Ecosystems
Sharing science and perspectives at Science Summit to strengthen PI-AK connections
Amidst the short, cold days of early January in Alaska, the balmy coastline of O‘ahu seems an unlikely place to find research connections. But this month, a group of Alaska CASC researchers gathered at the PI-CASC 2023 Hawaiʻi Climate Adaptation Science Summit to learn and share their research as part of the Pacific Islands-Alaska CASC,…
Distant lands intertwine: PI-CASC hosts Alaska CASC scientists in Hawaiʻi
From icy fields to humid jungles, partner researchers from Hawaiʻi and Alaska have had a pair of opportunities this year to visit each other’s work spaces and get an up-close look at the parallels their regions had in science, community, and natural resources. The Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center, in coordination with the University…
Research across the Pacific: PI-AK scientists meet in Juneau
On the banks of Montana Creek in Juneau, Alaska, a group clad in colorful rain gear watches expectantly as AK CASC graduate student Kevin Fitzgerald empties a throng of juvenile salmon from a small wire trap. His audience has traveled across the Pacific from Hawai`i to observe stream research in Alaskan watersheds and compare methodologies…
Launch of Hawaiʻi climate portal provides powerful tools for local decision-making
From managing invasive species or protecting ground and surface water, to restoring native ecosystems, a new tool will help resource managers, climate researchers, students, educators, and the community at large in Hawaiʻi navigate the impacts of changing climate patterns. The Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal (HCDP), launched this past spring with the help of PI-AK collaborators…
Shifts in Carbon Exports from a Hawaiian Watershed under a Changing Climate
PI-AK Research Collaborations Spotlighted at 2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting
At the 2022 Ocean Science Meeting, the first cohort of Pacific Islands-Alaska Collaboration (PI-AK) researchers and project partners from Southeast AK and Hawaiʻi highlighted their scientific findings of changing climate dynamics with resulting or projected impacts on watershed processes, fish habitat, nearshore ecosystem dynamics and health, and coral reef productivity. Presenters also spoke towards efforts to build student research and exchange opportunities, facilitate co-production, and address the link between their research and actionable science that can apply to both the Pacific Islands and Alaska Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs).
Coral response to land-to-ocean freshwater flux: A ridge-to-reef perspective
Nearshore marine environments provide ecosystem services such as sustenance, coastal protection, critical fish habitat, economic value through recreation and fisheries, medicinal products, and cultural importance and traditional activities. Using innovative 3D mapping technologies, researchers will examine how organic matter and nutrient flux influence the biology and ecology of coral reefs that are impacted by freshwater discharge, highlighting how patterns in stream flow alter land-to-ocean materials flux and productivity in marine habitats.
Connecting ecosystems from the mountains to the sea during a changing climate
Changes to streamflow patterns and precipitation impact river, estuary, and coastal ecosystems that host native aquatic species in Hawaiʻi rely on. PI-CASC researchers will work collaboratively with researchers in Alaska to expand the capacity in addressing climate impacts on aquatic ecosystems from the mountains to the sea.
This project will build upon existing efforts to assess the impact of changing climate on nine groups of native aquatic species, applying the concept of Ridge-to-Reef and using tools to prioritize conservation efforts for Hawaiʻi aquatic ecosystems.
