Please check back later for the 2024 WRRC Fall Seminar Schedule. Mahalo!
9 FEBRUARY • The Present and Future State of the Pearl Harbor Aquifer by Paul Eyre. Location: Zoom (register for Zoom here).
15 FEBRUARY • Higher Tide—The Alabama Water Institute's Journey Towards Advancing Water Research and Technology by Matthew Womble. Location: Kuykendall 201 and Zoom (register for Zoom here). – Cancelled
16 FEBRUARY • Observing Floods from Space by Dr. Dinuke Munasinghe. Location: Kuykendall 201 and Zoom (register for Zoom here).
23 FEBRUARY • Beach Sand Quality – A Recent Concern by Dr. João Brandão (Department of Environmental Health, Portuguese National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge). Location: IT Center 105B and Zoom (register for Zoom here). Slides
8 MARCH • Empowering Communities: WRRC's Efforts in the Aftermath of Maui's 2023 Wildfires by Dr. Chris Shuler (Water Resources Research Center and the Sea Grant College Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa). Zoom (register for Zoom here). Slides
27 MARCH (3 p.m., HST) • Empowering Communities: Strategies for Engaging in Successful, Co-produced Hydrological Research by Dr. Chris Shuler (Water Resources Research Center and the Sea Grant College Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa). Location: Hawaii Institute of Geophysics (HIG), Rm 210, UH Mānoa Campus; 3 p.m. (HST)
2 APRIL (3 p.m., HST) • Engaging Hawai‘i’s Future Scientists in Community-driven Water Research by Dr. Carmella Viza. Location: Hawaii Institute of Geophysics (HIG), Rm 210, UH Mānoa Campus
4 APRIL (3 p.m., HST) • “He pō hīhīwai” - at the confluence of research and outreach to support communities revitalizing streams in Hawaiʻi by Dr. Ka‘ua‘oa Fraiola. Location: Kuykendall Hall, Rm 201, UH Mānoa Campus – Cancelled
5 APRIL • Humic Acid Fluorescence Quenching Impacts Molecular Detection of Pathogens in Water by Dr. Tao Yan (Water Resources Research Center and Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa). Zoom (register for Zoom here)
12 APRIL • Microbial Water Quality Indicators, Their Sources, and Potential Health Risks in American Samoa and Hawaiʻi Watersheds by Dr. Marek Kirs (Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa). Zoom (register for Zoom here)
19 APRIL • What Can American Samoan Corals Tell Us About the Future of Coral Reefs in a Changing Climate? by Dr. Daniel Barshis (Old Dominion University in Virginia). Zoom (register for Zoom here)
26 APRIL • Water Quality and Hydrology Related Research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory by Ms. Lisa Newburn (National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) and Dr. Jen Willis (National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory). (register for Zoom here)
For more information about the Spring 2024 WRRC Seminars, please contact: Zhiyue Wang, zhiyue@hawaii.edu
If interested in joining the seminar, please contact: wrrc@hawaii.edu
Water Quality and Hydrology Related Research at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Speakers: Ms. Lisa Newburn and Dr. Jen Willis
Date: April 26, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, possesses unique capabilities particularly relevant to sampling, modeling, and analysis of water contamination. In this seminar, we will present an overview of PNNL and these capabilities, highlighting our collaborative efforts with various organizations and internship opportunities we offer.
We will discuss the rich statistical sample design expertise cultivated at PNNL throughout its history, which is partially supported by Visual Sample Plan software (https://vsp.pnnl.gov). This freely available tool is utilized by over 5,000 users worldwide in the creation of rigorous, statistically sound sampling plans, and statistical analysis of collected data, enabling decision-makers to make quantitative confidence statements based on data quality objectives.
Experts in water modeling from PNNL will provide a synopsis of their specialties, discussing potential applications pertinent to water sampling requirements in Hawaii.
What Can American Samoan Corals Tell Us About the Future of Coral Reefs in a Changing Climate?
Speaker: Dr. Daniel Barshis
Date: April 19, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
Coral reefs around the world are threatened by rising ocean temperatures. Dr. Dan Barshis will present a summary of his work over the last 20 years investigating how some corals can survive these rising temperatures in American Samoa, including recent work studying the territory's deep reef corals. Dr. Barshis' team employs a combination of field transplantation, controlled acclimation experiments, and advanced genomic techniques to uncover the relative roles of adaptation and acclimatization in determining coral tolerance limits and sensitivity to climate change impacts.
Microbial Water Quality Indicators, Their Sources, and Potential Health Risks in American Samoa and Hawaiʻi Watersheds
Speaker: Dr. Marek Kirs
Date: April 12, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
Microbial water quality indicators, currently used to evaluate recreational water quality, are abundant in Hawaiʻi soils where they can grow, therefore do not necessarily indicate elevated health risk when detected in our streams and coastal waters. In addition to soils and sewage, microbial water quality indicators can originate from various animal sources, complicating the application of meaningful water quality management strategies in Hawaiʻi. Based on the recent study we completed in American Samoa, which (1) tested four microbial source tracking (MST) markers for specificity and sensitivity, and (2) explored microbial indicator, MST marker, and pathogen concentration in soils and streams, it is evident that other tropical islands likely face similar challenges to those we face in Hawaiʻi and American Samoa. Current ongoing efforts in Hawaiʻi to link current and alternative microbial water quality indicators’ concentrations to the estimated health risk will be discussed.
Humic Acid Fluorescence Quenching Impacts Molecular Detection of Pathogens in Water
Speaker: Dr. Tao Yan
Date: April 5, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
Nucleic acids-based molecular methods have revolutionized pathogen detection in water and other environmental matrices. However, the presence of interfering substances, such as humic acid (HA), remains a constant challenge to their accuracy and reliability. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of HA on the quantification in real-time polymerase chain reactions (qPCR) and determined the underlying inhibition mechanism. Our results demonstrated that the higher concentrations of HA led to an increase in threshold cycle (CT) values. However, modeling indicated that the observation could not be explained by HA inhibition of DNA polymerase or template complexation. Further laboratory analysis and modeling identified HA quenching of fluorescence signal being the primary cause of the observed decrease in fluorescence intensity and CT value reduction.
“He pō hīhīwai” - at the confluence of research and outreach to support communities revitalizing streams in Hawaiʻi (Cancelled)
Speaker: Dr. Ka‘ua‘oa Fraiola
Date: April 4, 2024 (3:00 pm, HST; Location: UH Mānoa Campus, KUY 201)
In Hawaiʻi, stream ecosystems and their native species have a unique and deep biocultural connection with local communities that have helped fuel a community-driven movement to return water to streams and to combat invasive aquatic species. Many communities leading the charge are native Hawaiian communities and communities in rural and underserved areas. Given the central motivating role native stream organisms play in these efforts, local communities are eager to collect ecological data to inform their conservation and restoration efforts and to create baselines for future actions. Within this space, my research and outreach interests come together. In this presentation, I will give an overview of my research and outreach efforts, including highlights from past work exploring linkages between coastal ecosystems and streams, impacts of flow restoration, and supporting efforts to reconnect communities and streams. Additionally, I will highlight my recent experience as a resource manager with the USFWS, engaging with university researchers to co-produce information and tools to achieve meaningful results, and reflect on the lessons that I have learned through these interactions. Finally, I will present some ideas for future directions for my combined research, community engagement, and outreach program with the WRRC.
Engaging Hawai‘i’s Future Scientists in Community-driven Water Research
Speaker: Dr. Carmella Viza
Date: April 2, 2024 (3:00 pm, HST; Location: UH Mānoa Campus, HIG 210)
Wetland restoration efforts in Hawaiʻi exist at the unique interface of traditional Hawaiian practices, conservation, and agriculture. These efforts involve increasing endangered Hawaiian waterbird habitats, restoring streamflow, removing invasive vegetation, growing traditional crops such as kalo in lo‘i, maiʻa and ʻulu, and reintegrating loko iʻa back into the landscape. Reinventing a wetland landscape to simultaneously preserve biodiversity, promote food sovereignty, and embrace indigenous practices is an intersectional and sustainable path forward. This collective vision will require community involvement, complementary research efforts, and inspiring the next generation of scientists to carry the work forward. In this talk, I will share my early stages of building a water quality and ecologically driven research program in Hawaiʻi that is responsive to community needs and fueled by student learning experiences.
Empowering Communities: Strategies for Engaging in Successful, Co-produced Hydrological Research
Speaker: Dr. Chris Shuler
Date: March 27, 2024 (3:00 pm, HST)
Community-engagement has emerged as somewhat of a cliché in the realm of contemporary, socially-conscious scientific discourse. However, what actually distinguishes projects that merely pay lip service to this term from those that truly make a meaningful impact on their intended communities? Admittedly, although many other scholars and practitioners possess deeper expertise for addressing this question, what I can offer in this presentation is my unique perspective on the core attributes and strategies that I see as instrumental in yielding successful and impactful outcomes in community-based water research. I will do this by sharing a set of case studies that highlight my own current and future water-related research and outreach projects in Hawai‘i, American Samoa, and the Pacific. In this presentation, I hope to share some inspiration, reevaluate our understanding of what defines communities, and stimulate a dialogue on genuinely engaging in collaborative efforts with colleagues, neighbors, government officials, and friends.
Empowering Communities: WRRC's Efforts in the Aftermath of Maui's 2023 Wildfires
Speaker: Dr. Chris Shuler
Date: March 8, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
The devastating wildfires that struck Maui in August 2023 resulted in tragic impacts, including loss of life and property damage. However, the interaction between wildfire smoke and melting pipes also introduced the potential for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) to contaminate municipal drinking water systems, posing serious health risks and sparking a potential health crisis for the impacted communities. In this presentation, I will discuss WRRC's response efforts to the fires and the unsafe water advisory issued by County of Maui’s Department of Water Supply (DWS) on August 11th. We swiftly mobilized a team within the impacted communities to initiate a water sampling program and developed an online platform to provide vital information, including sampling requests, access to data, news updates, and FAQs. I will present the preliminary results from our water sampling and discuss how we plan to use this data to gain new insights into this recently discovered pathway of contamination. Throughout the last six months, our primary focus has remained on community engagement and outreach during the response phase of the disaster, ensuring that affected residents receive the water quality support and information they need to effectively navigate the crisis.
Beach Sand Quality – A Recent Concern
Speaker: Dr. João Brandão
Date: February 23, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
The emergence of Candida auris has sparked global interest in fungi within the context of environmental and occupational health, water management, and research. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) discussed several fungal taxa as being “of interest” for recreational water quality management, and recommended monitoring beach sand for bacterial indicators of faecal pollution and all fungi. In 2022, the WHO Fungal Priority Pathogens List was published cementing the recommendation to monitor fungi in national and supranational regulation. However, the cost and specificity of methodologies for fungi monitoring may present a challenge for their implementation. Current water microbiology regulation is focused nearly exclusively on faecal indicator bacteria and the integration of Fungi would require further training and funding, but the emergence of Candid auris already justifies such an investment in the near future.
Despite government efforts to develop guidelines and directives, non-governmental organizations are leading the charge in implementing sand analysis programs. Blue Flag is a world-renowned program that recognizes voluntary groups across the globe with an award that fulfils their aim of “connecting the public with their surroundings and encouraging them to learn more about their environment.”
Observing Floods From Space
Speaker: Dr. Dinuke Munasinghe
Date: February 16, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
Floods are one of the leading natural disasters which devastate agricultural crops and property, contribute to disease outbreaks, cause the loss of human lives, and have huge impacts on national economies. Satellite remote sensing observations of floods have the potential to serve as an important complementary data source to more traditional data gathering methods ranging from drones to recording of mud marks. However, data availability hinges on satellites being at the right place at the right time. In the first part of the talk, the potential of merging datasets from multiple satellite platforms to increase the odds of collecting information during flood events will be explored. Scientific and societal benefits of such mergers will follow.
The focus on the second part of the talk will be on technology development that could aid in the early detection of floods. River width is central to the calculation of stream flows and could be used as a proxy for gaging water levels. The swift availability of river width data afforded through Satellite Remote Sens- ing plays a critical role in delivering actionable insights for anticipating floods. The current work on the “River Processor”, an automated algorithm that extracts river widths from state-of-the art surface water products derived from multi-source satellite imagery will be discussed in this section.
Higher Tide – The Alabama Water Institute's Journey Towards Advancing Water Research and Technology (CANCELLED)
Speaker: Mr. Matthew Womble
Date: February 15, 2024 (12:00 pm, HST)
Since 1879, the Pearl Harbor aquifer (Ewa-Kunia excluded) has shrunk to around 60 percent of its original size; from about 33 feet to about 19 feet currently. Irrigation of sugarcane crops during the plantation era, amounting to about 120 million gallons per day (MGD), accounted for most of the pumpage that resulted in the shrinkage of the Pearl Harbor lens. However, by 2008, the aquifer stopped shrinking and had reached an equilibrium with the new conditions of recharge and pumpage that were established following the end of plantation agriculture in the early 1990s. In the decades to come, the aquifer will shrink again, to about half of its current size, as it comes into a new equilibrium with the increased pumpage allowed by the Commission on Water Resource Management’s sustainable yield of 150 MGD. The current pumpage, mostly for residential use, is about 90 MGD. This presentation will show the data and the methods that led to these conclusions. This is a vital subject that has been studied, discussed, and debated for many years and will continue to be discussed by all who have an interest in Hawai‘i’s future. Hopefully, this presentation will encourage a lively exchange of ideas on the current and future state of the Pearl Harbor aquifer and the consequences of future water demands.
The Present and Future State of the Pearl Harbor Aquifer
Speaker: Dr. Paul Eyre
Date: February 9, 2024 (2:00 pm, HST)
Since 1879, the Pearl Harbor aquifer (Ewa-Kunia excluded) has shrunk to around 60 percent of its original size; from about 33 feet to about 19 feet currently. Irrigation of sugarcane crops during the plantation era, amounting to about 120 million gallons per day (MGD), accounted for most of the pumpage that resulted in the shrinkage of the Pearl Harbor lens. However, by 2008, the aquifer stopped shrinking and had reached an equilibrium with the new conditions of recharge and pumpage that were established following the end of plantation agriculture in the early 1990s. In the decades to come, the aquifer will shrink again, to about half of its current size, as it comes into a new equilibrium with the increased pumpage allowed by the Commission on Water Resource Management’s sustainable yield of 150 MGD. The current pumpage, mostly for residential use, is about 90 MGD. This presentation will show the data and the methods that led to these conclusions. This is a vital subject that has been studied, discussed, and debated for many years and will continue to be discussed by all who have an interest in Hawai‘i’s future. Hopefully, this presentation will encourage a lively exchange of ideas on the current and future state of the Pearl Harbor aquifer and the consequences of future water demands.