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Droughts in the Hawaiian Islands can enhance wildfire risk, diminish freshwater resources, and devastate threatened and endangered species on land and in nearshore ecosystems. During periods of drought, cloud-water interception, or fog drip (the process by which water droplets accumulate on the leaves and branches of plants and then drip to the ground) in Hawai‘i’s rain forests may play an important role in providing moisture for plants, reducing wildfire risk within the fog zone, and contributing to groundwater recharge (the process by which water moves downward from the surface through the ground to the groundwater table) that sustains water flow in streams during dry periods. Estimates of the changes in water...
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This dataset comprises high-resolution geotif files representing various aspects of the ʻākohekohe (Palmeria dolei) potential habitat on the Island of Hawaiʻi. It includes a habitat suitability map showing average suitability scores, a map of homogenous forested areas (HFAs) depicting clusters with consistent suitability scores, and a map of pixel-wise standard deviation across habitat suitability models. These maps were generated through a comprehensive analysis using lidar-based metrics, offering detailed insights into the habitat preferences of ʻākohekohe.
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We depict changing eruptive features within the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi with rapid-response digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired since a series of caldera-filling effusive eruptions began on December 20, 2020. These eruptions follow the caldera collapse of 2018, with new lava progressively filling the approximately 1-cubic-kilometer pit that formed between May and August of that year. The majority of the provided DEMs were constructed via structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry from either helicopter or uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) overflight images, with the remainder constructed via terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater rim. These data were collected...
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Surrounded by saltwater, human and natural communities on the Hawaiian Islands depend upon the freshwater supplied by rainfall for survival. Climate change will likely alter rainfall timing and intensity, but global climate models cannot capture the fine-scale dynamics of local rainfall, making future rainfall predictions for the islands uncertain. For this project, scientists used a technique called statistical downscaling (combining coarse-scale climate models with local historical data) to generate high-resolution maps showing seasonal rainfall change projections for Hawaiʻi over the course of this century. Results suggest that Hawaiʻi’s climate will become drier overall in the second half of the century, but...
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This dataset provides high-resolution, species-specific land cover maps for the Hawaiian island of Lāna'i based on 2020 WorldView-2 satellite imagery. Machine learning models were trained on extensive ground control polygons and points. The land cover maps capture the distribution and diversity of vegetation with high accuracy to support conservation planning and monitoring. This data release consists of two child items, one containing the field and expert collected ground control data used to train our models, and another consisting of resulting land cover maps for the island of Lāna‘i. The research effort that generated these input data, and products are carefully described in the associated manuscript Berio Fortini...
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This raster depicts the distribution of 15 species-specific vegetation classes across the island of Lāna‘i at 2m resolution. It represents the final selected neural network model predictions with expert-adjusted posterior probabilities. Each pixel is assigned to the most likely species-specific class based on the model. Overall and class-specific accuracy assessments indicate this map has generally over 95% accuracy. It provides detailed species-level vegetation mapping to support conservation planning and monitoring. Please note that to reduce the inherent 'salt and pepper' noise in the final land cover classification map, we applied a 3x3 pixel moving window majority filter to the final classification results.
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Alamagan Volcano is a Quaternary stratovolcano along the Mariana Arc, an active subduction zone in the western Pacific Ocean. Although primarily submerged, its peak reaches above sea level, with subaerially-exposed volcanic deposits dating back through the Holocene to the late Pleistocene. These feature data represent such deposits and other geologic features of Alamagan Volcano, describing its interpreted eruptive history.
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Alamagan Volcano is a Quaternary stratovolcano along the Mariana Arc, an active subduction zone in the western Pacific Ocean. Although primarily submerged, its peak reaches above sea level, with subaerially-exposed volcanic deposits dating back through the Holocene to the late Pleistocene. These feature data represent such deposits and other geologic features of Alamagan Volcano, describing its interpreted eruptive history.
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Lava flow hazards are usually thought to end when the erupting vent becomes inactive, but this is not always the case. At Kīlauea in August 2014, a spiny ʻaʻā flow erupted from the levee of a crusted perched lava lake that had been inactive for a month, and the surface of the lava lake subsided as the flow advanced downslope over the following few days. Topography constructed from oblique aerial photographs using structure-from-motion (SfM) software shows that the volume of the flow (~68,000 m3) closely matches the volume of subsidence of the crusted lava lake (~64,000 m3). The similarity of these volumes, along with the textural characteristics of the lava, shows that the lava that fed the flow had been stored...
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We depict changing eruptive features within the summit caldera of Kīlauea volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi with rapid-response digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired since a series of caldera-filling effusive eruptions began on December 20, 2020. These eruptions follow the caldera collapse of 2018, with new lava progressively filling the approximately 1-cubic-kilometer pit that formed between May and August of that year. The majority of the provided DEMs were constructed via structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry from either helicopter or uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) overflight images, with the remainder constructed via terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater rim. These data were collected...
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Changes in future wave climates in the tropical Pacific Ocean from global climate change are not well understood. Spatially and temporally varying waves dominate coastal morphology and ecosystem structure of the islands throughout the tropical Pacific. Waves also impact coastal infrastructure, natural and cultural resources, and coastal-related economic activities of the islands. Wave heights, periods, and directions were forecast through the year 2100 using wind parameter outputs from four atmosphere-ocean global climate models from the Coupled Model Inter-Comparison Project, Phase 5, for Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) scenarios 4.5 and 8.5 that correspond to moderately mitigated and unmitigated greenhouse...
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Actionable science has evolved rapidly over the last decade, and the Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) network has established itself as a leader in the field. The practice of actionable science is generally described as user-focused, action-oriented science that addresses pressing real-world climate adaptation challenges. It is also sometimes referred to as usable science, translational ecology, and coproduction. Successfully carrying out actionable science projects requires a range of skills, mindsets, and techniques in addition to scientific knowledge. Those skills can include mutual learning with stakeholders, attention to social and political context, iterative creative problem-solving, and interdisciplinary...
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The shapefile associated with this metadata file represents the spatial distribution of mean annual water-budget components, in inches, for Hawaii Island, Hawaii. The water-budget components in the shapefile were computed by a water-budget model for a scenario representative of recent conditions (1916-83 rainfall and 2008 land cover), as described in USGS Scientific Investigations Report (SIR) 2011-5078 and summarized in USGS SIR 2015-5164. The model was developed for estimating groundwater recharge and other water-budget components for each subarea of the model. The model-subarea dataset, consisting of 467,805 subareas (polygons), was generated using Esri ArcGIS software by intersecting (merging) multiple spatial...
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Palau’s Jellyfish Lake, locally known as Ongeim’l Tketau (OTM), is an iconic tourism site and an important area of biodiversity. This landlocked marine lake is part of the Rock Island Southern Lagoon UNESCO World Heritage Site, representing an expression of Palauan national pride, and has brought in millions of dollars to the local Koror State economy. OTM is also home to the unique Golden jellyfish, Mastigias papua etpisoni, a subspecies found nowhere else in the world. Populations of the Golden jellyfish within OTM have fluctuated extensively over past decades, with numbers sometimes hovering around a high of 30 million to periods of total population collapse that can last for multiple years. Scientific monitoring...
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Climate change in Hawaiʻi is expected to result in increasing temperatures and varying precipitation through the twenty-first century. Already, high elevation areas have experienced rapidly increasing temperatures and there has been an increase in the frequency of drought across the Islands. These climatic changes could have significant impacts on Hawaiʻi’s plants and animals. Changes in temperature and moisture may make current habitat no longer suitable for some species, and could allow invasive species to spread into new areas. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is home to 23 species of endangered vascular plants and 15 species of endangered trees. Understanding how climate change may impact the park’s plants...
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Coral reef ecosystems serve as natural coastal defenses, support local island economies, and are important sources of food for coastal communities. However, an increase in coral bleaching events, and the associated declines of coral cover and diversity, are highly likely as sea surface temperatures continue to rise. Multiple coral bleaching events between 2013 and 2017 have already impacted the reefs of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, resulting in the loss of more than a third of shallow living-coral cover, with some species groups experiencing greater than 90% mortality. This devastating series of bleaching events strengthened existing partnerships between federal and local agencies and...
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Some areas of the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) are experiencing a decline in precipitation and streamflow and an increase in the number of severe droughts. These changes can have wide-reaching implications, affecting the water supply, native vegetation and wildlife, wildfire patterns, and the spread of invasive species. As ecosystems become altered by invasive species and as particularly hotter, more variable climates emerge, it is critical that scientists produce locally relevant, timely, and actionable science products for managers to prepare for and cope with the impacts of drought. Simultaneously, it is important that managers are able to both access this information and shape the types of data products...
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Globally, shorelines provide a vital defense system against extreme weather and erosion events and are a critical public and cultural resource. Within the state of Hawaiʻi, coastal vulnerability and historic change has been well documented and studied on the Islands of Oʻahu, Maui, and Kauaʻi, but this has not been done for the Island of Hawaiʻi, the largest and most diverse island in the Hawaiian archipelago. For example, Hurricane Lane caused major flooding and coastal erosion on Hawaiʻi Island in 2018, but no comprehensive baseline shoreline dataset exists to document and quantify the changes it caused. To help fill this knowledge gap, this study aims to create a shoreline inventory of the entire coastline...
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Coral reefs are critical providers of food, economic opportunity, and cultural value in the Pacific Islands. Coral bleaching events, driven by extreme water temperatures, jeopardize reefs’ ability to continue providing these services. Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of marine heat waves leading to bleaching events, reducing the amount of time for full recovery, and increasing the chances of permanent damage to reefs. Reef managers urgently need strategies that will improve reef resilience, increasing the reefs’ ability to withstand harsh conditions or recover quickly after damage. Example strategies include restoring coral in areas with good conditions for coral survival, protecting naturally...
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Hawaiʻi is often referred to as the endangered species capital of the world, with hundreds of species at risk. While Hawaiian forest birds have garnered attention in the global conservation community as they face imminent extinction due to climate change, climate also poses serious challenges to hundreds of other Hawaiian species. Although traditional recovery plans provide meaningful guidance to managers, it is impractical and inefficient to work across multiple individual plans for hundreds of species at risk when the species, threats, and conservation actions overlap in complex ways. Until recently, a structured approach to aid the scaling-up of such conservation efforts across multiple species was not available....
map background search result map search result map Developing High-Resolution Rainfall Change Scenarios for the Hawaiian Islands Assessing the Potential Effects of Climate Change on Vegetation in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Future Wind and Wave Projections for the NPS and USFWS-managed Islands in the Pacific Ocean Effects of Drought on Soil Moisture and Water Resources in Hawai‘i Climate Change, Variability, and Drought in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands – Working with Managers to Mitigate the Impacts of Drought and Wildfire Alamagan Volcano - geologic map shapefiles Using Cutting-Edge Technology to Assess Coral Reef Bleaching Events and Recovery Rates in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Generating a Shoreline Inventory for Hawai‘i Island to Increase Resilience in the Face of Rising Sea Levels Alamagan Volcano - data source polygons Identifying Locations for Coral Reef Climate Resilience Building Capacity for Actionable and Interdisciplinary Science Across the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network Applying a Novel Spatial Prioritization Technique to Support Climate Resilient Conservation Planning for the Recovery of 300 Endangered and At Risk Species in Maui Nui Mean annual water-budget components for Hawaii Island, Hawaii, for recent conditions, 1916-83 rainfall and 2008 land cover Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2023-10-24) 2021 Forecasting the Future of Ongeim’l Tketau (Jellyfish Lake), Palau in a Changing Climate Photogrammetry-derived digital elevation models for an inactive perched lava lake formed at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (Kīlauea) in 2014 Lāna‘i Landcover Mapping Input Geopackages High-Resolution Land Cover Maps of Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, 2020 - Species Specific Classes Island of Hawaiʻi lidar-based habitat suitability for ʻākohekohe (Palmeria dolei) conservation introductions, 2023 Forecasting the Future of Ongeim’l Tketau (Jellyfish Lake), Palau in a Changing Climate Photogrammetry-derived digital elevation models for an inactive perched lava lake formed at Pu‘u‘ō‘ō (Kīlauea) in 2014 Rapid-response digital elevation models of the 2020–present summit eruptions at Kīlauea Volcano, Island of Hawaiʻi (updated 2023-10-24) 2021 Alamagan Volcano - geologic map shapefiles Alamagan Volcano - data source polygons Lāna‘i Landcover Mapping Input Geopackages High-Resolution Land Cover Maps of Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, 2020 - Species Specific Classes Assessing the Potential Effects of Climate Change on Vegetation in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Mean annual water-budget components for Hawaii Island, Hawaii, for recent conditions, 1916-83 rainfall and 2008 land cover Using Cutting-Edge Technology to Assess Coral Reef Bleaching Events and Recovery Rates in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Effects of Drought on Soil Moisture and Water Resources in Hawai‘i Developing High-Resolution Rainfall Change Scenarios for the Hawaiian Islands Generating a Shoreline Inventory for Hawai‘i Island to Increase Resilience in the Face of Rising Sea Levels Applying a Novel Spatial Prioritization Technique to Support Climate Resilient Conservation Planning for the Recovery of 300 Endangered and At Risk Species in Maui Nui Climate Change, Variability, and Drought in the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands – Working with Managers to Mitigate the Impacts of Drought and Wildfire Future Wind and Wave Projections for the NPS and USFWS-managed Islands in the Pacific Ocean Identifying Locations for Coral Reef Climate Resilience Building Capacity for Actionable and Interdisciplinary Science Across the Climate Adaptation Science Center Network