NOAA Water Information for Hawaii: Resources to Support Decision-MakingDate: April 23, 2021

Speakers: Dr. Karen Bareford and Ms. Brenna Sweetman Abstract: Water resources stakeholders need access to consistent, high space and time-resolution, integrated water analyses, predictions, and data to address critical unmet information and service gaps related to floods, droughts, water quality,…

Mountain-to-Sea Ecological-Resource Management: Forested Watersheds, Coastal Aquifers, and Groundwater Dependent EcosystemsDate: April 9, 2021

Speakers: Dr. Kimberly Burnett and Dr. Christopher Wada Abstract: Improving the understanding of connections spanning from mountain to sea and integrating those connections into decision models have been increasingly recognized as key to effective coastal resource management. This presentation examines…

The Ala Wai Watershed from Nutrients to MicrobesDate: March 12, 2021

Speakers: Ms. Jessica Bullington and Mr. Sean Mahaffey Abstract: The Ala Wai Watershed is an important hydrologic system in Honolulu surrounded by a highly populated area. That area includes the Makiki, Mānoa, and Pālolo streams, which flow into the Ala…

Equity and Waiwai—Water, Rights and Relationships in a Changing ClimateDate: March 5, 2021

Speaker: Ms. Laurien Nuss Abstract: By law, the Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency of the City and County of Honolulu is required to coordinate actions and policies to advance procedural, distributional, structural, intergenerational, and cultural equity. This presentation…

Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) InitiativeDate: February 26, 2021

Speaker: Dr. Austin Shelton Abstract: The Guam Restoration of Watersheds (GROW) Initiative aims to revive island landscapes and downstream coral reefs. GROW advances U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and Goal 15 (Life on Land) in alignment with…

Sea-Level Rise and Inundation of Infrastructure Including Coastal Cesspools and Wastewater SystemsDate: January 29, 2021

Speakers: Dr. Shellie Habel and Dr. Trista McKenzie Abstract: Sea-level rise induced impacts in Hawai‘i are becoming increasingly problematic and observable as infrastructure degradation and failure occurs; this includes onsite sewage disposal systems. This presentation reviews the impacts that outdated and aging…

Recent Water-Resource Studies by the USGS Pacific Islands Water Science CenterDate: December 09, 2020

Speakers: Delwyn Oki, Kolja Rotzoll, Jackson Mitchell, Alan Mair, and Chui Ling Cheng Abstract: The U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Islands Water Science Center (PIWSC) collects hydrologic data and conducts studies in Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands to improve…

Solute Dispersion in GroundwaterDate: December 02, 2020

Speaker: Dr. Peter Kitanidis Abstract: At least 98% of the earth’s groundwater is fresh water—in other words, water that is not seawater or ice. Groundwater is a valuable but fragile resource that is constantly threatened with contamination. However, predicting contaminant…

Compartmentalization of the Terrestrial Water CycleDate: November 18, 2020

Speaker: Dr. Jeffrey McDonnell Abstract: The catchment annual water balance (i.e., input minus output equals change in storage) is the most important equation in hydrology. But recent studies using stable isotope tracers show a much more complex terrestrial water cycle…

Future Desalination for the Pacific IslandsDate: November 4, 2020

Speaker: Dr. Albert Kim Abstract: The 21st century is an era of natural resource depletion. In the science and engineering community, food, energy, and water (FEW) are enduring research topics as they are vital resources for human life. Moreover, the…