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As one of the lowest-lying island nation-states in the world, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is acutely vulnerable to sea-level rise, flooding, and the associated intrusion of saltwater into crucial freshwater supplies. Persistent drought is further affecting agricultural production in the RMI. Many Marshallese communities are already experiencing these changes and are migrating to larger islands within the RMI and to other countries like the U.S. to, among other things, seek alternative means of making a living and access healthcare. The number of Marshallese residing in the U.S. has rapidly risen over the past two decades, from 7,000 in 2000 to 22,000 in 2010. There is also substantial internal migration,...
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The threat of rising sea levels to island communities is well known. However, sea-level rise projections are often depicted in ways that are not intuitive or directly applicable to community members and resource managers who most need the information. Scientific information about sea-level rise needs to be presented in a way that effectively communicates the very real risk posed to coastal communities, infrastructure, and cultural assets. This project builds upon data developed through previous USGS Pacific Islands CASC work. It goes beyond simple sea-level rise visualizations and leverages the ever-growing computational power of modern smart devices to provide interactive and immersive outreach materials through...
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Moloka‘i has great wetland restoration potential in Hawaiʻi, but most remaining sites are highly degraded. The future of several endangered waterbirds and insects relies on restoring coastal wetland habitat that is resilient under sea-level rise and coastal flooding. Currently, managers lack background data on Molokaʻi to prioritize sites for restoration. In this project, Researchers will develop a comprehensive dataset and create a prioritization plan for coastal wetland restoration. The team will work closely with project partners and stakeholders to develop a well-vetted plan to support endangered species and meeting community needs. Existing maps and spatial data about the Molokaʻi landscape will be compiled...
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Hawai‘i’s isolation, paired with limited water resources, make the archipelago sensitive to reductions in water availability. Drought can take different forms, varying across Island geographies with respect to frequency, intensity, duration, and extent. A drought event can exert hydrological, agricultural, ecological, and socio-economic impacts – and these impacts have been growing over the past century as droughts have become more frequent and severe. While the impacts of drought in Hawai‘i have been recently documented, important gaps remain in understanding these dynamics when engaging with multiple other stressors such as invasive species, shifting fire and climate patterns, pests, and pathogens. In particular,...
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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...
Project researchers are measuring impacts of sea level variability on coastal reefs and communities. Researchers will relate Pacific climate extremes to local impacts, such as coastal flooding, that matter to residents and resource managers inundation by waves. This handout gives a quick overview of the project methods.
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The shapefile associated with this metadata file represents the spatial distribution of mean annual water-budget components, in inches, for the Island of Oahu, Hawaii. The water-budget components in the shapefile were computed by a water-budget model for a scenario representative of drought conditions (1998–2002 rainfall) and 2010 land cover, as described in USGS Scientific Investigations Report (SIR) 2015-5010. The model was developed for estimating groundwater recharge and other water-budget components for each subarea of the model. The model subareas were generated using Esri ArcGIS software by intersecting (merging) multiple spatial data sets that characterize the spatial distribution of rainfall, fog interception,...
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This shapefile represents the spatial distribution of mean annual water-budget components, in inches, for the Island of Maui, Hawaii. The water-budget components in the shapefile were computed by a water-budget model for a scenario representative of current conditions (2001-10 rainfall and 2001-10 land cover), as described in USGS Scientific Investigations Report (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 318,429 subareas (polygons), was generated using Esri ArcGIS software by intersecting (merging) multiple spatial datasets. Spatial datasets merged include those that characterize...
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Pacific Island societies value, depend on, and actively manage terrestrial and marine ecosystems for the multiple benefits they provide, including those associated with plant and animal abundance, resilience to natural disasters, and the flow of water, soil, and nutrients. New ecosystem service models developed for Pacific Island landscapes now integrate land-to-sea connections, allowing us to assess how land-based management actions and threats (e.g. changes to climate and land cover) affect ecosystem benefits, from ridge to reef. Affecting actual change on the ground, however, depends on how scientific information is accessed and used by managers and other decision makers who have the capacity to influence ecosystem...
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On August 21, 2017, Honolulu Harbor observed the highest hourly water level since tide gauge record collection began in 1905. Throughout the course of 2017, the gauge registered an unprecedented number of high-water events. These record high sea levels were the result of a series of compounding factors: ongoing sea-level rise, seasonally-elevated high tides, and a region of warm water combining with ocean eddies. The threat of rising sea levels to the essential infrastructure and cultural assets of island communities is well known. However, inadequate information limits the ability of resource managers to predict and prepare for the impacts of sea-level rise and associated inundation. Researchers will address...
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Freshwater is a critical driver for island ecosystems. Climate change has fundamentally altered the water cycle in tropical islands. The changes in dynamic patterns of streamflow could result in the temporal and spatial difference in the riverine, estuarine, and coastal habitats that support native species. In particular, these habitats support the nine native aquatic species in Hawaiʻi at different stages of their migratory life cycle. To examine how changes in streamflow regimes have impacted habitat quality for these native aquatic species, an ongoing project has examined statewide long-term stream records. Researchers are in the process of building hydrological models and connecting the stream dynamics with...
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Sea-level rise will eventually flood and kill many coastal mangrove trees. The loss of mangrove forests will strongly affect human populations on isolated western Pacific islands as they rely heavily on mangroves for food, such as fish, shrimp, and crabs; building materials; and fire wood. Mangroves also shelter coastal communities from the impacts of tsunamis and cyclones, are home to endangered species such as the Yapese monarch and flying fox, and remove and store CO2 from the atmosphere. In the past, mangroves have adjusted to sea-level rise through tree root growth and the accumulation of sediments from rivers and oceans, processes which allow them to maintain their forest floor elevation relative to sea level....
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There is a growing movement in the Pacific to decarbonize sea transportation. The transition to sustainable sea transport is projected to reduce socioeconomic vulnerability to external rises in oil prices while lowering carbon emissions in a period of intensifying climate change. With potential periodic global breakdowns in transport of fuel due to potential hazards such as global pandemics or political instability, the development of sustainable shipping is increasingly relevant. Canoe organizations in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia are working with the Micronesian Center for Sustainable Transport to restore traditional systems of voyaging as indigenous means of climate...
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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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The Hawaiian Islands are both biologically and ecologically diverse. To better manage and understand this diverse landscape, detailed, reliable projections of future changes in climate are needed by Hawaiʻi resource managers, such as land managers, conservation organizations, and decision makers. Global climate models (or “general circulation models”) produce projections at regional or global scales, however, they are of limited value for managers of small island resources. Currently, large scale projections are commonly “downscaled” to project future climate variations and conditions at the local scale. However, dynamical downscaling models produce huge output datasets that are often difficult to access and use...
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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 integrates the species-specific and community classifications using a hierarchical approach based on classification certainty. A 0.66 probability threshold was applied, with pixels assigned the finest species-specific class as long as the probability exceeded the threshold. Pixels below the threshold were assigned to the broader community class meeting the threshold. This approach displays the most detailed class possible given a minimum confidence, providing a map that balances specificity and certainty. 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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This shapefile represents the spatial distribution of mean annual water-budget components, in inches, for the Island of Maui, Hawaii. The water-budget components in the shapefile were computed by a water-budget model for a scenario representative of predevelopment conditions (1978–2007 rainfall and 1870 land cover), as described in USGS Scientific Investigations Report (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 318,429 subareas (polygons), was generated using Esri ArcGIS software by intersecting (merging) multiple spatial datasets. Spatial datasets merged include those that...
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Precipitation in Hawaiʻi’s higher elevation upland areas provides needed water to both people and ecosystems. Once it reaches the ground, rain can either run off and contribute to water flow in streams, or it can infiltrate into the ground and provide water for plants and recharge aquifers and groundwater. The exact route that water takes is controlled by many factors, including the duration and intensity of rainfall, the topography of the land, soil properties, and vegetation. The introduction and spread of invasive plants and animals in Hawaiian forests, which alters the water-use and soil characteristics of ecosystems, can have large impacts on downstream water users. Increased demand and competition for limited...
map background search result map search result map Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on the Migration of Marshallese Islanders Changes in Water Flow through Hawaiian Forests due to Invasive Species and Changing Rainfall Patterns Mean annual water-budget components for the Island of Maui, Hawaii, for predevelopment conditions, 1978–2007 rainfall and 1870 land cover (version 2.0) Mean annual water-budget components for the Island of Maui, Hawaii, for current conditions, 2001-10 rainfall and 2001-10 land cover (version 2.0) Supporting Sea-Level Rise Preparedness in Hawaiian National Parks The Future Resiliency of Mangrove Forests to Sea-Level Rise in the Western Pacific: Initiating a National Assessment Approach Digital database of the geologic map of Alamagan Volcano, northern Mariana Islands Visualizing Sea-level Rise at Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau National Historic Park with Interactive, Virtual Technology (A Prototype Augmented-Reality Mobile-Phone Application) Malo‘o ka lani, wela ka honua (When the sky is dry, the earth is parched): Investigating the Cultural Dimensions of Indigenous Local Knowledge Responses to Changing Climate Conditions Alamagan Volcano - map unit polygons Linking Models to Outcomes – How do Hawaiʻi Stakeholders Use and Contribute to Land-to-Sea Ecosystem Service Analyses A Prioritization Plan for Coastal Wetland Restoration on Moloka‘i Impacts of Extreme Events on the Native and Nonnative Aquatic Species of Hawaiʻi Stream Ecosystem Making Regional Climate Model Outputs for Hawaiʻi More Accessible to a Diverse User Community Using Oral Histories of Marshallese and Yapese Voyagers to Support the Development of Community Engagement for Sustainable Sea Transport Mean annual water-budget components for the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, for drought conditions, 1998-2002 rainfall and 2010 land cover (version 2.0) 2020 High-Resolution Land Cover Maps of Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, 2020 High-Resolution Land Cover Maps of Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, 2020 - Mixed Class Visualizing Sea-level Rise at Puʻuhonua O Hōnaunau National Historic Park with Interactive, Virtual Technology (A Prototype Augmented-Reality Mobile-Phone Application) Alamagan Volcano - map unit polygons 2020 Digital database of the geologic map of Alamagan Volcano, northern Mariana Islands High-Resolution Land Cover Maps of Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, 2020 - Mixed Class High-Resolution Land Cover Maps of Lāna‘i, Hawai‘i, 2020 A Prioritization Plan for Coastal Wetland Restoration on Moloka‘i Mean annual water-budget components for the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, for drought conditions, 1998-2002 rainfall and 2010 land cover (version 2.0) Supporting Sea-Level Rise Preparedness in Hawaiian National Parks The Future Resiliency of Mangrove Forests to Sea-Level Rise in the Western Pacific: Initiating a National Assessment Approach Changes in Water Flow through Hawaiian Forests due to Invasive Species and Changing Rainfall Patterns Understanding the Effect of Climate Change on the Migration of Marshallese Islanders Using Oral Histories of Marshallese and Yapese Voyagers to Support the Development of Community Engagement for Sustainable Sea Transport Malo‘o ka lani, wela ka honua (When the sky is dry, the earth is parched): Investigating the Cultural Dimensions of Indigenous Local Knowledge Responses to Changing Climate Conditions Linking Models to Outcomes – How do Hawaiʻi Stakeholders Use and Contribute to Land-to-Sea Ecosystem Service Analyses Making Regional Climate Model Outputs for Hawaiʻi More Accessible to a Diverse User Community Impacts of Extreme Events on the Native and Nonnative Aquatic Species of Hawaiʻi Stream Ecosystem