$1.33M NSF GRANT AWARDED TO ESTABLISH CLIMATE STATIONS ACROSS HAWAII
This is the first time the National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded a mesonet (mesoscale network) system under its competitive Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program. The NSF awarded the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) a three-year $1.33M grant to establish 84 climate stations across the state. The primary objective of the “Hawaii Mesonet” research project is to better understand and forecast the vast and complex weather and climate that affects the Hawaiian Islands, which is equivalent to a continent compressed into a small area.
The mesonet or mesoscale network will consist of state-of-the-art climate monitoring stations deployed across Hawaii, which will enable long-term observations of rainfall, temperature, and soil conditions that are currently not available in many areas. The 84 stations will each have a data logger, power supply with solar charging, and data telecom device that allows for real-time data transmission. The valuable information acquired from the climate stations will benefit atmospheric science, hydrology, and ecosystems science.
Thomas Giambelluca, the project’s principal investigator and UH Water Resources Research Center director stated, “The Hawaii Mesonet will meet the needs of researchers, weather forecasters, farmers, conservation organizations, and many others by providing high-quality, comprehensive measurements over the whole state.”
This Hawaii Mesonet project will also provide hands-on learning experience to UHM students and post-doctoral researchers. The participants will gain invaluable field experience in instrument installation, calibration, maintenance, and interact with a variety of stakeholders.
Mesonet News Releases:
UH News: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2021/10/10/hawaii-mesonet-project/
Hawaii Public Radio: https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2021-10-14/university-of-hawaii-climate-project-gets-federal-support
Maui News: https://mauinow.com/2021/10/11/uh-receives-1-3-million-grant-for-project-deploying-84-climate-stations/