The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary oftwo milestone events of early El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) research that involved Klaus Wyrtki of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, a pioneering oceanographer who made groundbreaking contributions to scientific understanding of ENSO. In 1975, he published his seminal Journal of Physical Oceanography paper, “El Niño—The dynamic response of the equatorial Pacific Ocean to atmospheric forcing”, and launched the El Niño Watch Expedition to verify the first ever El Niño forecast based on a statistical model using the Southern Oscillation Index.
Symposium
A three-day symposium will be held at the East West Center in Honolulu to celebrate the legacy of Klaus Wyrtki and discuss the state-of-the-art of El Niño-Southern Oscillation research and other aspects of Wyrtki’s research program.
Abstract submissions are invited on all aspects of ENSO research, with special focus on ENSO dynamics, modeling, prediction, and impacts, as well as other research that was inspired by Wyrtki’s scientific contributions. The deadline to submit an abstract is October 15, 2024.
We strongly recommend submitting abstracts as soon as possible as the number of attendees will be limited to ~130.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers: Magdalena Alonso Balmaseda (ECMWF, European Union) Wenju Cai (Ocean University of China, China) Suzana Camargo (Columbia University, USA) Mark Cane (Columbia University, USA) Yassir Eddebbar (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA) Fei-Fei Jin (UH Mānoa, USA) Roger Lukas (UH Mānoa, USA) Mark Merrifield (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA) Janet Sprintall (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, USA) Andrea Taschetto (University of New South Wales, Australia) Axel Timmermann (IBS Center for Climate Physics, South Korea)
Scientific Organizing Committee: Malte F. Stuecker (UH Mānoa, USA, chair), Wenju Cai (Ocean University of China, China), Antonietta Capotondi (NOAA PSL), Sophie Cravatte (IRD, France), Fei-Fei Jin (UH Mānoa, USA), Jong-Seong Kug (Seoul National University, South Korea), Michael J. McPhaden (NOAA PMEL, USA), Samantha Stevenson (UC Santa Barbara, USA), Ken Takahashi (IGP, Peru), Andrea Taschetto (University of New South Wales, Australia), Andrew Wittenberg (NOAA GFDL), Wenjun Zhang (Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, China), Christina Karamperidou (ex-officio; UH Mānoa, USA)
Local Organizing Committee: Kellie Terada (kterada@hawaii.edu) & Aimee Nakajima (nakajima@hawaii.edu)
Questions should be directed to: symp2025@hawaii.edu
Course
The symposium will be followed by a nine-day Winter School, focusing on the fundamental dynamics of ENSO, with the goal to inspire, educate, and empower the next generation of researchers who will advance ENSO theory, prediction, and applications. More information about the course and a registration form can be found on the website above.
It is estimated that scientists have discovered only one percent of the yeast species thought to exist on Earth. With a four-year, $1 million project, funded by the National Science Foundation, Anthony Amend, professor in the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), hopes to change this—by shedding light on what is known as a ‘dark area’ of the fungal tree of life.
Yeasts impact human health and food safety, play critical roles in ecosystems. Some of these produce high-value oils and pigments which are a key element in certain pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food additives.
Amend along with a team of researchers and graduate students will partner with Hi‘ipaka LLC at the Waimea Botanical Garden, O‘ahu Army Natural Resource Program, and Honolulu Zoo to collect yeasts from plants, soils, streams, and animals on O‘ahu. They will systematically isolate and describe yeasts present in these environments using a combination of genome sequencing, and new technology to get these cultures to grow under laboratory conditions.
“Because we know so little about yeast diversity and their distributions, it’s difficult to understand the evolutionary history of the larger fungal tree of life, including mushrooms, medicines, and plant symbionts upon which human livelihoods rely,” said Amend. “This project will make it so much easier to identify pathogens, and will help us to understand the cryptic biological diversity comprising microbiomes that reside inside plants and animals.”
UH advancing frontiers of microbiome research
This project stems directly from Amend and other UH researchers’ previous work sampling the Waimea watershed to understand how microbiomes are connected by foodwebs at large scales. Preliminary analysis from the Waimea samples showed that Hawai‘i, remarkably, contains yeast diversity equal to about half of all yeast species described worldwide.
“Had it not been for the sustained collaborations of botanists, stream ecologists, marine biologists, and soil scientists working together to understand microbiomes, we’d never have this type of holistic picture of Hawaiian diversity,” shared Amend. “This is also a testament to our culture in Hawai’i and at UH Mānoa of sharing data and working towards a common purpose. This contributes to the growing reputation of UH Mānoa as a leader in environmental microbiome research.”
Amend anticipates identifying potentially hundreds of novel yeast species. These new insights into yeast diversity will be used to predict global species diversity, host and habitat specificity, and diversity hotspots. They plan to work with Hawaiian cultural practitioner Sam Gon to give every new species an ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi-Latin name.
“Lots of studies suggest that Hawaiian biodiversity is uniquely endemic,” said Amend. “I’m excited to see whether that extends to Hawaiian microbes like fungi. Additionally, we’ve already shown that these yeasts are important for Hawaiian conservation and even plastic degradation, so this biodiversity discovery work might be the first step in breakthrough technology.”
The majority of refrigerants, called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), are used in heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) systems. HVACR systems account for almost 10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions because of leaks that release HFCs into the atmosphere and the significant amount of energy it takes to operate them.
The new NSF Gen-4 ERC Environmentally Applied Refrigerant Technology Hub (EARTH) aims to create a transformative “sustainable refrigerant lifecycle” by lowering HFC emissions; creating safe, property-balanced replacement refrigerants; and increasing the energy efficiency of HVACR systems.
“Understanding the underlying chemistry of new refrigerants in the atmosphere is central to defining the impact onto our climate and ultimately the rise of sea levels,” said UH Mānoa Professor Ralf I. Kaiser (Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences), the UH project lead. “We will be developing a tightly integrated collaborative network to predict for the first time the atmospheric impact of potential new refrigerants before they are incorporated into HVACR systems. This is just one aspect of UHʻs role in this important project.”
Gen-4 NSF Engineering Research Center
Along with UH, ERC EARTH includes teams from University of Notre Dame, Lehigh University, University of South Dakota, University of Maryland and project lead University of Kansas. The group was selected from among hundreds of other proposed centers following a highly competitive two-year review process. NSF currently supports just 15 ERCs in advanced manufacturing, energy and environment, health and infrastructure.
Rooftop air conditioning units
“For UH to be part of a team selected for a NSF Engineering Research Center just speaks volumes to the quality of our researchers and personnel,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno. “I cannot overstate its significance, and this groundbreaking project positions UH at the forefront of climate change mitigation while addressing a critical challenge to Hawaiʻi and the world.”
NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said ERCs ask big questions in order to catalyze solutions with far reaching impacts.
“NSF Engineering Research Centers are powerhouses of discovery and innovation, bringing America’s great engineering minds to bear on our toughest challenges,” said Panchanathan. “By collaborating with industry and training the workforce of the future, ERCs create an innovation ecosystem that can accelerate engineering innovations, producing tremendous economic and societal benefits for the nation.”
“Hawaiʻi is increasingly vulnerable to global warming and its impacts, including more frequent and severe weather extremes and sea level rise,” Kaiser said. “Sea level rise, which exacerbates flooding, coastal inundation and erosion, poses a serious threat not only to Hawaiʻi, but also to major population centers along the Pacific Rim, such as Japan and Australia.”
Kaiser and Sun’s groups will study the atmospheric chemistry of gas phase refrigerants and their interaction with atmospheric ice particles. Kaiser’s group will employ crossed molecular beams and acoustic levitators to study the fate of refrigerants in the atmosphere. The efforts are complimented by Sun’s computer simulations with artificial intelligence to understand the reaction at the atomistic detail.
“By following this approach, we will avoid the mistakes done in the 1970s, when chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), an otherwise excellent refrigerant, resulted in catastrophic ozone depletion,” Sun said.
Karamperidou, a co-leader of the ERC’s research thrust on novel and safe refrigerants, will integrate the experimental and computational data into climate models to study the impacts of HFCs, their replacement compounds, and novel cooling technologies and practices on climate and atmospheric circulation.
“As temperatures continue to rise and with them the frequency and intensity of heat waves, so does the need for refrigeration and air conditioning,” said Karamperidou. “This leads to increased refrigerant use and related greenhouse gas emissions, and a vicious cycle between HVACR and global warming that needs to be better understood and ultimately broken.”
Matteson will place the modern demand for cooling and its social, environmental, and economic impacts into historical context. She notes that air conditioning technology was first developed in the early twentieth century and didn’t become widespread in U.S. homes until the 1970s.
“Now, extreme heat is affecting our health, learning and productivity, and exacerbating disparities between the haves and have-nots,” said Matteson. “Mitigating HFCs’ harmful effects while ensuring that everyone can function at a livable temperature is a vital social justice issue that needs to be driven by historical understanding as much as science.”
As part of the center, UH Mānoa will also establish a new interdisciplinary graduate program in atmospheric chemistry (College of Natural Sciences and SOEST) to train future leaders in chemistry, atmospheric science and environmental science.
Diversity and Culture of Inclusion
Barnett will manage the Diversity and Culture of Inclusion (DCI) for the ERC, spearheading initiatives to support and advance EARTH’s diversity goals for students, faculty and staff. A major focus is to recruit and increase participation of Indigenous and tribal communities.
“I am looking forward to this opportunity to bring our commitment to diversity to our partner universities and to this important effort,” said Barnett. “This is a global issue that we are trying to address and one of the keys to success is to ensure that all voices are being considered and heard and offered an equitable opportunity to affect change.”
“For our team to be leading the DCI initiatives for the entire ERC shows how UH, and Hawaiʻi in general, lead the nation in these types of efforts,” said Bruno. “We are committed to being a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning and fully embracing our multicultural and multi-ethnic communities. This is an opportunity to extend that forward thinking to the continent.”
Allen Vincent, a 4th year Chemistry PhD student in Sun’s lab, is the President of the Student Leadership Council (SLC) for ERC EARTH. He leads an active council of 26 students from the partner institutions who are all involved in research and academic activities for the ERC. The SLC will work closely with DCI efforts to address the ERC culture, diversity and recruitment of students.
Workforce training
ERC EARTH will work with industry to develop workforce goals that will involve community colleges to address workforce gaps. The UH team will work with the UH community colleges through coordinated outreach and training to prepare the next generation of HVACR workers.
“This project demonstrates the amazing synergies we can achieve when our campuses work together,” said UH President David Lassner. “Our world-class researchers will be developing solutions to a major challenge facing the planet with the commitment to train not just the next generation of researchers but also helping our community colleges train local residents for the high-quality jobs that will need to be filled to install and maintain newer systems that are more climate-friendly to our planet.”
More about ERC EARTH
The initial $26-million award is eligible for renewal for five additional years until 2034. NSF’s ERC program brings technology-based industry and universities together to strengthen the competitive position of American industry in the global marketplace. This ERC has interacting foundational components that go beyond the research project, including engineering workforce development and value creation within an innovation ecosystem that will outlast the lifetime of the ERC.
In a study published today in Royal Society Open Science, researchers at the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at UH Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) and Alaska Whale Foundation (AWF) consider a new designation of the humpback whales they study: tool wielders. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” to hunt, but they have learned that the animals don’t just create the bubble nets; they manipulate this unique tool in a variety of ways to maximize their food intake in Alaskan feeding grounds. This novel research demystifies a behavior key to the whales’ survival and offers a compelling case for including humpbacks among the rare animals that manufacture and wield their own tools.
“Many animals use tools to help them find food,” explains Professor Lars Bejder, co-lead author of the study and Director of MMRP, “but very few actually create or modify these tools themselves. We discovered that solitary humpback whales in southeast (SE) Alaska craft complex bubble nets to catch krill, which are tiny shrimp-like creatures. These whales skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form nets with internal rings, actively controlling details like the number of rings, the size and depth of the net, and the spacing between bubbles. This method lets them capture up to seven times more prey in a single feeding dive without using extra energy. This impressive behavior places humpback whales among the rare group of animals that both make and use their own tools for hunting.”
Infographic showing features of the bubble-net.
Success in hunting is key for the whalesʻ survival. The population of humpback whales in SE Alaska overwinters in Hawaiʻi, and their energy budget for the entire year depends on their ability to capture enough food during summer and fall in SE Alaska. Unraveling the nuances of their carefully honed hunting technique sheds light on how migratory humpback whales consume enough calories to traverse the Pacific Ocean.
Advanced tools & partnerships are key to demystifying whale behavior
Marine mammals known as cetaceans include whales, dolphins, and porpoises, and they are notoriously difficult to study. Advances in research tools are making it easier to track and understand their behavior, and in this instance, researchers employed specialty tags and drones to study the whalesʻ movements from above and below the water.
“We deployed non-invasive suction-cup tags on whales and flew drones over solitary bubble-netting humpback whales in SE Alaska, collecting data on their underwater movements,” shares co-author and MMRP researcher William Gough. The tools have incredible capability, but honing them takes practice. Gough reflects, “Whales are a difficult group to study, requiring skill and precision to successfully tag and/or drone them.”
The logistics of working in a remote location in SE Alaska brought its own challenges to the research. “We are so grateful to our research partners at the Alaska Whale Foundation (AWF) for their immense knowledge of the local area and the whales in that part of the world,” emphasizes Bejder. “This research would not have been possible without the strong collaborative effort with AWF.”
More insights and improved management to come
Cetaceans throughout the globe face a slough of threats that range from habitat degradation, climate change, fisheries, to chemical and noise pollution. One quarter of the 92 known cetacean species are at risk of extinction, and there is a clear and urgent need to implement effective conservation strategies on their behalf. How the animals hunt is key to their survival, and understanding this essential behavior makes resource managers better poised to adeptly monitor and conserve the feeding grounds that are critical to their survival.
“This little-studied foraging behavior is wholly unique to humpback whales,” notes Gough. “It’s so incredible to see these animals in their natural habitat, performing behaviors that only a few people ever get to see. And it’s rewarding to be able to come back to the lab, dive into the data, and learn about what they’re doing underwater once they disappear from view.”
With powerful new tools in researchersʻ hands, many more exciting cetacean behavioral discoveries lie on the horizon. “This is a rich dataset that will allow us to learn even more about the physics and energetics of solitary bubble-netting,” shares Bejder. “There is also data coming in from humpback whales performing other feeding behaviors, such as cooperative bubble-netting, surface feeding, and deep lunge feeding, allowing for further exploration of this population’s energetic landscape and fitness.”
“What I find exciting is that humpbacks have come up with complex tools allowing them to exploit prey aggregations that otherwise would be unavailable to them,” says Dr. Andy Szabo, AWF Executive Director and study co-lead. “It is this behavioral flexibility and ingenuity that I hope will serve these whales well as our oceans continue to change.”
This groundbreaking work was made possible with support from Lindblad Expeditions – National Geographic Fund, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and a Department of Defense (DOD) Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) grant.
This study was conducted under a NOAA permit issued to Alaska Whale Foundation (no. 19703). All research was conducted under institution IACUC approvals.
With $4.2M in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Materials Research and Education Consortium at the University of Hawai‘i (UH) at Mānoa, in partnership with the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at the University of Washington, will engage diverse researchers to foster key materials science breakthroughs in clean energy and sustainability and create new STEM pathways that integrate Hawaiian knowledge with materials research at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Led by UH Mānoa researcher Godwin Severa, the consortium will focus research efforts on solutions for challenges facing Hawai‘i, including reliance on imported fuels for electricity and transportation, resource and waste management, soil erosion, and ocean contamination exacerbated by climate change.
“I am excited about increasing the number of diverse students trained in materials research,” said Severa, who is a faculty member in the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology (HIGP) at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “The students trained on this project will increase Hawaiʻi’s materials science workforce in the future, helping develop critical materials towards reducing our dependence on costly imported fuels for electricity and transportation and mitigating the effects of soil erosion and ocean contamination.”
“Our focus on novel materials within the project is all about turning scientific breakthroughs into real-world environmental solutions,” added Przemyslaw Dera, project co-investigator and HIGP researcher. “We are committed to developing materials that will contribute to sustainable technologies and help protect our planet.”
Expanding opportunities
Since 2004, the NSF Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program has broadened access to materials science-focused skills and opportunities by supporting strategic partnerships between minority-serving institutions and NSF-funded research centers and facilities at research-intensive institutions.
“We are especially excited to give Consortium students the opportunity to expand their horizons,” said Hope Ishii, project co-investigator and astromaterials research scientist and affiliate faculty in SOEST. “We will create opportunities for them to use cutting-edge transmission electron microscopy on their own samples in a national laboratory, take tours at three national laboratories in California, and meet materials science experts. These kinds of experiences and connections are key to expanding their network of professional contacts when they start looking for jobs.”
Building on previous success
This project builds on the success of the team’s previous material science seed project at UH Mānoa, which engaged O‘ahu middle/high school students, more than 20 UH Mānoa students, and six faculty through materials science research, education, and outreach activities.
UH and UW faculty and students meet at UH to accelerate PREM research, education and outreach activities.
In continuing to work with Hawai‘i middle and high schools, Kamehameha Schools, UH community colleges and US national facilities, the team will broaden materials science education in Hawai‘i. To increase the place-based value of curriculum, they will develop K-12 workshops and new UH Mānoa courses that incorporate Hawaiian cultural perspectives.
“Engaging with UH students and faculty in our PREM collaboration has been THE highlight of my academic career,” said Lilo Pozzo, co-principal investigator and Boeing-Roundhill Professor at University of Washington. “There is no better immediate reward for a professor than to directly observe the enthusiasm, growth, and curiosity that students demonstrate as they experience this unique program in advanced materials research. The fact that we also tackle pressing challenges in island sustainability, and integrate cultural and place-based learning methodologies makes it an even more impactful and rewarding learning experience for all of us involved.”
“This UH-UW partnership offers many opportunities to Hawaiʻi’s K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students,” added Severa. “The unique outreach programs we have planned will solidify sustainable pathways for people from underrepresented groups to enter and succeed in STEM fields.”
Fernanda Henderikx-Freitas, assistant professor at University of Hawaii, is the lead principal investigator of the PACE validation team called the Hawai’i Ocean Time-series program for validation of the PACE Mission in oligotrophic waters (HOT-PACE). The group is one of many in a campaign set out to gather data around the world to check the accuracy of information from NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite up in orbit. She and her team recently took to the seas for the first segment of a three-year campaign to study the phytoplankton in the ocean surrounding Hawaii.
Henderikx-Freitas talked with Erica McNamee, science writer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, for the following blog post.
Where did you go for your field campaign and why did you choose that location?
We went to Station ALOHA, which is about 62.1 miles (100 kilometers) north of Oahu. It is a site that has been visited nearly monthly since 1988 as part of a long-term sampling program called the Hawaiian Ocean Time-series (HOT). We piggybacked on one of their monthly cruises, which last 4-7 days. We’re hoping to continue gathering data there for the next three years. Since there’s been oceanographic data collected at Station ALOHA for over 35 years now, we understand a lot of what the ocean properties should look like, which makes it a perfect location for a satellite validation site where data accuracy is so important.
MSc student Paige Dillen on HOT351 collecting water samples from the CTD rosette for the HOT-PACE validation project. Credit: Fernanda Henderikx-Freitas
How are you gathering your data?
We are focusing on the very basic information about how light interacts with water, which we need to validate PACE’s data. Whenever we see the clear sky overhead and we know the PACE satellite is close by, we’re going to be out there collecting water. We run seawater through special filters that get immediately frozen at minus 112 Fahrenheit (minus 80 degrees Celsius) for later analysis in the lab back on land where we determinate pigment composition and absorption properties by particles and dissolved materials in the water.
We also have a series of instruments that measure the total absorption and scattering properties of particles in the water at high resolution using a pump system where water is diverted from a depth of about 23 feet (7 meters) into the ship laboratories.
Finally, we have instruments that we throw in the water that look at the light profile in the water column, as well as another instrument that we point at the sky to look at optical properties of the atmospheric path between us and the satellite.
How do the instruments that you use compare to what PACE uses up in orbit?
PACE is a hyperspectral satellite, and on the ship we have hyperspectral sensors that look at both the absorption and scattering properties of seawater. These properties are key for informing satellite models that try to convert the raw reflectance signal that the satellite receives to meaningful quantities that we are interested in. For example, quantities of organic and inorganic carbon concentrations or phytoplankton-specific concentrations. Throughout our first cruise, which lasted five days, we had these instruments on the entire time, so that maximizes the chance of us getting a match up with the satellite.
We also have a hyperspectral radiometer that we use to profile the water column once a day while on the cruise — this radiometer has as many wavelengths as PACE has, and provides the closest type of data to the data measured by the satellite, which makes it incredibly important and useful in validation and calibration efforts.
How are you planning on using PACE data in your own research?
We are very interested in better understanding the relationships between bulk optical properties of the water and phytoplankton community structure, a research area that we think PACE is very well poised to help advance. Paige Dillen is a graduate student on our team who will go on every cruise to collect validation data for PACE and will also base her whole project on PACE. She’ll be looking at the relationships between pigment composition and phytoplankton absorption, which could help develop and improve satellite algorithms in the future.
What do you enjoy about field work?
I love seeing the night sky out here. You just look up and you see the Milky Way and meteor showers because you’re so remote. You can’t get it anywhere else. Seeing all the wonderful microscopic creatures is also amazing — we have a series of microscopes and imaging tools onboard that really help us feel connected with the water we are sampling. There is something very special about being able to collect your own data, it makes you feel like you’re completely involved in your research.
ʻAʻaliʻi Kelling, a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) graduate assistant at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB), was awarded “Best Graduate Student Poster” at the Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference (HCC) in July.
Kelling’s poster explored how imu (traditional Hawaiian rock pit) structures enhance fish populations within the Hāʻena Community-Based Subsistence Fishing Area on Kauaʻi and demonstrates a strong alignment between Indigenous knowledge and contemporary science. His work highlights the complementary contributions of these knowledge systems to understanding and managing marine ecosystems.
“I look forward to the Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference each year as a source of inspiration, with presentations and panel discussions showcasing diverse perspectives on conservation,” said Kelling. “I was honored to present some of the research and projects being conducted in Hāʻena, Kauaʻi. Receiving this award not only recognized the many hands behind the project, but also reaffirmed my small role in the multigenerational work to create and hold space for Indigenous Knowledge. I stand on the shoulders of giants and am grateful to all who contributed to this project.”
The conference theme ʻAuamo Kuleana – Amplifying Strength Through Balance refers to the ʻauamo, a pole used for balancing and distributing the weight of a heavy load, and symbolizes our kuleana (responsibility) to the environment as both a collective privilege and an individual responsibility.
“We are seeing a global trend towards weaving conventional science with Indigenous Knowledge in pursuit of a better future for our planet,” said NERR Director and HIMB Assistant Professor Kawika Winter. “The University of Hawaiʻi is certainly a leader in this regard. It is great to see work like this being celebrated in professional gatherings like the Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference.”
HCC draws together scientists, policymakers, conservationists, educators, students and community members from Hawaiʻi and the Pacific with the shared goal of establishing and retaining healthy natural resources.
The August 2023 Lahaina wildfire may have temporarily affected water quality in nearby coastal areas, but long-term impacts appear minimal, according to preliminary results from a recent University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa study.
Researchers monitored polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, and a type of fecal indicator bacteria called Enterococci in waters off Lahaina Beach and Puʻunoa Beach, comparing them to unaffected areas. The study found that PAH levels in water samples were higher in September 2023 but dropped to low levels by November. PAHs were mostly undetectable in sand samples.
Closeup look at the monitoring wells
Low levels of heavy metals were found in both seawater and sand, but researchers noted no clear patterns over time. Bacteria levels also showed no significant trends.
The research team used special monitoring wells to track groundwater movement and quality in the affected beach areas. They also created a computer model to better understand how groundwater-driven substances move through the ground in Lahaina’s beach environments.
“This study helps us understand how wildfires can impact our coastal ecosystems,” Geng and Yan added. “It’s crucial information for managing environmental risks after such disasters.”
Researchers emphasize the need for ongoing water quality monitoring to ensure long-term environmental safety and to detect any delayed effects that may emerge over time. Geng and Yan’s research team plans to submit their findings for peer-reviewed publication.
The research team included Geng, Yan and UH Mānoa postdocs and students, including Yangyang Zou, Min Ki Jeon, Edward Lopez, Mackaby Pennington and Gabrielle Justine Tapat.
Two SOEST graduate students, Victoria Assad and Syrena Whitner, were selected as this year’s Denise B. Evans Fellows. These awards support outstanding SOEST graduate students who are chosen based on publications, presentations, research endeavors, and potential impact in their future careers. A very generous gift in 2013 from the estate of Denise B. Evans established the Denise B. Evans Fellowship in Oceanographic Research at the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology in SOEST. Each award is made in the amount of approximately $30,000 per year.
“As usual, the selection committee had a tough task ahead of them,” said Rob Wright, HIGP director. “We have excellent graduate students in SOEST and the quality of the proposals they submit is always high. But selecting the best of the best is a nice problem to have. Syrena and Victoria are doing fantastic work, and I am happy that the support provided by this fellowship will help them to continue.”
Victoria Assad
Assad, an oceanography doctoral student with mentor Jeff Drazen, focuses her research on small fish, squid, crustaceans in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone, specifically in an area that has been allocated for deep-sea mining. The aim of this research is to understand what organisms live in these communities, how they affect carbon sinking to the deep sea, and their life histories in order to understand both their resiliency and the impact that deep-sea mining may have on these communities and their environment.
“It’s amazing to be a part of a field where on my first research cruise we found a new species of anglerfish,” said Assad. “I also really appreciate that my work is centered at the intersection of science and exploration along with real-world policy impacts. I want my work to mean something and this project really allows me to do that.”
“Being recognized by SOEST for my work is affirming as a scientist and oceanographer,” added Assad. “This fellowship will also allow me to focus-in on my research as I am coming closer to the end of my PhD and free up my time so I can get my work published and out to the public!”
Syrena Whitner
Whitner, a doctoral student in the Marine Biology Graduate Program with mentor Anthony Amend, is focused on understanding the ecological roles of marine fungi in oceanic carbon cycling. Her research also seeks to investigate the co-evolution of fungi and their associated viral symbionts, specifically how these viruses influence fungal host physiology and their capacity to engage in carbon processing.
“The most exciting aspect of my work is that the scientific community knows next to nothing about fungal parasitism in the open ocean, and even less about the contributions of marine fungi to global biogeochemical cycles, so everything feels very novel and captivating,” said Whitner. “I also admire the complexity of the interactions fungi share with other microorganisms, which has brought forth some amazing collaborations with a diverse group of researchers from around the world.”
“I am so grateful to have been selected as one of the recipients for this year, as this fellowship not only enables me to focus entirely on my research for my final year, but also supports the notion that marine fungi merit legitimate consideration in regard to global oceanic processes,” Whitner added.
As the anniversary of Maui’s devastating wildfires approaches on August 8, UH News interviewed water quality expert Andrea Kealoha, an assistant professor in the SOEST Department of Oceanography. Kealoha and her team have been analyzing the impacts the wildfires had on Maui’s coral reefs.
Kealoha studies coral reef stressors including local stressors such as nutrient pollution, sedimentation and coastal acidification. She also looks at global stressors such as warming and ocean acidification.
What was the community’s response to your team’s efforts?
Nick Hawco prepares materials for trace metal sampling. (Photo credit: Andrea Kealoha)
Immediately after the fires, our community was in response and recovery mode. We were focused on lives and getting people food, water and shelter. And then within a few weeks, we expanded our attention to water—water is life (ola i ka wai). And so our community was concerned about coastal water quality and coral reef health. Here we are a year later, and that is still a major concern.
The community and our partners have responded well to our efforts because we’re in constant communication and collaboration with them. Our community has guided site selection; they participate in our field work. And so this is really an effort of a larger group, not just our group at UH Mānoa.
What has your water testing revealed?
So far we have measured high levels of copper and zinc for metals, and we’re also seeing high concentrations of nutrients in coastal waters. There has not been alot of research on the impact of zinc on coral reefs, but we have a lot of information about the detrimental impacts of high copper and nutrient concentrations to coral reef health.
We’ve collected samples approximately monthly following the fires and we just finished a sampling in early August. And then we have hundreds of samples that need to be analyzed, which we’ll be working on over the next several months.
What is the benefit of autosampling data?
The auto samplers are kind of like a robot. We can program the auto sampler, which is attached to bags, to collect water samples at intervals throughout a 24-hour period. These data give us information on the “breath” and growth of the reef. They are also a really important tool for collecting nighttime signals of the reef, since its logistically challenging to collect samples on the reef at night.
What is the importance of the ocean in Native Hawaiian culture?
One of the core values in Hawaiian culture is aloha ʻāina, to care for the land, and that also includes our ocean. In Hawaiʻi, we recognize the importance of caring for our oceans and all the resources that it provides.
The ocean is so critical to the health of our culture. It’s a place that we get our food. It’s a place that we gather. It’s a place where we conduct our traditional practices. And so it’s really important that we have a healthy coastal ecosystem not just for the immediate health of our community and our culture, but also for the perpetuation of our culture.
In the kumulipo, which is our creation chant, the koʻa or the coral polyp is the first organism to emerge from the ocean, and the human is actually the last thing to be created. So from early on, Hawaiians recognized how important corals were as the the basic building blocks of the entire ecosystem.
