More than 2 trillion gallons of water—enough to fill 3 million Olympic-sized swimming pools—inundated �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� in March. The accumulated rainfall over 14 days reached as high as 3,000% of normal historical levels for this time of year, culminating in a destructive “rain bomb” over ��ʻ�����. Through the University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Mesonet and the �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Climate Data Portal, researchers captured the scale of these back-to-back Kona low systems, mapping localized threats and providing crucial data on the state’s severe flooding.

Between March 1 and March 23, statewide rainfall averaged 18.25 inches—more than 2.6 times the standard March average of 6.85 inches.

While the first storm (March 10–16) brought hurricane-force wind gusts of 135.4 mph to �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Island and up to 62 inches of rain to Maui, the second Kona storm between March 19 and 23 triggered a new wave of devastation. The second storm dumped up to 61 inches of rain in localized areas, producing destructive floods across eastern and central �ѴDZ��ǰ첹ʻ��, West Maui and ��ʻ�����.

Communities such as Waialua and Haleiwa on ��ʻ�����’s north shore experienced devastating inundation. �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Mesonet stations highlighted the widespread intensity of the storm: the ����ʻ������ station recorded the island’s highest two-day rainfall of roughly 22 inches, including 19.67 inches in a 24-hour period beginning the evening of March 19. Almost simultaneously, the nearby �����������ʻ�� Ridge station above Waimea Valley recorded 9.75 inches in 24 hours.

����ԴDz�, Palolo flash floods

As the two-week rainy period neared its end, an intense, localized atmospheric event struck ����ԴDz� and Palolo valleys on March 23. Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi described it as a “classic rain bomb,” heavy rain caused by a stationary storm cell. This “rain bomb,” over ����ԴDz� and Palolo valleys, dropped 2 to 4 inches of rain per hour.

Six �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Mesonet stations in the Nuʻuanu-����ԴDz� area recorded between 3.5 and 6.5 inches of rain, the majority of which fell within a three-hour window. Falling on already saturated ground, this turned streams into raging torrents and triggered significant flash floods.

The �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Mesonet, a statewide network of state-of-the-art weather stations, is proving to be a critical source of weather information, especially valuable during extreme events.

“We are building the mesonet to serve multiple purposes, including research, resource management, support for farmers and ranchers, and others,” said Thomas Giambelluca, �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Mesonet project lead, and former director of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Water Resources Research Center. “But, providing data when and where it is most needed before and during extreme events like floods and wildfires, might be its most important purpose. Mesonet data will make us better prepared for future events by improving weather forecasts and enabling emergency managers to plan for and respond to extremes.”

Across the state, thousands of Hawaiʻi students spend months investigating scientific questions and testing engineering designs for school, district and . Behind these projects are University of Hawaiʻi mentorship, expert judging and resources that turn classroom concepts into real-world research.

Connecting to real-world research

Science fair projects provide an opportunity to extend classroom learning. Radford High School science teacher Daniella Griffay borrowed from ����Vlog�ٷ� to teach wave speed and propagation. This led to a connection with Troy Heitmann, assistant researcher at ����Vlog�ٷ�’s , who mentored Radford student John Phillip English, on improving the magnets used in .

“This project provided a meaningful opportunity for a student to explore renewable energy technology while developing scientific reasoning, engineering design skills and experimental problem-solving experience,” said Heitmann.

In addition to Heitmann’s mentorship, English used resources developed by STEM Pre-Academy, with support from undergraduate student intern Erik Bendickson.

“The big thing that I learned from the science fair was despite things not going how you plan, it’s just important to be able to bounce back from that and be able to continue to work on something,” English said. “I think that more students honestly should work with professors at ����Vlog�ٷ�. It just gives you a different understanding of things. [Heitmann] would introduce a topic and he would explain it in a simple way and then he would build it up to what was more complicated. He went out of his way to make sure that I was progressing well with the project.”

“I’m not an engineer and needed guidance on how to support this student on their project,” said Griffay. “I am truly grateful not just for the equipment in the lending library but also for the collaborations and expert knowledge.”

Another two of Griffay’s students were connected by STEM Pre-Academy to a ����Vlog�ٷ� mentor, Associate Researcher Marek Kirs from ����Vlog�ٷ�’s . Kirs worked with students Maddison Soria and Skye Gussenhoven in their second year of a project, teaching them to cultivate bacteria and perform disk diffusion assays.

English, Soria and Gussenhoven advanced out of the Central District Science Fair and are headed to the Hawaiʻi State Science Fair in April.

Read more about how ����Vlog�ٷ� is helping to inspire the Windward Oʻahu science community.

For University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa PhD student Brian Gorberg, the devastating Kona low storms weren’t just an academic research topic—they were a recurring nightmare that inundated his home three times in less than four weeks. Renting the bottom bedroom of a home in Waialua on Oʻahu’s north shore, Gorberg witnessed the final and most severe flood send an 8-foot wall of water through his place.

After experiencing two recent floods that ruined his belongings, Gorberg was seeking refuge at a friend’s house down the street when the third flood hit. The flash flooding was catastrophic, acting like a “dam spillway” through his neighborhood. The water destroyed his Jeep Patriot given to him by his dad, caused a neighboring house to spin off its foundation, and trapped another neighbor in neck-deep water.

“I got woken up by a giant wave,” Gorberg said. “I assumed the worst because I study hydrology. I assumed the dam failed and I knew I had to get out of the watershed. So, I drove all the way to the evacuation site. I actually ran up the hill because I didn’t believe the evacuation site was safe enough.”

Flooding expertise proved critical

Gorberg’s academic background proved critical during the floods. As an student in the and working with the under advisor Chris Shuler, his expertise allowed him to understand the mechanics of the disaster. During the floods, Gorberg spent hours walking through his neighborhood trying to warn residents ahead of the rising waters.

Gorberg’s current research work is to create high-end, reproducible flood models and stage height maps to better protect local communities. Working alongside undergraduate students Chiara Duyn, Megan Wong and Anne Dominique, Gorberg created a that provides residents with transparent, scenario-based flood information.

While the app and Gorberg’s maps currently focus on Windward ��ʻ����� watersheds such as Kāneʻohe, the underlying flood models are designed to be reproducible, and Gorberg aims to eventually expand this mapping to any flood zone across Hawaiʻi. The flood maps simulate exact inundation levels when local streams breach their banks at incremental heights—such as 12, 13 or 14 feet—allowing communities to visualize their risk and prepare for an approaching storm.

Reflecting on the tools he is building, Gorberg emphasized the urgent need for better preparedness in Hawaiʻi.

“Every stream gauge in the mainland has these maps. It’s not fair that Hawaiʻi doesn’t have it, especially considering these events,“ Gorberg said. ”And because there are graduate students like myself who have created this… that’s like the missing link in Hawaiʻi that would honestly solve this event, or would have been different if we had those maps.”

A new (NASEM) is urging clinicians to prioritize ongoing symptom evaluation and continuity of care for individuals potentially exposed to jet fuel contaminated drinking water on Oʻahu in 2021.

The report examined health risks tied to leaks of JP-5 fuel from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility that affected the water supply serving Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and nearby communities. As many as 93,000 people may have been exposed to the jet fuel through drinking water, inhalation of vapors or skin contact.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (JABSOM) Dean Emeritus Jerris R. Hedges, JABSOM Chair and Professor Joseph Keaweʻaimoku Kaholokula, JABSOM graduate and clinical faculty member Marcus Kawika Iwane, and JABSOM graduate and ����Vlog�ٷ� West Oʻahu Professor Ricardo Custodio served on the 16-member multi-disciplinary National Academies “committee on the clinical follow-up and care for those impacted by the JP-5 releases at Red Hill,” which authored this report. ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa Professor of Public Health Sciences Catherine Pirkle and Assistant Professor Aurora Kagawa-Viviani served on the multi-disciplinary peer-review team.

Key NASEM report findings

Researchers found limited evidence linking exposure to short-term respiratory, gastrointestinal, skin and mental health symptoms. However, data remains insufficient to determine specific long-term health effects, and no validated medical tests exist to confirm past exposure or the extent of exposure. As a result, the report recommends clinicians carefully document patient histories and symptoms while ensuring ongoing, patient-centered care.

The report also calls for expanded research and improved environmental monitoring to better understand exposure levels and potential health outcomes. Recommendations include developing biomarkers to detect jet fuel exposure, standardizing water testing methods and conducting long-term studies of exposed populations.

“This report highlights the importance of a registry to collect long-term health information to fill the gaps in truly understanding how JP-5 exposure may impact the community over time,” Kaholokula said. “The more people who enroll in the , the more impactful the research and information becomes.”

“Continued enrollment in the Red Hill Registry and similar programs is critical for future studies and research,” Hedges said. “Such registries will provide important additional knowledge related to the exposure, especially regarding potential long-term effects on women and children.”

The report further highlights the need for improved coordination among federal, state and local agencies to ensure drinking water safety and rebuild public trust following the contamination incident.

“The release of this report reminds families that even though we are removed in time from the May 2021 and November 2021 fuel spills, the voices of the individuals and families who lived through the water crisis are still being heard,” said Rosana “Sanie” Weldon, director of the Red Hill Registry. “By enrolling in the Red Hill Registry, whether you had symptoms or not, you help researchers establish accurate baseline data, detect even small health differences which may present years from now, and ensure that findings truly reflect the whole community.”

Importance of Red Hill Registry

The Red Hill Registry aims to track health outcomes and provide resources and education for those who experienced jet fuel in their drinking water from the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. Based in the at ����Vlog�ٷ�, the registry has dozens of partners supporting the registry from across the ����Vlog�ٷ� System with technology infrastructure, data security, questionnaire integrity, clinical guidance, water science and more.

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From 135 mph wind gusts on Hawaiʻi Island to 62 inches of rainfall on Maui, a recent Kona low system brought weather conditions usually reserved for major hurricanes to the state. These extreme totals were captured by the University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s Hawaiʻi Mesonet, a weather monitoring system that is mapping localized threats across areas that previously had no data available. ����Vlog�ٷ�’s Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal team created a report on the storm.

Alongside immense flooding, the storm brought destructive winds. The Hawaiʻi Mesonet station at Kaiāulu Puʻuwaʻawaʻa on Hawaiʻi Island recorded a maximum wind gust of 135.4 mph. Winds were briefly sustained at speeds equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane, averaging 105 mph over a 15-minute period.

Maui was hit the hardest, with peak rainfall totals reaching 62 inches in localized regions. Hawaiʻi Island also saw heavy precipitation, with areas recording 16–32 inches, and isolated spots also nearing 62 inches. Both Kauaʻi and Oʻahu recorded maximum totals ranging 16–32 inches. Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi experienced peak amounts 4–16 inches.

The upper elevations of Haleakalā experienced the most extreme rainfall, with 33.2 inches falling during the 24-hr period beginning March 13 at 8:30 a.m., nearly double the highest 24-hr rainfall previously recorded there. That amount is much greater than the NOAA‘s official estimate of 19.7 inches in 24 hours for the 1000-year storm (the rainfall amount with a 0.1% chance of being equalled or exceeded in any given year). Rainfall was even higher at the Kuiki Hawaiʻi Mesonet station on the east rim of Haleakalā crater with 36 inches falling in 24 hours beginning at 6 p.m. on March 13. This amount exceeded the NOAA 24-hr 1000-year extreme rainfall estimate of 28.5 inches.

“Before the project began, Hawaiʻi was one of only 20 states without a comprehensive statewide weather monitoring system, meaning we previously had no access to information in many of these areas,” said Tom Giambelluca, Hawaiʻi Mesonet project lead, and former director of the ����Vlog�ٷ� Water Resources Research Center. “Now, the system is constantly collecting data on rainfall, soil moisture, and other weather variables that can tell us in real time if an area is highly susceptible to fires or flooding, which ultimately allows us to be as prepared as possible”

To make this information accessible, ����Vlog�ٷ� launched a real-time weather dashboard offering public access to live weather data from more than 70 monitoring stations currently active across the state. The dashboard updates data every 15 minutes, allowing users to view current, localized conditions including temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity, solar radiation and soil moisture. This creates one of the most comprehensive and timely weather resources available in Hawaiʻi.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is expanding its environmental monitoring and research capabilities thanks to a $30,000 donation from the Hawaiʻi Water Environment Association (HWEA).

The HWEA gift will help upgrade the college’s environmental engineering lab through the acquisition of advanced instruments—most notably a state-of-the-art gas chromatograph system that acts like a high-tech “nose” that can sniff out and measure different gases in the air—expanding ����Vlog�ٷ�’s ability to analyze environmental samples with higher precision. The measurement of greenhouse gases such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, as well as compounds tied to odor and corrosion concerns, are key issues for wastewater facilities, community health and regulatory compliance.

“This gift is a vital investment in the research and education capacity of our Environmental Biotechnology Research Group at the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�,” said Zhiyue Wang, assistant professor in the and the . “By supporting everything from the acquisition of advanced analytical equipment and software to student travel and professional seminars, these resources allow us to maintain the high-level technology and scholarly records necessary to solve Hawaiʻi’s most pressing environmental challenges.”

The upgraded instruments will also provide new learning opportunities for students through lab instruction, capstone projects and research experiences involving advanced analytical techniques used across commercial and municipal laboratories. It also opens the door for deeper collaboration and knowledge exchange between ����Vlog�ٷ� and water environment professionals statewide, including potential lab tours, seminars and shared learning opportunities.

The lab’s enhanced capabilities align with HWEA’s mission to protect and enhance Hawaiʻi’s water environment by supporting research at the intersection of air and water quality and by helping train the future workforce in modern analytical methods.

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers are part of a team that was recently awarded a (NSF) to address the environmental and public health impacts of outdated wastewater infrastructure in island communities. The project is led by the University of South Florida, with ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa playing a key role in research and pilot testing.

Focus on Hawaiʻi’s water health

In Hawaiʻi alone, an estimated 83,000 cesspools discharge approximately 52 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the ground each day, contaminating coastal waters and damaging coral reefs. Replacing cesspools with approved wastewater systems could cost households $30,000 to $50,000.

The Honu Hub project seeks to ease that burden by developing a solar-powered, compact and certifiable alternative that protects both human health and the environment. These systems are energy-independent and equipped with remote monitoring and automation, making them suitable for cesspool replacement in low-density and isolated areas. The “Honu Hub” represents a new class of small, adaptive and decentralized wastewater infrastructure.

By centering the work in Hawaiʻi, the research team ensures the technology is designed to overcome local challenges, including poor soils, high water tables and saltwater intrusion. The goal is to create a solution that can be adopted throughout the U.S. Pacific region and the continental U.S.

����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa researchers are leading the design and real-world pilot demonstration of nutrient capture systems within the Honu Hub. Pilot testing is taking place at the Wahiawā Wastewater Treatment Plant, in collaboration with the City and County of Honolulu.

The award supports the Honu project within NSF’s Convergence Accelerator program, which aims to develop adaptive, decentralized wastewater infrastructure solutions for island and rural communities facing severe sanitation challenges.

Zhiyue Wang, the project’s co-principal investigator and assistant professor at ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s and in the , will assist with the pilot testing of Honu Hub in Hawaiʻi and developing novel technologies for nutrient recovery in the system.

“Collaborating with the University of South Florida, our goal is to empower communities with solutions that protect public health, preserve our nearshore ecosystems and ensure clean water for future generations,” Wang said.

Tao Yan, director of the Water Resources Research Center, is also part of the Honu research team. Wang is working alongside principal investigator Daniel Yeh (University of South Florida), co-principal investigator Stuart Coleman (Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations) and co-principal investigator Allan Smith (Swiftwater Solutions).

Video on the wastewater infrastructure project and Honu Team members.

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.

����Vlog�ٷ� 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 ����Vlog�ٷ� 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 ����Vlog�ٷ� 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.”

����Vlog�ٷ� 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

To better protect Hawaiʻi’s people and ecosystems from threats, such as wildfires, drought, flooding, hurricanes, tsunamis, water contamination and more, University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� and Georgia Tech researchers have secured a to build faster, cheaper, locally made sensors that deliver potentially life-saving data in real-time.

The funding will support the development of low-cost sensors that can be printed in minutes and deployed the same day to collect actionable data for communities and organizations across the state. These sensors could measure water quality or soil contamination signals, and then connect to an AI-enabled handheld device smaller than a cell phone, that processes and transmits data to the web in real-time. Users could then view and interpret the data via a publicly available dashboard.

Community kuleana

To ensure its success, the technology will be co-designed with groups who have kuleana (responsibility) for communities, land and water across Hawaiʻi, including land stewardship organizations, Hawaiian-language immersion schools and community colleges. These ʻ�徱�Բ� (land) stewards, kūpuna (elders), residents and kumu (teachers and educators) will guide priorities, experiment with prototypes and define success criteria.

“We can shorten the path from idea to instrument and build sensors tuned to local priorities without relying on centralized, hard-to-access facilities,” said principal investigator and ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� Associate Professor . “Our goal is a design-to-deployment pathway that works on-island: robust, affordable and replicable.”

The team is developing the sensors to pair with a small, durable edge device that can harvest and store energy, run machine learning models and work even with limited network connectivity. An open library of circuits and firmware will let partners quickly customize sensors for measuring targets from pH and turbidity to heavy metals and contaminants.

“This grant recognizes that Hawaiʻi is a key leader in the proper design of disaster and hazard response cyberinfrastructure,” said Josiah Hester, a Kanaka ʻŌ���ɾ� (Native Hawaiian) and associate professor of computing at Georgia Tech. “Deploying AI devices in austere environments, making AI interpretable and understandable, and providing these capabilities to everyone are key goals we will achieve. As a Native Hawaiian scientist and technologist, it is my own kuleana to translate these technologies that support stewardship, and we as a team are excited to see this work support our communities.”

Building on community ties

The project grows from existing relationships across Oʻahu, Maui and Kauaʻi, including Hawaiian-language immersion schools and stewardship organizations, where residents, educators and resource stewards will guide priorities. The team will convene iterative design workshops, peer exchanges between partner sites on Oʻahu and Maui, and a capstone gathering to synthesize findings and share open designs. Data governance will follow established frameworks to support local control and appropriate confidentiality for sensitive results.

“Our approach follows advances in community-centered co-design where we will design the sensing agenda together with community partners,” added co-principal investigator Aurora Kagawa-Viviani, assistant professor in ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s and in the . “Building strong and equitable relationships ensures the technology and the data it produces have lasting value long after the prototype. Our design process considers who maintains it, how the data are stewarded, interpreted and made useful for community decision-making.”

The grant will support hands-on training that connects students across K–12, community colleges and research universities with partner sites. The team’s open hardware, software and design artifacts will be released for others to adapt in island, rural and urban settings facing similar hazards.

The (RC����Vlog�ٷ�) recognized 18 employees in November for exemplary contributions to their research projects.

“RC����Vlog�ٷ� is extremely proud of all of these outstanding employees who support cutting-edge and innovative research being done at the ����Vlog�ٷ� and throughout our state,” said RC����Vlog�ٷ� Executive Director Leonard Gouveia. “The success of academic research depends on dedicated and hardworking professionals like these RC����Vlog�ٷ� employees who elevate and impact the projects they support.”

Researcher/Project Manager category

1st place: Ceci Rodriguez Cruz—ORE SMART Cable Project, ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa (SOEST)

2nd place: Christian Tai Udovicic—Planetary Science, SOEST

Honorable mentions:

• Robert Kekaianiani Irwin—Laupaʻi Aʻe ka ʻIke Kuamoʻo,
• Johannes Achim Stoessl—General AntiParticle Spectrometer Project, ����Vlog�ٷ� Mānoa

Project Support Staff category

1st place: Casey TeBeest, ����Vlog�ٷ� , WRRC American Samoa Hydrology Network

2nd place: Dylan Boeman–Sabine Lab, SOEST

Team category

1st place: Hua Zhong and Shuai Liu, Cancer Epidemiology Program,

2nd place: Peter Oshiro, Ryan Chilson, Sally Lau and Derek Kubo—Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Honorable mentions:

• Helene Meehl, Andrew Kramer, Sydney Lewandowski and Nicolo Cohen—Hawaiʻi Coral Restoration Nursery,
• Yumi Nagayoshi, Marybeth Young and Jan Stoos—Maunakea Shared Services, ����Vlog�ٷ�

The university service orders extramural contracts and grants to RC����Vlog�ٷ�, which assists with hiring personnel and procuring goods/services to support research, development, and training throughout the state. These awards highlight the vital work RC����Vlog�ٷ� employees perform daily to advance the university’s goal of diversifying Hawaiʻi’s economy through innovation and research.

Most people who were affected by the November 2021 Red Hill fuel spill continued to experience physical, emotional, social and/or financial impacts more than 20 months after the incident, according to a released October 15, 2025, by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (����Vlog�ٷ�ERO).

The report provides results from a follow-up self-administered online survey conducted in July 2023 (20 months after the spill) with 174 people who had participated in earlier studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Main findings reported in 2023

Ongoing physical and mental health impacts:

• About three quarters (79%) of respondents reported one or more new or worsening physical and/or mental health symptoms since the 2021 fuel spill.
• A majority (68%) reported ongoing symptoms in 2023, nearly two years after the spill.
• Nearly half of respondents (49%) continued to suffer from mental health impacts, followed by neurological symptoms (44%), gastrointestinal issues (36%) and skin/eye symptoms (34%).

Healthcare response:

• The majority (65%) of respondents sought medical care related to the spill.
• Experiences with medical care were mixed: 24% of respondents rated the medical care they received for their exposure to the fuel spill as excellent or good whereas 36% rated their care as bad or very bad.
• More than 50% of respondents said they have a great deal of trust in their healthcare provider to provide correct information; less than 5% said they have no trust.
• The vast majority of open-ended responses about healthcare described dismissed concerns, insufficient documentation of symptoms, inadequate testing options and challenges accessing specialists.

Social and economic impacts:

• Many reported feelings of isolation as a result of health impacts and disaster response.
• Some respondents also pointed to ways that the community organized and supported one another in disaster response.
• Some (18%) reported income loss (median = $13,750 annual income), while the majority (82%) incurred additional out-of-pocket expenses (median = $8,200).
• Only 12% of those with out-of-pocket expenses said they were fully reimbursed, and more than a third (36%) said they received nothing at all.

Institutional trust and perceptions of institutional crisis response:

• Respondents were most satisfied with how the Honolulu Board of Water Supply responded to the crisis and least satisfied with the response of the Navy.
• Many expressed feelings of betrayal, particularly toward the Navy. Many respondents said they felt lied to about the safety of the water, and cited inadequate medical and other crisis response as factors undermining trust.
• Participants discussed a need for greater transparency, accountability and empathy in future crisis response.

“Findings reveal significant and ongoing well-being impacts including physical and mental health challenges, disruptions to social networks and relationships and financial losses,” the study wrote.

The report was authored by experts from ����Vlog�ٷ�ERO, , , , and , all at ����Vlog�ٷ�.

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����Vlog�ٷ�ERO is housed in ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s .

Low pay, limited advancement opportunities, and a small applicant pool for specialized positions are among the biggest challenges facing Hawaiʻi’s water sector, according to a new University of Hawaiʻi report. The study also found a strong commitment among water professionals to public service and community well-being, and highlighted opportunities for ����Vlog�ٷ� to help strengthen education and career pathways that support a thriving water future for the state.

The report, published October 8, shares insights from 43 representatives from federal, state and county agencies, as well as private and nonprofit organizations. The findings emphasized the need for both technical expertise and a holistic understanding of the political, cultural, economic and historical dimensions of water in Hawaiʻi.

One key finding was, “Many suggested that the University of Hawaiʻi has an important role to play in convening organizations and people across the water sector and in conducting applied and policy relevant research.”

Interviewees cited recruitment and retention challenges driven by low salaries and slow hiring processes, along with a need for more training in specialized areas such as engineering, hydrogeology and aquatic biology. Many also noted that institutional culture and job descriptions do not always effectively attract local candidates with lived experience and a commitment to mālama ʻ�徱�Բ�, or caring for the land. The research highlighted the importance of comprehensive, practical training in communication, project management, fieldwork and community engagement.

The report represents the first phase of a collaborative project involving the (����Vlog�ٷ�ERO), , , and .

Funded by the Hawaiian Islands Environmental Finance Center of the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, the next phase will focus on interviews with ����Vlog�ٷ� departments and professional development programs to identify assets, gaps and best practices for water-related education and careers statewide.

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Improving our ability to predict and manage water quality risks in Hawaiʻi’s coastal zones is the focus of a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa project that was awarded a .

Coastal beaches are vital for recreation, tourism and ecosystem health; however, they are increasingly threatened by fecal contaminants. These fecal bacteria can enter beach environments through human wastewater, stormwater runoff and animal waste, accumulating in the sand and shallow groundwater. Natural coastal processes, such as tides and waves, can then mobilize and transport these contaminants across the land–sea boundary, posing risks to both public health and marine ecosystems.

This project will investigate how coastal hydrologic forces, including tidal fluctuations and wave action, influence the accumulation, movement and discharge of fecal contaminants in beach aquifers. The research team will conduct fieldwork and groundwater sampling at two beaches in Hawaiʻi, where fecal contamination is known to occur, and will develop advanced computer models to simulate how bacteria move through beach sediments. The findings will improve our ability to predict and manage water quality risks in coastal zones.

Xiaolong “Leo” Geng, the project’s principal investigator and assistant professor at ����Vlog�ٷ�’s (WRRC) and in the , will direct the project activities and supervise graduate and undergraduate students hired by this project.

“Beaches are at the heart of Hawaiʻi’s culture, economy and ecosystems, yet they are increasingly vulnerable to fecal contamination,” Geng said. “Our research will shed light on how bacteria move through sand and groundwater, helping to safeguard public health and marine environments. Just as importantly, we hope to inspire the next generation of scientists and strengthen community stewardship of our coastal waters.”

Geng’s co-principal investigator is Tao Yan, WRRC director.

Student and community outreach

Broader benefits of the project include training two graduate students and engaging undergraduate students through ����Vlog�ٷ� ��ā�ԴDz�’s . The team also plans to involve local communities through educational outreach and citizen science activities to support long-term coastal water stewardship in Hawaiʻi.

A new tool developed by University of Hawaiʻi researchers allows anyone in the state to generate custom, site-specific climate reports to support decisions related to drought, wildfire and land management—a major step forward in Hawaiʻi’s climate resilience efforts.

The was unveiled at a May 2025 meeting of the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal (HCDP) User Group, which drew lawmakers, emergency managers and wildfire officials. The new system lets users select or draw an area of interest, enter basic details and receive a tailored climate portfolio by email. It is free to use and portfolios are generated and delivered in less than an hour.

“We used to generate these portfolios one at a time, but the demand for them was so great that we decided to automate the entire process,” said Ryan Longman, lead researcher on the HCDP project and the ����Vlog�ٷ� consortium director of the .

The tool is part of the larger project, which is working to transform how the state tracks weather, drought and wildfire risk using advanced climate modeling, real-time data systems and artificial intelligence. Change Hawaiʻi is part of the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research or .

Real-time dashboard

At the meeting, researchers also rolled out a newly developed, open-source dashboard for the Hawaiʻi Mesonet—a growing network of 110 weather monitoring stations statewide, 66 of which are now operational. Each station collects 21 environmental variables and generates more than a million data points daily that feed into predictive models for wildfire and drought.

• Read more about the dashboard on ����Vlog�ٷ� News

“This dashboard puts real-time data at the fingertips of the people who need it most,” said Tom Giambelluca, Hawaiʻi Mesonet project lead, Change Hawaiʻi co-principal investigator and former director of the at ����Vlog�ٷ�. “High-quality data has never been easier to access, and future applications with the data are limitless.”

Wildfire system

The team has developed daily wildfire probability maps and forecasts statewide through the use of optimized machine learning models for more accurate fire behavior forecasting and drought assessment. The user-friendly, real-time data is accessed through the HCDP, which is publicly available. Read more on ����Vlog�ٷ� News.

The goal is to provide early warning to fire managers, emergency responders and landowners so they can deploy resources, issue public advisories and reduce risks through more informed planning. This wildfire system can identify critical wildfire ignition factors, including relative humidity, temperature, rainfall, normalized difference vegetation index (components of wildfire fuel) and land cover.

Future efforts will leverage robust cyberinfrastructure, advanced data visualization, and innovative AI and machine learning applications, including computer vision and edge AI systems, to create a more resilient Hawaiʻi.

In advance of the launch of the Red Hill Registry this summer, a team of international, national and local public health and environmental science experts convened May 8–9, at the East-West Center’s Imin International Conference Center to discuss the health impacts of the 2021 jet fuel spill at Red Hill, and to advise the University of Hawaiʻi System-based registry on data protocols and methodologies.

The Red Hill Registry, led by the ����Vlog�ٷ� System in partnership with the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� , and , as well as University Health Partners of Hawaiʻi, aims to track health outcomes and provide resources for those affected by the fuel spill.

In May, the Thompson school’s Registry Hub convened, for the second time, a Scientific Oversight Workshop with key experts from around the world to develop the best ways to track the health impacts of thousands of Hawaiʻi residents who consumed the fuel-tainted water.

“The Scientific Oversight Workshop aimed to again bring together independent experts whose experience and perspectives will support the success of our project,” said Catherine Pirkle, the registry’s scientific director and professor of public health in the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health.

Topics included the chemistry of chemicals in drinking water, statistical methods to estimate exposure, analysis of the media surrounding the Red Hill water crisis, environmental health communication with the community and the health impacts of environmental hazards.

“Our Scientific Oversight Workshops are vitally important to develop a registry that is scientifically sound, culturally grounded and co-created with the community,” said Rosana (Sanie) Weldon, director of the Red Hill Registry. “In addition to assisting the community with referrals and educational resources, a main goal of the Registry is to be a data repository that researchers can use to investigate links between exposure and long term health effects. These conversations are also important to the broader community that has been exposed to jet fuel in the drinking water, such as in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania.”

Another scientific workshop will take place prior to the launch of the Red Hill Registry this summer.

Formal enrollment in the Red Hill Registry is set to begin in mid-2025, with .

A new real-time dashboard launched by the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz� offers public access to live weather data from nearly 70 monitoring stations across the state, marking a major milestone in the Hawaiʻi Mesonet project. The launch coincides with Wildfire Awareness Month and represents a pivotal moment in the effort to make climate data available to the public.

Hawaiʻi’s diverse geography and microclimates present unique challenges that require precise monitoring to accurately capture weather events. Annual rainfall in parts of Maui, for example, can vary by more than 140 inches within a single mile. The Hawaiʻi Mesonet’s data has the potential to inform planning and decision-making in emergency management, agriculture, water resource, conservation and many other sectors.

Developed by an interdisciplinary team of scientists at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� and the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, the project aims to deploy 100 high-tech weather stations to provide critical data for forecasting, disaster response and improving climate resilience. The dashboard is expected to play a critical role in supporting wildfire and flood early warning systems, particularly as climate-related disasters are expected to become more frequent and severe.

• Access the dashboard

The dashboard allows users to view current weather conditions at stations spanning the Hawaiian Islands, including temperature, rainfall, wind, humidity, solar radiation and soil moisture. The real-time data is updated every 15 minutes, creating one of the most comprehensive and timely weather data resources available in the state.

“This dashboard represents years of effort to build a system that’s tailored to Hawaiʻi’s unique needs,” said Tom Giambelluca, Hawaiʻi Mesonet project lead, long-time professor in the , and former director of the ����Vlog�ٷ� (WRRC) “It’s not just about data—it’s about giving our communities the tools to adapt and respond.”

The launch comes as federal agencies such as the National Weather Service and NOAA face data removal and staffing cuts under the Trump administration. With gaps in data availability growing, the Hawaiʻi Mesonet system is poised to become a key source of reliable, localized weather intelligence.

Data from the system is stored in Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal (HCDP), which is available to the public and is used to create recently launched new wildfire risk maps and other climate maps. The HCDP pulls data from multiple sources, including the Hawaiʻi Mesonet and as well as other federal datasets.

“The real concern is that most of these federal datasets will no longer be available in the near future—making the Hawaiʻi Mesonet and the HCDP the sole resource for real time weather and climate information in the state,” Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center University Consortium Director Ryan Longman said. “A big uncertainty is how the state will fill critical funding gaps left by the federal government to support these important efforts.”

For more information, visit the Hawaiʻi Mesonet website.

More than 35 University of Hawaiʻi students from three campuses (����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�, ����Vlog�ٷ� Hilo and ����Vlog�ٷ� Maui College) gained hands-on experience tackling real-world challenges at the , held April 4–6, at ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�.

Participants formed interdisciplinary teams to build data-driven solutions using Google Cloud AI tools, including Vertex AI. Five challenge topics pushed students to apply diverse skills toward local and statewide resilience efforts, such as climate data visualization, educational content generation, conversational AI and immersive technology for science communication.

The first-place team, Untrained Parameters, created the Hawaiʻi Climate Explorer—an interactive web app that visualizes temperature and rainfall data from the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal, a project led by ����Vlog�ٷ� experts. The team included PhD students Federica Chiti and Dhvanil Desai (), Fahim Yasir (), Gerardo Rivera Tello (), and master’s student Yada Ponpittayalert ().

“This was an incredible experience, highlighting the potential of large language models (a type of AI-trained model) for multimodal applications, even within a limited prototype developed in just three days,” said Rivera Tello.

BruhMode earned second place with GenEDU, an AI-powered educational content generator. Third place was awarded to Kani, developers of a climate-focused chatbot. TurtleyAwesome, won the Visualization Challenge with Sheldon the Turtle, a 3D AI-powered museum-style guide for climate data.

Prizes ranged from MacBook laptops and iPads to AR glasses and Google Cloud Platform credits.

Hosted by ����Vlog�ٷ� System Information Technology Services (ITS), and , the three-day event was led by the ITS Research Cyberinfrastructure team and supported by the National Science Foundation-sponsored , , Google Cloud and the Burwood Group, Inc.

Mentors from ITS, the Burwood Group, and Hawaiʻi Mesonet and Change Hawaiʻi supported students throughout the hackathon, offering technical guidance and real-world insights.

“This hackathon gave students an incredible opportunity to apply cutting-edge AI tools to real-world challenges that directly impact Hawaiʻi,” said ����Vlog�ٷ� ITS Director of Research Cyberinfrastructure Sean Cleveland, who led the event and also served as a program mentor. “Their creativity, teamwork and passion for innovation were truly inspiring to witness.”

Scientists at the University of Hawaiʻi have developed new wildfire risk maps to better predict fire danger across the state. Unlike the current Red Flag Warning system, which relies on weather from a limited number of stations, these maps provide a daily, high-resolution look at the most current fire ignition risks statewide.

“This new mapping system gives us a clearer, more detailed picture of wildfire risks across Hawaiʻi. By providing daily updates and a long-term dataset, we hope to improve preparedness and help protect communities from future fires,” said Professor Sayed Bateni of ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s (WRRC) and .

Publicly available on the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal (HCDP), the maps are easy to access and available to communities and emergency responders to alert them to the risk of potential wildfires. Users are able to zoom in to a particular area to assess the current fire risk, and generate customized packages of data to export from the portal. Historical fire risk maps are also available for the past 20 years.

The maps are generated using real-time data obtained from various weather networks across the state including the . The Hawaiʻi Mesonet currently consists of over 60 advanced weather stations with a total goal of 100 within the next two years. These stations provide valuable weather and climate monitoring and forecasting. The data collected can also be used for water resource management, agriculture, ranching, ecosystem and cultural resource protection and more.

“It’s all about improving preparedness, especially in light of recent disasters like the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and the tragic Lahaina fire,” said Tom Giambelluca, retired ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� professor of Geography and Environment, former director of the WRRC, and leader of the Hawaiʻi Mesonet. “With real-time data on factors like soil moisture, we can better identify areas at high risk for wildfires or flooding.”

Utilizing a well distributed network of weather stations is crucial in Hawaiʻi, where diverse landscapes create extreme climate variability. In West Maui, annual rainfall can differ by more than 140 inches within a mile, highlighting the need for precise, localized data.

“The Hawaiʻi Mesonet is adding high quality weather observations in places where they are most needed,” Giambelluca said.

“This mapping system is a game-changer for wildfire preparedness in Hawaiʻi,” said Clay Trauernicht, assistant specialist in the ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz� . “Using current data allows us to better anticipate fire risks and take proactive measures to protect communities.”

The Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hawaiʻi State Legislature provided funding to create the fire ignition probability maps.

Bateni, Giambelluca, Trauernicht and Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center University Consortium Director Ryan Longman will host a presentation in person and online on April 1 at noon to explain how the maps were created, how they predict fire risk and how to access and use the data.

• Note: To view the most current maps, visit the Hawaiʻi Climate Data Portal website, click on “visualize data,” then “ignition probability” to select the dataset you would like to view and then click submit at the bottom.

Conservation efforts protecting Kauaʻi’s native forests yield significant returns in groundwater recharge (process of water replenishing underground aquifers), with each dollar invested producing an average of 593 gallons of recharged water, according to a . The study analyzed existing and potential conservation fence units and their impact on groundwater over a 50-year period.

Researchers found that protecting watersheds from invasive plants and animals, such as feral pigs and deer, is crucial for maintaining the island’s freshwater resources. Increased groundwater recharge ensures a steady supply of fresh water, vital for drinking and other essential needs.

The study, conducted by the , and , in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, revealed that areas with natural barriers, such as Wainiha and Nāmolokama, showed even higher returns, reaching up to 2,625 gallons per dollar.

Expanding conservation efforts to include proposed fenced areas could increase cumulative groundwater recharge from 21.4 billion to 34.4 billion gallons over 50 years, although the average return per dollar would slightly decrease. Mid-elevation areas were identified as providing the highest groundwater recharge benefits per dollar, as these regions are particularly vulnerable to invasive species.

Benefits of conservation in higher-elevation areas

The study also highlighted the long-term benefits of conservation in higher-elevation areas, where invasive species are expected to spread over time. Beyond groundwater recharge, watershed conservation contributes to biodiversity, reduces erosion and enhances climate resilience.

“The findings indicate that existing conservation efforts have been strategically implemented in high-impact areas, delivering significant returns in terms of groundwater recharge,” the report said. “Expanding these efforts would further enhance water security for the island.”

The report added, “This work contributes to a broader understanding of how conservation investments can be evaluated in hydrologic and economic terms, providing a framework for future decision-making regarding watershed management on Kauaʻi and beyond.”

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Protecting native forests combined with transitioning fallow and unmanaged agricultural lands to ʻŌ���ɾ� (Native Hawaiian) and other place-based agroforestry systems has direct benefits for local fisheries, according to a by an interdisciplinary team from the University of Hawaiʻi at ����ԴDz�, Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, Kamehameha Schools and Seascape Solutions. These forest management and restoration efforts can improve local food production, biodiversity conservation and cultural connection in places from land to sea.

Mauka to makai

For generations, Kanaka ʻŌ���ɾ�, like other Pacific islands cultures, managed from land to sea (mauka i makai) through a system of land divisions (moku) that ensured food security and ecological balance. However, colonization, land privatization and industrial agriculture disrupted these systems. Over the past few decades, large-scale declines in plantation agriculture has now left 40% of Hawaiʻi’s agricultural lands fallow and unmanaged, which can pose risks from elevated erosion, invasive species and wildfire.

The research found that combining native forest protection (100,000 acres) with transitioning suitable fallow agricultural land to agroforestry (400,000 acres) could increase sediment retention by 30%, thereby reducing erosion and boosting nearshore food production by almost 100,000 meals per year in some moku. Benefits of this magnitude were shown for west Kauaʻi, the south shore of Molokaʻi, west Maui and east Hawaiʻi Island, where communities are tightly connected to and reliant on fishing for livelihoods, subsistence and social networks.

Restoring fallow agriculture lands

While forest conservation and marine resources management receive significant attention in Hawaiʻi, lower and middle-elevation lands (wao kānaka)—traditionally used for agriculture and food production—remain underutilized in natural resource management efforts. In pockets across Hawaiʻi, ʻŌ���ɾ� and kamaʻ�徱�Բ� farmers are restoring fallow agriculture lands through Indigenous-informed agroforestry, integrating woody plants and crops to revitalize agriculture, enhance biodiversity and preserve cultural traditions.

“Our findings highlight the importance of forest stewardship from ridge to reef, including biocultural restoration of agroforestry systems in low to mid-elevation fallow agricultural lands which can enhance biodiversity, grow diverse and nutritious foods, on land and from the ocean, strengthen cultural ties, and create green jobs,” said Jade Delevaux, lead author and former post-doctoral researcher in ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�’s .

Connecting land stewardship, seafood availability

While nearshore fisheries are essential for subsistence worldwide, their value is often underestimated due to limited assessment methods. This research developed a method to map changes in seafood production due to reduced sediment runoff, using fishing pressure, fish surveys and habitat structure maps publicly available.

“Our straightforward approach to connect land stewardship and seafood availability can be applied even in data limited places,” said Kostantinos Stamoulis, study co-author and director of . “This study shows that agroforestry transitions can increase sustainable food production both on land and in the sea.”

Investing in community-led initiatives, cross-sector collaboration

The study calls on policymakers, conservation organizations and funders to integrate biocultural strategies into conservation policies and funding mechanisms. Investing in community-led initiatives and cross-sector collaboration in the Pacific, and across the world, can drive impactful change for biodiversity conservation, food security and human wellbeing.

Additional co-authors include Leah Bremer, Clay Trauernicht, Tamara Ticktin, Nathan DeMaagd and Gina McGuire from ����Vlog�ٷ� ����ԴDz�; Natalie Kurashima from Kamehameha Schools; Zoe Hastings Silao from the Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry; and Lida Teneva from WaveCrest Solutions. This study was funded by the and the .