Eighteen University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� students and one postdoctoral researcher spent six days aboard the ������Ƶ research vessel (R/V) Kilo Moana this summer, gaining hands-on experience in oceanographic research while exploring waters around Oʻahu and Kauaʻi.

The educational cruise gave students opportunities to use advanced oceanographic equipment, collect data for undergraduate research theses and fulfill graduate requirements for time at sea. The program also introduced students to potential careers in marine science.

“Beyond its academic utility, the cruise is designed to broaden students’ horizons regarding the multiple career opportunities within marine science,” said Christopher Sabine, chief scientist of the cruise and professor of oceanography in the (SOEST). “Students gained hands-on experience in a setting where undergraduates, graduate students and faculty can network, share mentorship, and build lasting professional relationships.”

Learning beyond the classroom

Throughout the cruise, students had the opportunity to deploy oceanographic instruments, collect deep-sea sediment cores, conduct chemical analyses and gather data. These activities allowed students to apply classroom concepts to real-world research.

“Participating in conductivity-temperature-depth measurement operations and water-column sampling gave me a firsthand understanding of how oceanographic data are collected,” said Hiʻilani Mietlicki, a GES undergraduate student. “It was rewarding to see the coordinated efforts of the ship’s crew and science team come together to produce high-quality data that support marine research.”

Charting future careers

For some students, the cruise provided a clearer picture of their future career paths, from field research to graduate studies.

“Being on the research vessel confirmed to me that pursuing a degree in SOEST was the right decision!” said Allison Fujimoto, a GES undergraduate. “This experience helped me decide that I want to have a career that has both a science field work component (monitoring, collecting, lab work, etc.) out at sea, and an office component (spreadsheets, analyzing data, etc.).”

For Ken Husty Tungpalan, an earth sciences undergraduate, the program helped shape his academic goals.

“Participating in the research cruise has guided me to pursue a PhD in paleoclimatology, using geochemical proxies like sediment cores to uncover past climate and environmental conditions,” Tungpalan said.

The nine undergraduate and nine graduate students represented programs in , , ,, , the and zoology in the

As climate change, biodiversity loss, and competing ocean uses place increasing pressure on marine ecosystems, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is launching a new Center for Ocean Policy to bring together ocean science and legal expertise to develop solutions for some of the most pressing ocean and climate challenges facing Hawaiʻi and the world.

The novel collaboration between ������Ƶ ��ā�ԴDz�’s Department of Oceanography, in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), and the William S. Richardson School of Law will open new opportunities for interdisciplinary education, applied research, and policy engagement. Students will gain firsthand experience working at the intersection of science, law, and public policy through clinics, capstone projects, and advocacy initiatives focused on real-world environmental issues.

Since 2020, The Healy Foundation has partnered with to support an annual research assistant position known as The Healy Foundation Climate Change Fellow. In 2024, the partnership expanded to three Fellows, who conduct research and provide other support activities for the City and County of Honolulu Climate Change Commission.

Additionally, The Healy Foundation has systematically supported ������Ƶ through a number of initiatives including , ������Ƶ Maui College s and

Suzanne Geary, executive director of The Healy Foundation, said, “The Center for Ocean Policy offers a powerful new bridge between science and law. It creates a platform for scientific insights to directly inform the policies and decisions that protect our oceans and coastal communities.” she added, “We are excited to support this forward-thinking approach and continue building on our long-standing partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation and ������Ƶ ��ā�ԴDz�’s Institute for Sustainability and Resilience.”

������Ƶ Mānoa Chancellor Vassilis L. Syrmos called the Center a major milestone for the institution.

“As a flagship university in the middle of the Pacific, it is our kuleana (responsibility) to apply our unique place-based knowledge and cutting-edge research to help shape the future of ocean stewardship,” he said. “The Center for Ocean Policy brings together the expertise needed to translate scientific knowledge into meaningful policy solutions for Hawaiʻi and communities around the world.”

Law-Ocean Clinic

One of the Center’s first initiatives will be a Law-Ocean Clinic, which will pair law and oceanography students with local nonprofit organizations to conduct policy research and advocacy during the Hawaiʻi legislative session.

“This partnership will equip our law students to tackle complex environmental challenges and advance policies that support coastal resilience in Hawaiʻi,” said Camille Nelson, dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law. “By understanding the science behind the policy, they will be better prepared to advocate for our island communities.”

The Center will also offer interdisciplinary seminars and launch an annual symposium beginning in its second year, bringing together researchers, policymakers, legal practitioners and community members to address emerging ocean policy issues.

“The Center for Ocean Policy perfectly aligns with ������Ƶ ��ā�ԴDz�’s academic mission to foster innovative, cross-disciplinary education,” said Margaret McManus, chief academic advancement officer in the Office of the Chancellor and director of the Uehiro Center for the Advancement of Oceanography. “These unique opportunities will prepare a new generation of leaders to work across the intersections of science, law and policy, and help address the challenges facing our oceans.”

SOEST Dean Chip Fletcher emphasized that the Center builds on the longstanding strengths of both schools while deepening ������Ƶ ��ā�ԴDz�’s commitment to Native Hawaiian and Indigenous Pacific communities.

“SOEST and the William S. Richardson School of Law each have long and distinguished records of working with Native Hawaiian and other Indigenous Pacific communities on issues of ocean stewardship, climate resilience, resource management, and justice,” Fletcher said. “The Center for Ocean Policy builds on that shared foundation, bringing science, law, and Indigenous knowledge together to help shape policies that are effective, place-based, and responsive to the communities whose lives and futures are most closely tied to the ocean.”

After nearly four decades of uncovering historic mysteries of the Pacific Ocean, the deep-sea submersible is embarking on a new journey on land. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa donated the legendary three-person research vessel to the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, ensuring that its legacy of deep-ocean exploration, volcanic research and historic maritime discoveries will be preserved for generations to come.

“The donation ensures the submersible’s storied past will be celebrated and shared with museum visitors from Hawaiʻi and around the world,” said Chip Fletcher, dean of the ������Ƶ Mānoa (SOEST), home of the (HURL).

HURL operated Pisces V along with its sister submersible, Pisces IV, for decades. However, after years in storage with no prospect of federal funding for refurbishment or redeployment, ������Ƶ made the decision to entrust the historic craft to the museum.

Unmatched discoveries across the Pacific

In 1985, ������Ƶ acquired Pisces V, anchoring HURL’s growing undersea capabilities. Its unique maneuverability, size and depth range, operating at depths up to 6,500 feet, made it the ideal platform for navigating complex terrain and gracefully exploring delicate ecosystems.

“Operating as the only United States (U.S.) deep submergence facility based in the Pacific Rim, HURL’s work with Pisces V revolutionized oceanography across several fronts,” said Terry Kerby, veteran Pisces V pilot and HURL operations director. “The submersibles were fine-tuned to adapt to the demands of operating effectively in the wide range of terrain and conditions of undersea volcanoes, seamounts in Papahānaumokuākea and beyond, maritime heritage site surveys, salvage operations of lost instruments and vehicles, and decades of pipeline support for the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority cold water pipe systems. It is exciting to see the Pisces V and this legacy preserved at the Bishop Museum.”

Close to home, Pisces V, enabled unprecedented exploration of the seamounts and coral reefs of the Main and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The submersible made more dives on �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s active underwater volcano, Kamaʻehuakanaloa (previously known as Lōʻihi Seamount), than any other submersible. HURL submersibles also pioneered research on mesophotic and deep-sea coral reefs off Maui and throughout the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, conducting vital impact assessments on commercial fishing damage.

Throughout the Pacific basin, the submersible ferried teams of researchers on voyages of discovery to places no human had seen before. In 2005, Pisces V embarked on a five-month expedition across the Pacific, exploring active submarine volcanoes along the Kermadec Arc near New Zealand.

“Each of these dives were unique, each different,” Kerby shared. “We discovered multiple new species and by combining submersible operations with human divers, we explored deep-sea coral ecosystems in a new way.”

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Six University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� students took their educational journey to Japan and the Arctic through an international educational exchange with Hokkaido University focused on climate change, ocean conservation and sustainable resource management.

The exchange connects ������Ƶ ����ԴDz�’s (����•A��) in the (SOEST) with Hokkaido University’s Uehiro Laboratory for Oceanography.

The ocean connects all of us

ldquo;When students work side by side with colleagues from Hokkaido University, at sea, on the coast, and in the watershed, they see that the ocean connects all of us,” said Margaret McManus, director of ����•A��.

Global Environmental Science undergraduate students Ruby Helmuth and Kyoko Suzuki participated in a 26-day Arctic expedition aboard Hokkaido University’s training ship Oshoro-Maru, gaining hands-on experience in oceanographic sampling and marine research.

Oceanography master’s student Tyra Arends and undergraduate Flannery McGreevy spent a week studying coastal environmental challenges, including pollution, biodiversity loss and erosion.

In northern Hokkaido, undergraduate students Rex Bregman and Sean Michael Monte explored connections between forests, rivers and coastal ecosystems through field surveys and visits to aquaculture facilities.

The exchange provided students with opportunities to develop scientific skills, learn from international researchers and explore approaches to protecting marine ecosystems.

Read the for more about the students’ experiences and the international exchange.

The ranked in nearly 20 academic subjects in the released in September 2026, including four subjects that placed among the top 16 in the country and another six placed in the nation’s top 27.

Oceanography ranked No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 6 globally, while atmospheric science ranked No. 9 in the U.S. and No. 15 worldwide. Geography tied for No. 14 in the U.S. and No. 51–75 tier in the world, and hospitality and tourism management ranked No. 16 in the U.S. and No. 43 globally.

������Ƶ Mānoa also ranked across a broad range of science, engineering, social science and other academic and research fields. In the U.S., public administration tied for No. 21, civil engineering tied for No. 23, Earth sciences tied for No. 24, agricultural sciences tied for No. 26 and ecology and food science and technology tied for No. 27. Public administration, Earth sciences and ecology placed in the No. 76–100 tier globally, civil engineering and agricultural sciences ranked in the No. 151–200 tier worldwide, and food science and technology placed in the No. 301–400 tier globally.

The rankings were released by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy and are considered one of the most comprehensive and objective assessments of university performance by discipline.

“Rankings like these reflect the breadth and quality of the work being done by our faculty and students at ������Ƶ Mānoa,” Chancellor Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “Their important contributions through research, teaching and innovation across a wide range of disciplines, further strengthens our place as Hawaiʻi’s flagship campus—where access meets excellence.”

Additional ������Ƶ Mānoa subjects recognized in the 2026 rankings include:

• Water resources: Tied No. 44 U.S., No. 201–300 world
• Environmental science and engineering: Tied No. 56 U.S., No. 301–400 world
• Political science: Tied No. 69 U.S., No. 201–300 world
• Sociology: Tied No. 69 U.S., No. 201–300 world
• Biological sciences: Tied No. 75 U.S., No. 301–400 world
• Education: Tied No. 79 U.S., No. 201–300 world
• Management: Tied No. 110 U.S., No. 401–500 world

������Ƶ Mānoa was evaluated alongside approximately 2,000 universities from nearly 100 countries and regions, selected from a global pool of more than 25,000 institutions. The rankings are based on measures such as world-class faculty, world-class research output, high-quality research, research impact and international collaboration.

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Announced on August 15, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy ranked ������Ƶ Mānoa in the No. 95—111 tier in the U.S. and No. 401—500 tier worldwide in the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Recent rankings

������Ƶ Mānoa also received these notable rankings:

• 2027 U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges ranking, September 22, 2026
• 2027 The Princeton Review “The Best 392 Colleges” guide, August 19, 2026
• 2026–27 Global University Visibility Rankings, July 23, 2026
• 2027 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings, June 17, 2026
• 2026–27 U.S. News and World Report Best Global Universities rankings, June 16, 2026

For more information, visit the .

Since the first major bleaching event in 1996, Hawaiian corals have been subject to increasing heat stress and more prevalent bleaching events. New research from oceanographers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa used over the 21st century. Comparing this heat stress to previous estimates of the rate at which corals may adapt to changing conditions, the authors found that Hawaiian corals have the possibility of adapting to future heat stress, even under a high emissions scenario.

“Our research shows that Hawaiian corals may be exposed to unprecedented human-induced heat stress in the coming decades,” said Kate Feloy, lead author of the study, who conducted this work as part of her doctoral research in the in the ������Ƶ Mānoa (SOEST). “However, our results also provide some surprising hope that Hawaiian corals may be able to adapt to increasing temperatures.”

Feloy and co-authors used high-resolution ocean simulations, run under three different climate emissions scenarios. The modeling approach accounts for small-scale processes and can reveal important spatial patterns in local warming. This is the first time this type of high-resolution climate projection has been used to assess future heat stress around the main Hawaiian islands.

Differences across the island chain

Coral reefs have high cultural and economic value and are a critical source of food and coastal protection in Hawaiʻi. This study provides projected heat stress not just for the region as a whole but examines differences across and between individual islands. The team’s results show that not all coastal locations are projected to experience human-induced climate change at the same rate. They found that corals around Hawaiʻi Island are projected to experience higher heat stress than the other islands.

“The differences in warming are caused by complex ocean dynamics on small spatial scales in the waters around Hawaiʻi,” Feloy said. “These dynamics change the spatial patterns of human-induced coastal warming. Because of the spatial differences in projected heat stress, the rate at which corals will need to adapt in order to keep pace with increasing temperatures varies around the islands.”

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Science educators around the world will get a front-row seat to groundbreaking research and innovation from the University of Hawaiʻi during a free virtual unconference showcasing Hawaiʻi science excellence.

For the first time, is partnering with —an educational technology company that creates tools and resources to support hands-on STEM learning—to present the 16th annual on July 22 and 23, connecting thousands of teachers worldwide with ������Ƶ scientists and other experts through interactive online sessions.

Session topics will include astronomy, forest ecology, volcanology, ocean sensing, wayfinding, marine biology, environmental science and coastal monitoring. ������Ƶ Mānoa will be represented with the (including , and ), , and , along with ������Ƶ Hilo’s . , chief evangelist of Canva and , will be a keynote speaker.

Attendees will be in one Zoom room, with the goal of creating a collaborative experience throughout the day. Unlike a traditional conference, an unconference emphasizes interactive, participant-driven discussions and collaboration, allowing attendees to engage directly with presenters and one another rather than simply listening to lectures. Professional development certificates are provided for all attendees and video recordings of all sessions are available afterwards.

Amazing science, amazing educators

More than 22,000 educators signed up for the event last year, and organizers are aiming for more than 20,000 this year. ScIC is designed for teachers, however, anyone interested in STEM topics are welcome to join.

“As part of our mission to connect University of Hawaiʻi research and innovation with K–12 classrooms, it was an easy decision to partner on Science Is Cool,” STEM Pre-Academy Director Lauren Kaupp said. “We’re excited for teachers both locally and globally to see some of the amazing science that happens every day across Hawaiʻi.”

Kanesa Seraphin, director of the ������Ƶ Sea Grant Center for Marine Science Education, will be sharing her work, including .

“I am really excited about this event because it is so interactive; we get to talk live and take audience questions—and it’s going to be huge!” Seraphin said.

The of the rare goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni) in its natural deep ocean habitat were reported by a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa-led team of oceanographers. In the past, goblin sharks were only filmed and reported alive after being hooked on a fishing line and hauled to the surface, where divers could observe them and where they soon died. The study documents two live observations of one of the most elusive but iconic sharks on the planet—one at a seamount near Jarvis Island and another on the slope of the Tonga Trench.

Goblin sharks are sometimes referred to as “living fossils,” as they are the only living representative of their family, a lineage of sharks that is nearly 125 million years old. These observations extend their known depth range and geographic range significantly.

“Seeing the most iconic of all the deep-sea sharks alive and looking healthy in its natural habitat is a unique honour,” said Aaron Judah, lead author of the paper and doctoral candidate working in the and (DARC) in the at the ������Ƶ Mānoa . “I was also very surprised about how deep this species was found. The observation from the slope of the Tonga Trench is nearly 700 meters deeper than this species was known to live.”

Judah noted this observation extends the depth record for the entire order of Lamniformes, the mackerel sharks, which include other notable species such as the white shark, basking shark and mako shark. Previously, the goblin shark was only known to inhabit narrow areas off the coast of the western U.S., Australia, and Japan in the Pacific Ocean, and narrow regions in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The findings significantly extend the geographic range, with both sightings being made in the Central Pacific.

Treasure hunting in the archives

In 2025, Judah spoke with colleagues at DARC who mentioned there had been a potential goblin shark sighting during a 2019 expedition aboard the exploration vessel (E/V) Nautilus exploring deep-sea ecosystems near Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll and Jarvis Island within the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

“I was shocked to hear this because this species was not to be known to be in the Central Pacific,” said Judah.

The footage on that cruise was captured using a camera system on the remotely-operated vehicle Hercules, publicly archived for global access, and later annotated by colleagues at DARC. Judah combed through this archive and discovered that the team had documented a goblin shark during the livestreamed dive on an unnamed seamount northwest of Jarvis Island.

The second observation was made during an expedition to the Tonga Trench which took place in 2024 aboard the research vessel (R/V) Dagon as part of the Inkfish Open Ocean Expedition led by scientists from the , when a baited camera on a bottom lander captured footage of a goblin shark in their natural habitat.

“The Goblin Shark is one of these deep-sea charismatic animals that I never thought we’d see alive, and then to do so was amazing, but to then learn that colleagues in Hawai’i also saw one was just incredible,” said Alan Jamieson, professor and founding director at Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Center and study co-author who documented the 2024 sighting.

“It is really important that we still perform natural history work,” Judah said. “New discoveries like this demonstrate that there is still so much to explore in our deep ocean home. Given the newly-expanded geographic range of the goblin shark, this species can be included in regional management and a nation’s biodiversity list, whereas, beforehand we didnʻt know it was even there!”

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The first cohort of the at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa includes 14 students, seven of whom are supported through from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hawaiʻi (DAR) and a Hawaiʻi-based philanthropic organization. Students and their ������Ƶ advisors will work collaboratively with the sponsoring agencies and Hawaiʻi communities on their graduate research projects.

“It is really encouraging to see the significant support for this new program from the community and the state and federal agencies we partner with,” said Jeff Drazen, sustainable fisheries program graduate chair and oceanography professor in the ������Ƶ Mānoa (SOEST). “Welcoming the first cohort of students is an exciting milestone, and having this level of community collaboration will really advance our goal of ensuring sustainable fisheries for people throughout the Pacific.”

The incoming students receiving fellowships are Kai Holdaway, Alexander Jemal, Ashley Meara, Kahakuhailoa Poepoe, Mackenzie Thielmann, Andrea Vega and Jake Zikan. Of the seven students, six will pursue master’s degrees, and one will pursue a doctoral degree; two are from Hawaiʻi, and five are from the U.S. continent.

Students address fisheries near and far

Supported by one of two DAR Fellowships, Thielmann’s research will focus on finding “nursery” areas where young fish grow along Oʻahu’s coastlines to help protect future fish populations. By analyzing a large state dataset, Thielmann will identify where juvenile fish are most common and see if these “hotspots” match up with where legal-sized adult fish live. This project will use advanced science to ensure that culturally important reef fish remain abundant for local families and fishers. Further, this will help DAR create better fishing rules and habitat protections.

One of the four fellowships supported by the in Honolulu, awarded to Holdaway, will support building a computer model that predicts where the Hawaiʻi longline fishing fleet might shift to as ocean conditions and fishing laws change. By analyzing vessel data and interviewing fishers, Holdaway wants to understand how factors like earnings, weather, and mapping tools influence a captain’s decisions. Ultimately, this work seeks to balance catching target fish with avoiding protected species to ensure a healthier marine ecosystem.

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–By Marcie Grabowski

For decades, scientists have worked to improve predictions of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a climate powerhouse that can cause droughts, flooding, marine heatwaves and more around the world. Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa a study showing that they can skillfully predict El Niño and La Niña 15 months ahead of time using only observations of the ocean surface temperature and height—no complex climate model needed.

“We found that it can predict El Niño and La Niña surprisingly well, with useful skill up to about 15 months ahead,” said Yuxin Wang, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher with the in the ������Ƶ Mānoa (SOEST). “Accurately predicting ENSO more than a year in advance is important because it can provide early warning, allowing communities, governments and resource managers to take actions and make adaptations to reduce the potential impacts from El Niño and La Niña.”

“Our simpler, data-driven empirical climate model, built only from ocean observations related to two core climate memories known for over 50 years, achieves ENSO forecast skill comparable to, and in some cases better than, many of today’s more complex climate models and leading AI-based approaches,” added Wang.

Building on past discoveries

Klaus Wyrtki, a pioneering oceanographer at SOEST in the 1960s through 1990s, was the first to show that sea level changes can reveal heat build-up in the tropical Pacific, which led him to propose using tide gauge observations to predict El Niño. Klaus Hasselmann, a German oceanographer and Nobel laureate, showed that the ocean can retain a memory of past climate conditions through large-scale temperature patterns, including sea surface temperature patterns outside the tropical Pacific that can still influence ENSO.

Building on these two principles, the SOEST team developed the “Wyrtki-CSLIM,” short for Wyrtki CycloStationary Linear Inverse Model, a computer model to predict ENSO.

Predicting future ENSO

The Wyrtki-CSLIM currently predicts the development of a strong El Niño, more than 2°C warmer than normal over the equatorial eastern Pacific, toward the end of this year. This up-to-date is available online at the ������Ƶ Sea Level Center.

“Our Wyrtki model is predicting a stronger El Niño than most of the other statistical models, and it is in line with the much more sophisticated dynamical models,” said Matthew Widlansky, study co-author and associate director of the ������Ƶ Sea Level Center. “However, it is important to note that all models have uncertainties, and the climate impacts of each El Niño event are different.”

This new research also offers a clear direction for other ENSO forecasting systems.

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University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa professor David Ho was selected as a lead author for the on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). The report will give guidance to countries regarding how to estimate and report the emissions they manage through those methods as part of their national greenhouse gas inventories.

CDR and CCUS are tools to help countries achieve their emissions and climate targets, and the diversity of approaches to remove and capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are growing fast.

“However, countries currently lack consistent, scientifically rigorous guidance on estimating and reporting the emissions they manage through these technologies in their national greenhouse gas inventories,” said Ho. “Without that, it’s very difficult to hold anyone accountable or to determine whether CDR and CCUS are actually delivering on their promises. This methodology report is about building the foundation to get the accounting right so that progress in CDR and CCUS is real and verifiable.”

The current federal administration withdrew the U.S. from the IPCC process earlier this year, creating a gap in U.S. expert representation in the IPCC. An observer organization nominated Ho so that U.S.-based expertise could still contribute to this report.

“The IPCC has brought together lead authors from a wide range of disciplines and geographies, and the conversations are already substantive and rigorous,” Ho said. “There’s a real shared sense that this report matters, that it will shape how governments think about CDR and CCUS for years to come. It’s a significant commitment, but one I think is genuinely worth making.”

The first lead author meeting was held in Rome, Italy, in April. More than 150 experts, selected by the IPCC Task Force Bureau, are participating in the writing process.

For more information, .

Oceanographers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa discovered that microbial communities—from the sunlit surface to extreme depths—in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre exhibit robust seasonal cycles. provides new insight into how high levels of biodiversity are maintained in the open ocean.

“A long-standing question in biological oceanography, which we refer to as the ‘paradox of the plankton,’ asks: How can open ocean species diversity be so vast and sustained, in a seemingly homogeneous environment like the open ocean?,” said Fuyan Li, lead author of the study and affiliate researcher in the in the ������Ƶ Mānoa .

The blue, deep waters of the Pacific Ocean have extremely low nutrient concentrations compared to coastal areas that teem with visible life, such as kelp forests off California or coral reefs in Hawaiʻi.

“Theoretical ecology suggests that one way co-occurring species diversity can be maintained, is if shared resources, such as nutrients, are used at different times of year, thereby minimizing competition,” Li said. “Though seasonal cycles are a fundamental property of many diverse ecosystems, seasonality in the tropics is less pronounced than in temperate or polar ocean habitats.” This work was funded by the Simons Foundation project called the SCOPE.

Tracking microbes through DNA

To determine whether microbial communities at Station ALOHA, a tropical, open ocean research station 60 miles north of Oʻahu, have seasonal cycles, Li and colleagues analyzed microbial DNA in samples collected monthly over eight years, leveraging the Hawaiʻi Ocean Time-series (HOT) program. The combination of frequent sampling over a long time period, and high-resolution species identification, allowed the researchers to make these new and unprecedented open ocean observations.

They found that more than 60% of the microbial groups they tracked exhibited seasonal cycling. While these seasonal cycles diminished at depths below 150 meters, surprisingly, they remained measurable in some deep-sea microbial species at depths of nearly two and a half miles.

“Notably, very closely related species or subspecies ‘bloomed’ at different times of the year, similar to seasonal patterns observed in some terrestrial plants and animals,” Li said. “Taking turns with respect to nutrient use throughout the year seems to be a key ecological strategy for microbial communities to maintain their diversity.”

By sustaining their populations throughout the year, microbial communities consistently supply organic matter and energy to organisms higher in the food web, for example larval fish. In this way, microbes ensure the stability of the marine food web and productivity in waters across the Pacific Ocean.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor Emeritus of and pioneering marine microbiologist , was as a Fellow of the European Academy of Microbiology. The recognition celebrates outstanding scientific achievement and leadership in microbiology.

DeLong is considered a trailblazer in the field of metagenomics—the study of all genetic material from all organisms in a particular environment—whose research has transformed understanding of the ocean’s microbial life. His work advanced innovative gene cloning and sequencing, allowing scientists to study complex marine microbial communities and their role in the environment without the use of traditional microbial cultures.

“I was thrilled to hear the news about Ed’s election to the European Academy of Microbiology, a well-earned honor,” said David Karl, ������Ƶ Mānoa oceanography professor,DeLong’s long-time colleague and co-director of both the Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education and the . “Ed and other newly elected members represent the second golden age of microbiology, one centered on microbial oceanography and ecology.”

Scientific breakthroughs

Early in DeLong’s career, he used methodologies developed by his postdoctoral research advisor Norm Pace to identify microbes “in the wild.” Together they discovered two new lineages of a major microbial group called Archaea (previously not thought to live in seawater) were abundant everywhere—from in the Pacific Ocean to Antarctica, and from the sea surface to the seafloor.

Later, new methods that DeLong’s group adapted from the Human Genome project to study microbial ecology led to the discovery that most bacteria in the upper ocean can use sunlight to generate biochemical energy using proteins called opsins. This finding revealed a widespread, previously unknown solar energy-gathering mechanism in the ocean, with significant implications for the global carbon and energy cycles.

“To be recognized and honored by world-renowned microbiologists of the European Union was unexpected, and very humbling,” DeLong said. “I believe that scientific disciplines like microbiology should have no geographic or cultural boundaries—yet in today’s political landscape there are increasing challenges to free and open international collaborations. To me, this makes recognition by the European Academy of Microbiology all the more potent of an honor.”

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An analysis of more than 2,300 seawater samples from more than 20 field studies around the globe indicates that human-made chemicals—from plastic additives and industrial lubricants to pharmaceuticals and pesticides—are widespread in the marine environment, particularly in coastal and estuarine waters. The study, co-authored by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa oceanographers and led by biochemists at the University of California, Riverside, represents one of the most comprehensive chemical analyses of coastal oceans to date.

The team analyzed seawater samples collected over a decade from coastal regions from the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Reported in , the findings show that industrial chemicals, many of which are rarely monitored, are far more abundant and widespread than previously recognized.

“As part of this study we included samples from coral reefs across both the Pacific and Caribbean, including samples throughout Hawaiian and Tahitian ecosystems, and we were struck by how widespread things like pharmaceuticals, pesticides and plastics were even in some remote island reefs and dozens of kilometers offshore,” said Craig Nelson, researcher in the ������Ƶ Mānoa , graduate chair of oceanography, and one of the senior authors on the paper.

“Even in places we consider relatively pristine, we found clear chemical fingerprints of human activity,” said Daniel Petras, assistant professor of biochemistry at University of California, Riverside. “The extent of this influence was surprising.”

Impacts nearshore and offshore

The study found that in datasets from coastal environments as much as 20% of the measured organic material was of human origin, compared to about 0.5% in the open ocean. In extreme cases, such as river mouths impacted by untreated or poorly treated wastewater, that figure exceeded 50%. Across all samples, the 248 identified human-derived compounds tracked in this study made up around 2% of the total detected signal.

While pesticides and pharmaceuticals were expected to be most concentrated near shorelines, the study found that industrial compounds, including substances used in plastics, lubricants and consumer products, dominate the anthropogenic (human induced) chemical signal in all areas of the ocean.

The researchers also found that anthropogenic chemicals persist well beyond the coastline. Even more than 20 kilometers offshore, human-derived compounds accounted for roughly 1% of detected organic matter.

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A team of researchers are calling for a new generation of carefully designed ocean iron fertilization (OIF) field trials to determine whether this marine carbon dioxide (CO2) removal method can safely and effectively leverage a natural ocean process to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere. Led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the authors, including two from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, argue that larger, longer studies with rigorous monitoring and clear “go/no-go” safeguards, are needed to accurately assess OIF as a potential long-term CO2 storage solution. The paper was .

“The ocean science community must explore all possible means for reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and identify any unintended ecological consequences,” said David Karl, co-author, professor of and director of the in the ������Ƶ Mānoa (SOEST). “Humans continue to pollute our planet; the time for bold action is now.”

Past OIF field studies found that relatively tiny additions of iron in some parts of the ocean can stimulate the growth of small, plant-like organisms known as phytoplankton that live in the surface ocean. These organisms use sunlight and CO2 dissolved in seawater to grow and multiply, which in turn pulls more CO2 out of the atmosphere into the surface ocean in the process. However, those early experiments were not designed to assess the efficacy, durability and feasibility of OIF, nor did they specifically evaluate the broader ecological and biogeochemical impacts of large-scale additions of iron.

The next generation of trials would need to capture phytoplankton bloom development, and the process of bloom decay, the fate of newly produced carbon, and any potential ecosystem impacts. The authors propose experiments lasting more than 3–6 months and spanning an area of about 1,000 square kilometers, with an explicit requirement to document a return to natural conditions after iron additions end.

The authors suggested the Gulf of Alaska in the Northeast Pacific as a promising location based on the region’s low-iron conditions, the availability of decades of research in the area at Ocean Station Papa, evidence of natural iron-driven blooms in the past, and physical characteristics that may help keep the iron-fertilized patch from dispersing too rapidly.

After moving from the Philippines to Waipahu at age seven, Sean Michael Valencia Monte arrived at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� with a clear mission: to transform his passion for microbial research into a career in environmental conservation. Building on award-winning Waipahu High School research in soil science, Monte joined the (GES) program in the (SOEST).

Since joining SOEST, Monte has been a part of research in various fields. In summer 2024, Monte participated in the Hollings Preparation Program, working with the NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office on Hawaiian monk seal conservation. While assisting in pup taggings and conducting watches was exciting, his real takeaway was the human connections.

“The most important thing I learned was how to effectively engage with the public,” Monte shared. “I learned how to communicate science in a way that prioritizes both human safety and animal welfare.”

Transformative experiences

In summer 2025, he was selected as part of a five-student cohort that revived the ������Ƶ Blue Water Marine Lab Program. Aboard the ������Ƶ research vessel Kaunana, Monte gained hands-on training in plankton tows, marine mammal surveys, and the deployment of autonomous water sampling technology. And, through the National Student Exchange, he attended California State University, Monterey Bay for a semester.

“Spending a semester away from home taught me how much growth can come from the people you meet and the places you experience,” Monte shared. “I met incredible international students from France, Germany, Norway and Japan. Traveling across California and nearby states helped me gain independence and confidence. The experiences that I received proved to be transformative.”

Building connections and looking ahead

At ������Ƶ ����ԴDz�, Monte is part of the SOEST Maile Mentor Bridge Program, which pairs undergraduate students with near-peer mentors.

“Through my Maile Mentor, Raffi Isah, I was able to connect with and secure GES thesis mentors, and the program has given me a space to share my goals, challenges and experiences with others who understand the demands of SOEST and are motivated by similar interests,” Monte said.

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The earned high marks in nearly 20 academic subjects in the , with , and leading the way among the highest-ranked programs.

Oceanography ranked No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 7 in the world, atmospheric science placed No. 8 nationally and No. 11 worldwide, and hospitality and tourism management ranked No. 12 in the U.S. and No. 32 in the world.

The rankings were released by the Shanghai Ranking Consultancy and is considered one of the most comprehensive and objective assessments of university performance by discipline.

������Ƶ Mānoa also posted strong global and national placements across science, engineering, social science and other fields. tied for No. 17 in the U.S. and ranked No. 51–75 worldwide, while ecology and each tied for No. 24 nationally and placed No. 76–100 globally.

Additional ������Ƶ Mānoa subjects recognized in the 2025 rankings include communication, education, political science, water resources, biological sciences, civil engineering, food science and technology, environmental science and engineering, agricultural sciences, economics, management and physics.

“These rankings reflect the depth and consistency of excellence at ������Ƶ Mānoa,” Interim Provost Vassilis L. Syrmos said. “Our faculty are advancing research that matters locally and globally, while preparing students to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our world.”

������Ƶ Mānoa was evaluated alongside approximately 2,000 universities from more than 100 countries and regions, selected from a global pool of more than 25,000 institutions. The rankings are based on measures such as world-class faculty, world-class research output, high-quality research, research impact and international collaboration.

Other recent rankings:

• 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, October 9, 2025
• Wall Street Journal/College Pulse 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. rankings, October 2, 2025
• U.S. News and World Report 2026 Best Colleges rankings, September 23, 2025

For more information, .

—By Marc Arakaki

University of Hawaiʻi researchers have published a new study that brings together ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian knowledge), ʻō������� Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) and western marine science to shed new light on one of the ocean’s most elusive predators, the cookiecutter shark.

Rarely seen but often noticed, the cookiecutter shark is named for the distinctive wounds it leaves behind. Instead of tearing flesh, the small shark removes neat, circular plugs of meat that resemble the cut of a cookie cutter. These unmistakable bite marks are commonly found on prized fish such as ʻahi (bigeye tuna) and aʻu kū (swordfish), providing scientists with rare clues about the shark’s behavior in the deep, open ocean.

“What makes this species so fascinating is that we almost never see the shark itself,” said Justin Suca, an assistant professor in at ������Ƶ ����ԴDz�. “We’re learning about it by studying when and where those bite marks appear.”

The interdisciplinary study was led by Suca, J. Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco, an assistant professor of at Honolulu Community College and PhD candidate at the ������Ƶ Hilo , and Donald R. Kobayashi and economist Hing Ling Chan from NOAA’s Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC).

Kobayashi, a biologist at PIFSC and ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� alumnus, has been a cookiecutter shark enthusiast for decades.

“I’ve been intrigued by these small sharks for over 40 years, when I first learned about them while a graduate student in oceanography at ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� and we would encounter them in net tows,” Kobayashi said. “These enigmatic creatures have resisted formal study due to their habitat, behavior, and apparent rarity, so it is quite gratifying to personally contribute some solid scientific knowledge towards understanding them and their ways!”

Night patterns

Published in, the study analyzed a much larger dataset than previous research, examining bite patterns recorded across Hawaiʻi’s longline fisheries over many years. The results reveal clear and persistent trends: cookiecutter shark bites occur most often at night and are closely tied to lunar cycles, with higher activity during darker, low-illumination periods.

Searching the past

Alongside the scientific analysis, the researchers reviewed Hawaiian-language sources, including historic nūpepa (Hawaiian-language newspapers), and considered knowledge shared across Polynesian cultures to better understand how the shark may have been recognized in Hawaiʻi. While no direct references were found, the team believes Hawaiian ancestors were likely familiar with the shark’s distinctive bite marks.

“Our kūpuna (elders) may never have encountered the shark itself,” said Lorenzo-Elarco. “But they almost certainly encountered the evidence it left behind, the distinctive bite marks on fish they brought in from the open ocean.”

ʻŌ������� in science

From that understanding, the team developed a new Hawaiian name for the cookiecutter shark, nahunaiki, meaning “little bites,” and created an ʻō������� noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) describing its bite patterns and connection to nighttime conditions. The study also includes an abstract written entirely in ʻō������� Hawaiʻi, highlighting how Indigenous knowledge and modern science can work together to reveal patterns that might otherwise remain unseen. Developed by utilizing elements of traditional Hawaiian proverbs, the ʻō������� noʻeau says, Muku ka malama, nanahu ka nahunaikio o ka pō, When the new moon arises, the cookie cutter shark bites.This ʻō������� noʻeau is aimed at helping current and future generations of ocean stewards connect the lunar cycle to the bites of this shark.

These findings build on earlier ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� research that linked moonless nights to rare cookiecutter shark bites on humans, particularly swimmers in Hawaiʻi’s ocean channels, suggesting darkness plays a key role across very different types of encounters.

Groundbreaking research uncovering life in one of Earth’s most mysterious environments—the deep sea—has earned Gabrielle Ellis, a University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� graduate, the 2024–25 Dr. Clifford K. Mirikitani, MD, JD & John M. Mirikitani, JD, PhD Outstanding Dissertation Award from the .

Ellis, who earned her PhD from the , focused her research on tiny deep-sea animals living more than two miles below the ocean surface in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a vast area between Hawaiʻi and Mexico. The region holds valuable mineral deposits important for renewable energy, but is also home to fragile and little-known marine life.

Her dissertation looked at how deep-sea communities change over time and across different habitats, from the smallest larvae to adult animals. By studying thousands of samples, Ellis created one of the most complete pictures so far of deep-sea biodiversity in an untouched environment.

“The award of the Mirikitani Outstanding Dissertation Award is an absolute honor both for me as an emerging scientist, as well as for the recognition of deep-sea ecology as a field,” Ellis said. “Despite increased attention to the deep sea emerging with discussions around deep-sea mining, more than 99.9% of the deep-sea is unexplored, and so many foundational questions are unaddressed. Working in the deep sea is inherently collaborative; we work on ships in the middle of the ocean for long periods of time and often rely on each other for ideas, data and support. As such, credit is also due to my collaborators, including my labmates and advisors, who have really inspired me throughout the years and are absolutely instrumental in the success of my research.”

Her findings include one of the largest collections of deep-sea larvae ever gathered and some of the first detailed information about how these species grow and survive. The work helps scientists and policymakers better understand how deep-sea mining and climate change could affect ocean ecosystems and what steps can be taken to protect them.

• Related ������Ƶ News story: Rare glimpse at understudied ecosystem prompts caution on deep-sea mining, October 1, 2025

Ellis is now teaching environmental science at Georgetown University, continuing her mission to share the importance of ocean research and inspire the next generation of scientists.

The Mirikitani Outstanding Dissertation Award is given each year to one ������Ƶ Mānoa PhD student whose dissertation demonstrates exceptional originality, significance and scholarly achievement.

The Department of Oceanography is housed in ������Ƶ ��ā�ԴDz�’s .

Viewed from space, vast swirls of color appear nearly every summer in the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaiʻi. For years, the origins of these massive blooms of photosynthetic microbes remained a mystery. Now, led by University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� oceanographers provides the first comprehensive look at the anatomy of these events.

“This paper represents a synthesis of many different observational perspectives which, only when evaluated together, allowed us to paint the whole picture,” said Rhea Foreman, lead author of the study and researcher in the (C-MORE) in the ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� (SOEST). “It required multiple people with a range of expertises to work together in order to see the overarching ecological processes.”

Race to sample the bloom

The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is described as an ocean desert due to its low levels of nutrients. However, in late summer, a unique partnership forms between diatoms (marine microbes that live inside a glass shell) and diazotrophs (bacteria that convert nitrogen gas into a biologically usable form, essentially creating fertilizer for the system). Previous research established that summer blooms are often driven by this pairing, but beyond that, the causes of bloom initiation, sustenance and collapse were unknown.

In summer 2022, oceanographers used the R/V Kilo Moana to try and catch a bloom event. When they noticed on satellite imagery that a bloom the size of Minnesota was within range of the expedition, a race was on to investigate.

The team investigated the bloom’s microbial community, nutrient dynamics, composition of particulate matter, rates of photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation, and abundances of specific functional genes. Their study revealed that the blooms are likely triggered when the seed population of diatom-diazotroph associations experience favorable conditions such as: above-average concentrations of phosphate and silicate, and a shallower mixed layer at the surface ocean. This shallow mixed layer acts to corral the photosynthetic microbes, keeping them near the surface where sunlight is abundant—something they require for efficient nitrogen fixation.

“This comprehensive expedition required careful planning, skillful execution, effective teamwork and a bit of luck—we went four-for-four!” said David Karl, senior author on the study, Victor and Peggy Brandstrom Pavel Professor of Oceanography, and director of C-MORE.

Understanding lifecycles

The study also relied on the historical context provided by the ������Ƶ ����ԴDz� (HOT) program that has conducted monthly monitoring of the physical, biological and chemical characteristics at a nearby open ocean field station north of the Hawaiian Islands since 1988.

“By comparing the 2022 expedition data to the HOT data, which shows baseline conditions at Station ALOHA, we were able to distinguish unique bloom characteristics from normal background conditions and that helped us understand the lifecycle of the bloom,” said Foreman.

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