complex system exists that interferes with, or even exploits this cell-cell signaling system, and that the marine waters surrounding the Isles of Hawai‘i offer an abundant and rich resource of biological fauna that can be assayed for these compounds. The aim of this research is to identify antifouling compounds from marine algae. The identification of at least one relatively pure extract (or single compound) that shows significant bioactivity against behavior such as biofilm formation will provide the foundation for future research in natural products chemistry in Hawai‘i.

Michael J. Cooney UH Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute 1680 East-West Road, POST 104B Phone: (808) 956-7337 Fax: (808) 956-2336 Email: mcooney@hawaii.edu

Developing Non-Invasive Biotechnological Tools to Monitor Coral Health (R/CR-12).

Repeated insults in the marine environment over the past 30 years have driven significant declines in the health of coral reefs and raised concerns as to the future of these economically important ecosystems. The goal of this research is to identify a biological trait in corals that accurately reflects coral health, and that is temporally relevant to management and measurable through non-destructive sampling. This research proposes that the composition and metabolism of coral surface microlayer microbial communities (SMMC) represents such a trait and will characterize the coral SMMC in two coral species categorized as healthy, rendered health compromised and unhealthy via controlled exposures to environmental stressors that reflect globally and locally relevant scenarios. Results of this research have the potential to catalyze the exploration and development of microbial community signatures as health monitoring tools in a diversity of other marine and terrestrial systems and will be of interest and utility to coral reef scientists and resource managers across the globe.

Ruth D.Gates UH Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology P.O. Box 1346 Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744 Phone: (808) 236-7420 Fax: (808) 236-7443 Email: rgates@hawaii.edu

Biodiversity and Biotechnological Potentials of Marine Fungi in Hawai‘i (R/MP-18).

Although they play significant roles in nutrient regeneration cycles in the marine environment, marine fungi are an under-studied marine ecological group. Marine fungi are also a prolific source for pharmaceutical agents and industrial enzymes. The eight large islands of the Hawai‘i archipelago serve as ideal natural laboratories to examine marine fungi biodiversity and ecological significance. This research proposes to use integrated approaches to explore the diversity and biotechnological potentials of marine fungi on Oahu for enhanced management and utilization of marine natural resources and ecosystems. Specifically, it aims to isolate marine fungi from different marine habitats and identify fungal isolates using morphological and molecular approaches. New species will be screened for bioactivities and hydrolytic enzyme activities using traditional and engineered high throughput methods. To understand the potential impacts of human activities and environmental factors on fungal diversity, the data of different locations of Oahu will be compared, and the overall island data compared with that of other regions of the world. Research results will contribute to our knowledge of the ecological and biotechnological significance of marine fungi of the Hawaiian Islands as well as directly yield intellectual properties as a result of the biotechnological potentials of some isolated strains.

Guangyi Wang UH Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute 1680 East-West Road, POST 109 Phone: (808) 956-3744 Fax: (808) 956-2336 Email: guangyi@hawaii.edu

Nearshore Resources

Genetic stock resolution in deepwater snappers ehu (Etelis carbunculus) and onaga (Etelis coruscans) (R/FM-18).

Ehu and onaga support a traditional Hawaiian fishery, as well as important commercial and recreational catches throughout the U.S. Pacific Island territories. Evidence of decline and overfishing are apparent in fishery monitoring programs, especially in the main Hawaiian Islands. Under these circumstances, stock resolution is strongly mandated to provide a scientific foundation for recovery plans. Since conventional tagging and telemetry are not practical alternatives for deepwater snappers, fine-scale population genetic structure, as measured with microsatellite DNA loci, is the optimal basis for stock definition. The proposed research is a genetic survey of deepwater snappers onaga and ehu across U.S. jurisdictions of the central and western Pacific. The combination of microsatellite data and mitochondrial DNA sequences will provide a robust scientific foundation for designating management units for onaga and ehu. The results of this study will be available to fishery managers and other stakeholders and the proposed stock resolutions will be a fundamental foundation for management of these valuable fishery resources.

Brian R. Bowen UH Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology P.O. Box 1346 Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744 Phone: (808) 236-7426 Fax: (808) 236-7443 Email: bbowen@hawaii.edu

Material fluxes in Southern Kaneohe Bay: Impacts of sediment and nutrient inputs and physical processes on primary production, community structure and air-sea exchange of CO2 (R/EL-33).

Kaneohe Bay has a long history of nutrient and suspended sediment impacts from both point and non-point sources (NPS). In spite of abundant research conducted on this semi-enclosed coastal ecosystem, nearshore waters and tributary streams in southern Kaneohe Bay continue to be listed by the Hawai‘i State Department of Health, as moderately to severely impaired. Point sources have been mostly eliminated but bay ecosystems have not returned to pre-impact conditions. In particular, nuisance algae continue to out-compete corals in some areas of the bay. The objective of this study is to develop a detailed understanding of how nutrients associated with storm plumes fuel production and how community structure in the bay changes temporally with the evolution of fluvial input plumes. We anticipate that when storm nutrient residence time is sufficiently long to enhance primary productivity, the latter results in a pulse of particulate organic matter to the sea floor. Furthermore, we expect that pulses of fresh organic matter (produced in response to storms) as well as land-derived reactive organic and inorganic sediments that are deposited on the seafloor contribute to sustaining productivity in the bay. A corollary to this hypothesis is that excess nutrient loading of bay waters attributed to human activities in the southern Kaneohe Bay watershed may be responsible for maintenance of the nutritional requirements of nuisance algae through this set of processes. This study will utilize a combined approach of real-time data acquisition using an instrumented platform and a comprehensive synoptic sampling program throughout Kaneohe Bay and its watershed under a variety of environmental conditions. This research will yield a quantitative understanding of the effect of baseline and storm inputs of nutrient and reactive suspended sediments on nutrient and suspended sediment loading of Kaneohe Bay. This in turn will permit us to analyze the effect of this loading on primary production and community structure and their evolution over time during storm events.

Eric H. DeCarlo UH Department of Oceanography 1000 Pope Road, MSB 510 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-5924 Fax: (808) 956-7112 E-mail: edecarlo@soest.hawaii.edu

Mortality, habitat use, and growth for three important Hawaiian reef fishes; consequences of protection from aquarium fishing (R/FM-20).

It has become apparent that Hawaiian reef fisheries and overall reef health have begun to decline, primarily as a result of overfishing. Declining populations of herbivorous fishes have been implicated in the increase in alien algal invasions, as well as the general increase in algal abundance which is seen as an indicator of declining reef health. Concern regarding the effects of the commercial aquarium fish trade on fish populations on the west coast of Hawai‘i led to the creation of a marine protected area (MPA) network that restricts collection of aquarium fishes. Efforts are in motion to assess the success of this management in terms of gross estimates of fish population size, but no study has been done to understand the processes operating in these systems that might lead to designing protected areas in response to the ecological and life history requirements of young fish settling to the reefs. The overall goal of this project is to characterize and quantify natural mortality, movement, population age structure and growth rates of our focal fish species (yellow tang, kole, and brown surgeonfish), as they affect these exploited populations in West Hawai‘i. Research findings will provide novel insights into how MPAs function, contributing to assessing and understanding the effectiveness of existing protected areas and improving designs for ecologically effective MPAs. In Hawai‘i, these results would be especially useful to managers of reefs and reef fishes, especially in West Hawai‘i with its recent MPAs and continuing aquarium fishery pressure.

James D. Parrish 2538 McCarthy Mall, Edmondson Hall 165A Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-8350 Fax: (808) 956-4238 Email: parrishj@hawaii.edu

Microbial Community Responses to Environmental Forcing in Kaneohe Bay (R/EL-37).

The enclosed waters of Kaneohe Bay and its watershed are of economic interest and ecological concern to the state of Hawai‘i and surrounding communities. Increased nutrient and sediment loading can have a negative impact on the bay ecosystem, including the health of coral reefs, marine organisms, and humans. In addition, coastal development can lead to degraded coastal ecosystems through increasing point- and non-point source runoff influenced by sewage disposal and agricultural activities. Despite their central role in aquatic ecology and biogeochemistry and contribution to diseases of marine organisms and humans, the microbial communities of Kaneohe Bay have not been characterized. Our goal is to provide a descriptive and predictive understanding of the linkages among microbial community composition and dynamics, biogeochemical cycling, and environmental forcing in the waters of Kaneohe Bay, Hawai‘i. This project aims to provide the first molecular phylogenetic and functional gene characterization of the microbial communities within the Kaneohe Bay ecosystem; document the responses of microbial community composition and activity to storm and wind events and; link the distribution and dynamics of microbial communities to geochemical and physical Bay processes. This research will provide the first sequence database of Kaneohe Bay microbial species. The research will also track microbial community structure in response to environmental forcing, and through collaborations, describe links between community structure and biogeochemical cycling. Through collaborative sampling, we will map plumes of contaminated freshwater runoff, track the fate of sewage derived microbes and determine the impact of plumes on bacterial biomass and community composition. The archived nucleic acid samples and the contextual sequence information from this study will provide a resource for other researchers wishing to perform retrospective analyses on samples to track other microbial groups.

Michael S. Rappe UH Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology P.O. Box 1346 Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744 Phone: (808) 236-7464 Fax: (808) 236-7443 Email: rappe@hawaii.edu

Genetic partitions and stock structure in Hawaiian opihi (Gastropoda: Cellana spp.) (R/CR-14).

Opihi (limpets) are commercially and culturally important in Hawai‘i and have suffered a serious population declines. A thorough understanding of the genetic partitions and stock structure of these three species will facilitate informed, intelligent management plans. The aim of this research is to develop, test and use microsatellite DNA markers to document high-resolution patterns of genetic stock structure in opihi (Cellana exarata, C. sandwicensis, and C. talcosa). This research will provide a range-wide atlas of allelic diversity and stock structure for three of the endemic Hawaiian limpets (C. exarata, C. sandwicensis, and C. talcosa), and a resolution of the taxonomic status of the more controversial C. melanostoma. Opihi stock definition will contribute directly to the management of Hawaiian fishery resources, and will enhance the scientific basis for designing and implementing marine protected areas to conserve these animals.

Robert J. Toonen UH Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology P.O. Box 1346 Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744 Phone: (808) 236-7425 Fax: (808) 236-7443 Email: toonen@hawaii.edu

Bioavailability of natural and anthropogenic dissolved and particulate organic matter from Hilo Bay ahupuaa (R/EL-38).

In Hawai‘i, there is a tremendous economic reliance on the quality and health of coastlines. Thus, it is imperative that the fate and impacts of terrestrial inputs to coastal waters are quantified. Hilo Bay is an important wildlife and fishery area and one of the longest, most accessible and least used sand beaches on the island of Hawai‘i. Hilo Bay has been listed by Hawaii’s DOH and US EPA as one of the seven most troubled watersheds in Hawai‘i, having high turbidity and nutrients. The Wailuku River is the largest source of surface water to Hilo Bay and largest perennial river in the state. This project aims to quantify how the amount, quality, and detrital processing of organic matter differs in time and space in the Wailuku River. Field and laboratory experiments will be used to examine urbanization effects on riverine organic matter dynamics. This study will generate baseline water quality data for the Wailuku River which is necessary for developing a long-term nutrient monitoring program and a restoration plan for Hilo Bay. Managers will be able to use this information to develop cost-effective programs to reduce non-point and point sources of inorganic and organic nutrients to Hilo Bay and other regional estuaries.

Tracy N. Wiegner 100 Pope Road, Marine Science Building 111 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 933-3904 Fax: (808) 974-7693 Email: wiegner@hawaii.edu

Coastal Hazards

Inverse Algorithm for Tsunami Forecast (R/EP-20).

Tsunamis pose a severe threat to coastal communities in the Pacific and often give very little warning time. A tsunami height forecast model has recently improved predictability, but does not included inundation; the criteria for evacuation employed by civil defense agencies. Numerical models of inundation, while realistic, require time consumptive computations for Pacific basin wide events that limit their effectiveness for emergency actions. The inverse algorithm substantially reduces the computational requirements through real-time data assimilation and allows timely forecasts of tsunami inundation in emergency situations.
The goal of this research is to extend a recently developed tsunami height forecast model to include inundation. The objectives are to compile a database of boundary conditions for real-time inundation modeling at selected sites in Hawai‘i, develop a reliability model to compute the confidence-interval bounds of inundation forecasts, and verify the results with historical events. The proposed work complements the collaborative effort of the PI with other NOAA agencies in providing a comprehensive tsunami forecast package for the Pacific. The research results also benefit a long-term project of the PI funded by the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program in collaboration with local government agencies and emergency managers to update the tsunami evacuation maps for Hawai‘i. This work will improve human safety and economic survival of coastal cities in Hawai‘i and throughout the Pacific Rim.

Kwok Fai Cheung UH Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering 2540 Dole Street, Holmes 403 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-3485 Fax: (808) 956-3498 E-mail: cheung@oe.soest.hawaii.edu

Littoral-cell high hazard zones for improved coastal management: historical and modeling approaches to integrating multiple hazards (R/EP-26).

In Hawai‘i, shorelines have suffered historical beach degradation, land loss, and property damage due to chronic erosion, tsunami inundation, storm surge, and high wave events. Erosion has reached the point where private and public holdings are widely threatened. The use of shoreline armoring in these areas has led to significant and widespread beach loss and reduced shoreline access. This threatens community recreation, scenic views, tourism, and littoral ecosystems. In order to avoid the repetition of these losses in the future it is important to map multi-hazard zones and create more comprehensive development guidelines. This project will take the first step toward defining a multi-hazard setback on Hawaiian shores. Rate-based setbacks are now seeing increased use in Hawai‘i. While an improvement to past arbitrary distance setbacks, they largely ignore the specific presence of coastal hazards other than erosion. This may prove to be a weakness in their ability to guide coastal development. Coastal hazards such as tsunami inundation, storm surge, and high-wave run-up are not specifically quantified and mitigation is largely incidental rather than intentional. The objective of this project is to define a methodology that integrates all coastal hazards at the scale of a littoral cell and that outlines a comprehensive coastal management tool that takes into account multiple hazardous processes. Two representative littoral cells on the islands of Kauai and Oahu will be the subject of a multi-hazard analysis. Using bathymetric and topographic LIDAR, sites will be modeled for high wave run-up, storm surge, and tsunami inundation. Erosion hazard zones will be defined using historical shoreline analysis. Modeling results will be compiled as a series of overlays including the FEMA "A zone." Planning guidelines will be developed for each littoral cell that define annual, decadal, 50-year, and 100-year hazard zones. The results of this project will be an integrated analysis of coastal hazards and publication of planning guidelines based on these results. After consultation with county and state management authorities we will recommend a methodology for integrating these results into planning. Adoption of our results should result in improved environmental protection, increased hazard mitigation, and insurance premium decreases.

Charles M. Fletcher UH Department of Geology and Geophysics 1680 East-West Road, POST 721C Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-2582 Fax: (808) 956-5512 E-mail: fletcher@soest.hawaii.edu

Environmental Education and Literacy

Graduate Trainee Program (E/ET-38).

In the past, the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant College Program (UHSGCP) has supported graduate students whose research was directly linked to projects funded through the biennial Omnibus award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Beginning in March 2003, students supported by this program have been known as UHSGCP Graduate Trainees. The goal of the Trainee Program is to continually develop methods to enhance student effectiveness and use UHSGCP resources to add value to these efforts. Program components include a welcome meeting for Trainees at UHSGCP, a more formal mid-year orientation program at UHSGCP, 15 hours of extension service conducted by the trainee, and an article written by each Trainee to be included in the quarterly UHSGCP magazine, Ka Pili Kai. Ultimate project results will include 1) Sea Grant-supported research of high excellence, 2) enhanced strong and positive academic interactions between principle investigators and their graduate students, 3) enhanced awareness and execution of outreach activities, and 4) Marine and coastal scientists and professionals who understand, value, and contribute to the realization of the greater Sea Grant mission.

E. Gordon Grau UH Sea Grant College Program 2525 Correa Road, HIG 238 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-7031 Fax: (808) 956-3014 E-mail: sgdir@hawaii.edu

Development of Sustainability Case Studies (E/ET-49).

Understanding complex interrelated scientific principles germane to sustainability discussions (e.g. climate’s effect on water resources) can be difficult, especially when the interested party may come from an educational background with little to no formal scientific training. Recent advances in information technology now allow for the production of high quality, interactive, animated, computer software/modules that can be delivered electronically (independent of the users platform – e.g. PC vs. Mac) via the web. The animated interactive modules will provide a powerful and engaging tool for instructors, resource managers, etc. explain or understand complicated interrelated scientific concepts that are difficult to grasp without interactivity and animation, but have been traditionally left to textbook explanation. The objective of the proposed work is to coordinate the development of four case studies on the sustainability of water, wetland, energy, and fishery resources that will be available in either hard or electronic copy via the web. The electronic format of the web-deliverable versions of each case study allows for the incorporation of interactive animated modules and movies. The completed case studies will be used by undergraduate and graduate educators and programs (e.g. at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa). In addition, Sea Grant will be able to offer the compiled case studies to its member institutions and government agencies (local, state, and federal) for training/education purposes and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric will be able to use the compiled case studies to train/educate personnel on scientific/legal/human dimensions of wetland, water, energy, and fishery sustainability issues.

Fred T. Mackenzie UH Department of Oceanography and Department of Geology/Geophysics 1000 Pope Road, MSB 525 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-6344 Fax: (808) 956-7112 E-Mail: fredm@soest.hawaii.edu

Regional Extension Network Support (A/AS-6).

In collaboration with the American Samoa Community College and the University of Hawai‘i, the UHSGCP’s Regional Extension Network will continue to offer expertise and extension assistance in aquaculture and marine science. The on-island extension specialist based at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) is an instructor in marine sciences at ASCC and initiates and coordinates student research projects, internships and service learning programs for students. The extension program facilitates and provides opportunities for collaboration between University of Hawai‘i and ASCC faculty, and American Samoa communities and agencies in areas currently defined by the regional aquaculture industry. In addition to these efforts, the Regional Extension program continues to provide technical assistance to local tilapia farmers in the development of the aquaculture industry, and is the on-site liaison for the development of the giant clam village training program.

Darren Okimoto UH Sea Grant College Program 2525 Correa Road, HIG 238 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-7031 Fax: (808) 956-3014 E-Mail: okimotod@hawaii.edu

Tourism and Ocean and Coastal Related Activities

Noise and the Acoustic Environment of Baleen Whales (R/TR-6).

Humpback whales are both a natural and economic coastal resource in Hawai‘i through coastal activities such as whale watching. However, concerns regarding the affect of the ocean’s increasingly complex acoustic environment on large whales have been postulated. The goal of this research is to determine the effect of sound and anthropogenic noise on baleen whales through characterization of their natural baseline acoustic environment with respect to conspecific sound. Specific objectives include the monitoring of song chorusing sounds on a long term basis that covers days, weeks, and months; characterization of the acoustic properties and behavioral contexts of humpback whale social sounds, and; inferring the potential for acoustic disturbance of baleen whales by differentiating between natural and anthropogenic noise. Whale song will be measured using four remote monitoring units spaced along the Maui coast, and an acoustic model of cumulative chorusing energy levels will be developed. Social sounds will be studied through close tracking of humpback social groups, combining a towed hydrophone array with new digital acoustic tags on focal animals. Tags will attach via suction cup and record sound and dive behavior for the duration of the several-hour attachment. This combination of methods will allow localization of vocalizing animals and full characterization of the sounds they are producing. This project includes an education outreach component through collaboration with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. This public education component will include public talks and development of outreach media. The acoustic data will also assist regulatory agencies in establishing anthropogenic noise limits in the oceans, helping to ensure the continuance of Hawaii’s coastal and economic resource for future generations.

Whitlow Au UH Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology P.O. Box 1346 Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i 96744 Phone: (808) 247-5026 Fax: (808) 247-5831 E-mail: wau@hawaii.edu

Swell Interference Patterns in Traditional Marshall Island Navigation (R/EP-27).

Traditional navigators of the Marshall Islands remotely sense atolls by interpreting interference patterns of deep-ocean swells as they are disrupted by land and interact with each other; however, the physical processes for these wave transformations and indigenous models to explain them are poorly understood. In order to revive Marshallese voyaging, community elders with surviving knowledge recently formed Waan Aelon in Majel (WAM). After reconstructing large sailing canoes, they now aim to revive, through the knowledge of navigators, the traditional ways of navigating by swell interference patterns. Through anthropological and oceanographic research, WAM aims to provide Marshallese with a greater appreciation of their nearly forgotten seafaring heritage and marine environment. The goals of this project are to investigate and model swell interference patterns used in traditional Marshall Island navigation from the perspectives of both indigenous and oceanographic knowledge and methods, and to disseminate results within both the scientific and Marshallese communities. The main objectives are 1) to combine both anthropological and oceanographical approaches to resolve an issue in ancient technology in such a way that it may also enhance our understanding of ocean dynamics as well as of Marshallese navigation; 2) to manage the collaborative effort between University of Hawai‘i at Manoa scientists and members of the local canoe revival project (WAM) and other local organizations so that as we learn we are also helping to revive traditional navigation and spread knowledge of it for the benefit of the Marshallese people, particularly the students; and 3) to provide a model of how scientific research and community action can be collaboratively organized for synergy and mutual benefit. In addition to disseminating the results of this study in peer-reviewed anthropological, oceanographic and other scientific journals, this project will also work with writers, filmmakers and education specialists to produce curriculum materials, videos and pamphlets for use in Marshallese schools (K-12, plus the College of the Marshall Islands). The project will also develop web-based materials, including interactive computer models of wave transformations and swell pattern recognition. These will be developed in coordination with WAM, the Alele Museum on Majuro Atoll, and local schools, and introduced to Marshallese teachers and students through workshops hosted by University of Hawai‘i at Manoa researchers and graduate students from the departments of anthropology and oceanography. In addition, the project will work with WAM to integrate these materials in the curriculum of their own School of Navigation.

Mark M. Merrifield UH Department of Oceanography 1000 Pope Road, MSB 317A Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96822 Phone: (808) 956-6161 Fax: (808) 956-2352 E-mail: markm@soest.hawaii.edu