{"id":75659,"date":"2018-03-02T12:34:37","date_gmt":"2018-03-02T22:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=75659"},"modified":"2019-03-19T16:06:23","modified_gmt":"2019-03-20T02:06:23","slug":"hawaii-reefs-impact-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2018\/03\/02\/hawaii-reefs-impact-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers create first map showing human and environmental impact on Hawai\u2018i reefs"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Composite showing healthy coral, left, and degraded coral. (Photo by Keoki Stender, Marine Life Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first comprehensive map documenting the relative impact of human activities and natural events in slowing reef recovery after extreme coral bleaching caused by rising water temperatures in Hawaiʻi<\/span> has been produced by an interdisciplinary group of researchers with University of Hawaiʻi<\/span><\/a> ties. <\/p>\n

The study, a large, multi-institution collaboration between Stanford University, 糖心视频<\/abbr>, Stockholm Resilience Center, NOAA<\/abbr> and others, synthesized 10 years of datasets from university and government sources across many factors for the first time to get a big-picture perspective on reef health and regional impacts. It provides a foundation for further research and informs policies to protect coral reefs.<\/p>\n

The researchers from the collaborative Ocean Tipping Points<\/a> project reviewed the data to gauge how a broad suite of factors, such as sedimentation, development and fishing, influence coral reef health across the main Hawaiian Islands. <\/p>\n

The study appears in PLOS One<\/em><\/a> and reveals variations in what was inhibiting reef recovery across the islands. On the densely populated island of Oʻahu<\/span>, for example, the dominant stressors were human activities, such as fishing and loss of natural habitat to coastal development. Sedimentation and nutrient runoff were dominant forces on less populated islands.<\/p>\n

“When we jumped into the water in West Hawaiʻi<\/span>, over half of the coral reef was dead. These are some of Hawaiʻi<\/span>\u2019s most vibrant coral reefs, so we were heartbroken\u2014and determined to better understand how reef ecosystems could be more resilient in the future,” said the paper\u2019s lead author, Lisa Wedding<\/strong>, a research associate at Stanford University\u2019s Center for Ocean Solutions <\/a>and graduate of 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s geography PhD<\/abbr> program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A big step forward to protect coral reefs<\/h2>\n
\"Lecky
Joey Lecky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“This area of research has been a long-term need for coral reef conservation and management,” said co-author Joey Lecky<\/strong>, a NOAA<\/abbrv> GIS<\/abbr> analyst who analyzed human drivers of change in the main Hawaiian Islands as part of his graduate work at 糖心视频<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources<\/a>. “These findings will allow us to take a big step forward in understanding how corals are impacted by both human activities and environmental stressors, in a place with incredible value.”<\/p>\n

The research team\u2019s findings highlight the importance of tailoring strategies based on location to effectively address local impacts. “These layers are being actively used in the ongoing state effort to meet Gov. David Ige\u2019s 30×30 goal<\/a>—protecting 30 percent of the nearshore by 2030—announced at the World Conservation Conference here in 2016,” noted Kirsten Oleson<\/strong>, Lecky\u2019s advisor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management<\/a> and a contributing author.<\/p>\n

Coral reef data available online<\/h2>\n

Data created by this mapping study are available for free at the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System website<\/a>, where scientists, managers and members of the public can explore and further analyze what drives variation on coral reefs. Users can download data layers in various formats and explore all layers in an interactive map viewer.<\/p>\n

For more, read the full story on the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources website<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The study synthesized 10 years of datasets for the first time to get a big-picture perspective on Hawaiʻi<\/span>‘s reef health and regional impacts and it provides a foundation for further research and informs policies to protect coral reefs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":75667,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[212,109,1314,544,107,238,73,9],"class_list":["post-75659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-coral-reefs","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-natural-resources-and-environmental-management","tag-oceanography","tag-pacific-islands-ocean-observing-system","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t