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The WRRC serves the State of Hawai‘i, as well as other Pacific islands and elsewhere, by researching water-related issues distinctive to these areas. We are Hawai‘i’s link in a network represented in every state, as well as Washington, D.C., and three U.S. Territories.

Water Quality

Ecology

Public Health Sciences

Hydrological Sciences

Social Dimensions
& Economics

Water & Wastewater
Engineering

Environmental

Assessment & Protection

Recent Posts

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Joint $25M National AI Project and Hawaiʻi Mesonet Will Better Monitor Rainfall and Wildfires

November 2025

The Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) joined a new $25.6 million National Science Foundation (NSF) project led by Northwestern University to develop and understand the integration, programming, and use of AI across scientific computing resources and high-resolution environmental sensors and instruments, such as cameras, microphones, and weather sensors....

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Xiaolong "Leo" Geng Receives National Science Foundation Grant Award

August 2025

Congratulations to Dr. Xiaolong "Leo" Geng for leading and winning a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Standard Grant award for his proposal, "Hydrogeologic Controls on the Accumulation, Transport, and Discharge of Fecal Indicator Bacteria in Coastal Beaches." The project presents a comprehensive approach that combines state-of-the-art surface water, groundwater, and reactive transport modeling, along with field measurements. This award...

American Samoa Workshop

WRRC Participates in Research Engagement Workshop in American Samoa

August 2024

In the beginning of August, researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) and the East-West Center traveled to Pago Pago, Tutuila, for a research engagement workshop co-organized by WRRC and the American Samoa Community College (ASCC). The UH team was led by Mia Comeros and Leah Bremer and included newly appointed WRRC Director Tao Yan, Marek Kirs, Chris Shuler, Bryceson Tugade, and Ryan Longman...

Nutrient Recovery Research

New Publication: Nitrogen and Phosphorus Recovery From Anthropogenic Liquid Waste Streams

October 2024

A new review paper on nutrient recovery from waste was recently published by Dr. Zhiyue Wang, an assistant professor in the Water Resources Research Center and the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering...

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Studies on Oil Weathering Models and Impacts of Upwelling in Shallow Wetlands

August 2023

Congratulations to Dr. Xiaolong (Leo) Geng, WRRC hydrogeologist and faculty member with the Department of Earth Sciences, who recently published two papers. The recent publication for (1) “A generic approach to construct pseudo components for oil weathering models” is published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials and (2) “Impacts of evaporation-induced groundwater upwelling on mixing dynamics in shallow wetlands” is published in Geophysical Research Letters...

Macroalgae

Environmental Change on Native and Invasive Macroalgae

July 2023

A new study predicting the environmental effects of climate change, urban development, and land cover was recently published in Water Resources Research. The authors—representing diverse research specialties, including members from WRRC—concluded that the effects will increase habitat suitability of the invasive seaweed Hypnea musciformis and decrease the growth of the culturally-important native limu Ulva lactuca (or limu pālahalaha)...

Preserving

Preserving the Water We Have

June 2023

To become better stewards of Hawai‘i’s natural resources, we need to understand the challenges facing the state, especially to protect and manage our water. In a recent interview with Hawaii Now, Dr. Victoria Keener and Dr. Tom Giambelluca spoke about managing the climate risks in the Pacific Islands...