YEAR ONE REPORT / FALL 2011

PACIFIC RISA: YEAR ONE shed Assessment project, a regional contribution to the National Assessment (NCA). In addition, Pacific RISA has been actively estab U INSIDE THIS NEWSLETTER: lishing team processes and updating its public • Research Update presence via the public web page, informational • The Pacific Islands Regional Climate Assessment (PIRCA) brochures, brief video “Documoments,” and gen U • Outreach Activities eral outreach and communications activities. • Key Presentations and Meetings • Publications CLIMATE MODELING RESEARCH Research during Year One has focused on the On August 31, 2011, the Pacific Regional Inte U calibration, testing, and generation of regional grated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) com U models capable of accurately simulating the pleted a busy and successful first year of our oceanUatmosphere physics and climate for research program. Year One of the fiveUyear Hawai‘i and the Pacific Islands. LargeUscale Pacific RISA program, funded by the National General Circulation Models (GCMs) fail to Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reproduce many of the unique and complex (NOAA), concentrated on initiating strategic re U climatological features associated with islands, search protocols, nurturing existing partnerships, making the specific calibration of a regional and developing new relationships with stake U model our first priority. Dr. Kevin Hamilton and holders in Hawai‘i, American Samoa, Guam, and his team of scientists at the University of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. In Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i’s International Pacific Research Center relationship building concentrated on stakehold U (IPRC) are working to improve simulations of ers identified as key to the Central O‘ahu Water U historic and projected climate at both regional and island scales.

Figure 1. The Hawaiian Islands as seen in a GCM (left), a regional model (center), and a downscaled (right). (Figure courtesy of Axel Lauer, IPRC.) • Using an improved regional climate model continuous oneUyear simulation with 3Ukm (iRAM) to simulate regional dynamics horizontal grid spacing. Major improvements in the Pacific, Drs. Axel Lauer and Kevin in the model include a better representation of Hamilton, along with researchers at the IPRC, the land surface properties, and better simula U found that the response of PacificUregion tions of the trade wind inversion and boundary to increased sea surface temperatures layer clouds. The model simulated the spatial amplifies warming trends. These improved distribution of precipitation reasonably well. cloud simulations provide evidence pointing In particular, the model reproduced the preU towards the high end of current global temper U cipitation diurnal cycle realistically. These re U ature predictions (Lauer et al., 2010). sults demonstrate that the model could be used as a useful tool for dynamical downscaling of • More recently, IPRC collaborators have com U regional climate over the Hawaiian Islands, pleted a working configuration of the Weather and will be used in Year Two research in Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the conjunction with hydrological models. In Hawaiian Islands as a regional climate model Years 3–5, we hope to expand into the USU (HRCM). They have drafted a paper docu U affiliated Pacific Islands. menting the model configuration and present U ing a preliminary evaluation based on a

Figure 2. The 10-year average change in (middle) low-level cloud amount (DCA), (bottom) cloud feedback parameters (l), and (top) the underlying global warming signals in sea surface temperatures (DSST) for the three global warming cases A–C, compared with pres - ent-day conditions (1999–2008). (From Lauer et al., 2010.)

2 PACIFIC RISA YEAR ONE REPORT / FALL 2011

Figure 3. The observed and the HRCM-simulated monthly mean precipitation for November 2005 (left), March 2006 (middle), and August 2006 (right). The numbers above the plots give the average for all island and spatial correlation coefficient of model results with observations. (From Zhang et al., 2011 submitted.)

HYDROLOGICAL RESEARCH • Drs. ElUKadi, Mair, and Klaus Hagedorn • Drs. Aly ElUKadi and Alan Mair at the Univer U prepared a report reviewing and providing an sity of Hawai‘i at Mänoa Water Resources Re U inventory of groundwater research studies search Center (WRRC), in collaboration with carried out in Hawai‘i’s most important aquifer Mr. Steve Anthony and Dr. Scot Izuka at the system—the Pearl Harbor aquifer—with an United States Geological Survey (USGS) Pa U emphasis on modeling as a tool for quantifying cific Islands Water Science Center, have de U and managing potable water resources under a veloped expertise for the analysis of rainfall changing climate. Variability of meteorologi U and temperature data to produce maps of rain U cal, geological, and landUuse conditions is a fall intensity, identify periods of severe drought, major hurdle for the successful application of and accurately assess the temperatureUaltitude models. This report presents stateUofUtheUart relationship. The results of these analyses are modeling tools capable of improving our un U used to develop different input climate scenar U derstanding of the influence of climatic param U ios for water balance modeling. Such model U eters on groundwater availability in Hawai‘i ing will provide spatially distributed estimates and similar volcanic island settings. Data of groundwater recharge as input to the nu U needed for successful implementation of merical groundwater model that will be cou U these models are also highlighted. This report pled with output from the Hawaiian Islands was prepared in support of the Central O‘ahu regional climate model in Year Two. Watershed project. 3 Figure 4. The distribution of groundwater recharge on O‘ahu computed by regression analysis by Shade and Nichols (1996) for mid-1980s land use is shown to the left. One problem with the recharge assessments based on regression analysis between rainfall and recharge is that they are based on long-term climate and recharge averages from water budget studies and, thus, do not account for short-term recharge.

POLICY-RELATED RESEARCH (e.g., development planning, energy security, Researchers at the EastUWest Center (EWC) and irrigation strategies); (2) various planning the University of Hawai‘i’s Center for Island Cli U timelines across stakeholder groups, ranging mate Adaptation and Policy (ICAP) collaborated from less than one year to decades; (3) varying closely in Year One on the Central O‘ahu Wa U contextual factors constraining/facilitating use tershed Assessment project, a key regional con U of climate information (e.g., permitting process tribution to the United States Third National doesn’t allow for longUrange planning, agricul U Climate Assessment (NCA), by conducting tural planning demands longUterm information, stakeholder interviews, an online survey, and two but legislature not providing funds); and (4) stakeholder workshops. varying levels of knowledge about where/how to access climate information. • For the Central O‘ahu Watershed project, the • ICAP has completed a draft white paper titled assessment services team (EWC and ICAP) “Hawai‘i’s Law & Policy Toolkit: Climate conducted 23 inUdepth interviews using a semiU Change Adaptation and Water Resource structured interview protocol. Interviewees Management,” which found, in part, that the included water resource managers, adminisU political framework of Hawai‘i has potentially trators in state and federal agencies, policy U significant adaptive capacity. Some of the makers, landowners and land managers, neigh U initial findings were presented by attorney borhood board members, cultural practitioners, Richard Wallsgrove for stakeholder feedback and water users. The team also sent out a at the Central O‘ahu Watershed workshops webUbased survey concerning freshwater re U in July 2011 (see below). The report, with sources and climate information needs to over incorporated stakeholder input, will be pre U 140 targeted stakeholders. The results of the sented to the State Water Commission, water survey work will be analyzed and included in resource managers, and policymakers in early 2012. Lessons learned will be considered the forthcoming NCA report. when repeating the streamlined process for • InUdepth interviews with key stakeholders in USUaffiliated Pacific Islands. The paper iden U the Central O‘ahu Watershed revealed: (1) a tifies 12 potentially adaptive tools that are not range of freshwater resource management presently implemented in Hawai‘i, or are im U plemented only in part. Each tool is consistent decisions that are currently, or potentially with the existing law and policy framework, could be, informed by climate information and each exhibits adaptive characteristics.

4 PACIFIC RISA YEAR ONE REPORT / FALL 2011

These tools include: agement, and extant policies that support and 1. Incorporate scenario mandate the inclusion of IEK in capacity build U planning into the Hawai‘i Water Plan ing for adaptation. 2. Adopt existing models of integrating • On July 8 and 15, 2011, the EastUWest Center watershed conservation with water hosted workshops organized by Pacific RISA resource planning on “Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater 3. Implement mandatory water Resources in Hawai‘i.” The workshops sought conservation and recycling plans to understand decisions about how to manage 4. Enforce statewide water resource freshwater resources sustainably in the face of monitoring and reporting a changing climate. 5. Adopt more adaptive conditions for all water use, well construction, and As part of Pacific RISA’s efforts to promote stream diversion permits dialogue among key decision makers, the two 6. Encourage waterUconscious construction workshops brought academics, policymakers, and modifications with greenUbuilding technical specialists, and community and non U tax credits, rebates, and other incentives profit leaders together to answer four key ques U 7. Relate Water Commission fees more tions: What impacts will climate change have closely to the cost of water management on freshwater resources in the next 10 –50 years? What do we need to know to effectively prepare for these impacts? What organiza U tional, capacity, political, and other challenges do we face when gathering and using climate information to address these impacts? And how can we best confront these challenges?

After presentations from local climate change experts, including University of Hawai‘i pro U fessors Dr. Tom Giambelluca and Dr. Kevin Hamilton, workshop participants engaged in a candid discussion of the future of local fresh U Figure 5. Map of water law and policy schemes in Hawai‘i. (From Richard Wallsgrove, 2011.) water management in the face of potentially drier conditions. A drier climate will have ram U ifications for a wide variety of sectors. For ex U • ICAP has developed a working paper on ample, compromised aquifer resources—both Pacific indigenous environmental knowledge in terms of quantity, as demand for freshwater (IEK), which serves as background research grows, and quality, due to saltwater intrusion— for a forthcoming book chapter on strategies to may lead to reduced agricultural productivity, incorporate IEK as a central component of cli U altered infrastructure needs, and demographic mate change adaptation knowledge. The work U displacement of native plant and animal ing paper briefly examines definitions of IEK, species. To mitigate and adapt to these poten U how it has historically informed resource man U tial setbacks, participants in both workshops

5 Participants gathered at the East-West Center for the Pacific RISA workshop on “Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater Resources in Hawai‘i” on July 8 and 15, 2011. (Photo credits: EWC External Affairs.)

Workshop participants included Barry Usagawa, Program Administrator, Water Resources, Honolulu Board of Water Supply; and Gary Gill, Deputy Director of the Department of Health’s Environmental Planning Office.

Also participating were Taylor Savusa, Manager, American Samoa Power Authority; Steve Anthony, Director of the USGS Pacific Islands Water Science Center; and Carlton Saito, Committee Clerk for the Office of Senator Mike Gabbard.

stressed the need for greater information shar U Moser. Dr. Moser established foundational ing and sustained efforts to translate the science knowledge among team members about into actionable language for policymakers, as evaluation and conveyed the importance of well as the general public. Such mainstream U evaluation for the Pacific RISA’s ongoing ing of climate science will require continued growth and broader social science contribu U dialogue among government agencies and tions. Dr. Moser also provided team members other publicU and privateUsector stakeholders with a project tracking template to keep track on the ground. of deliverables and progress, and showed the importance of monitoring external factors on • The framework for external evaluation of research progress. Pacific RISA was developed by Dr. Susanne

6 PACIFIC RISA YEAR ONE REPORT / FALL 2011

PACIFIC ISLANDS REGIONAL PIRCA activities include dialogues, workshops, CLIMATE ASSESSMENT (PIRCA) and a regional forum to facilitate sharing, ana U lyzing, and reporting on scientific consensus, The The Pacific Islands Regional Climate As U knowledge gaps, sectoral needs, and adaptive ca U sessment (PIRCA) has been heavily involved in pacity for addressing the changing climate. The organizing and providing support to the National most immediate focus is on bringing together Climate Assessment (NCA). The NCA provides scientific experts and practitioners to generate knowledge that can be used by communities to an integrated report that will provide a regional create a more sustainable and environmentally contribution to the NCA by March 2012. sound plan for the future. Conducted under the auspices of the United States Global Change Re U The pillars of the PIRCA framework are the three search Act of 1990, which requires that a report regional focus areas established at the March be submitted to the US president and congress 2011 Pacific Climate Information System every four years, the NCA: (PaCIS) Steering Committee meeting: (1) pre U • Evaluates the effectiveness of climate serving freshwater resources and minimizing the mitigation and adaptation activities impacts of drought; (2) fostering community • Identifies economic opportunities that resilience to the impacts of seaUlevel rise, coastal arise as the climate changes inundation, and extreme weather; and (3) sus U taining marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosys U • Integrates scientific information from tems. The PIRCA will examine impacts and multiple sources adaptive capacity of communities regarding cli U • Highlights key findings and gaps in mate change effects on the waterUenergy nexus; our knowledge cultural resources and indigenous environmental The PIRCA (http://www.eastwestcenter.org knowledge; regional and community economies; /PIRCA) is a collaborative effort that assesses the adaptation policy; urbanization, transportation, state of climate knowledge, impacts, and adap U and infrastructure vulnerabilities; ecosystem tive capacity in Hawai‘i and the USUaffiliated services; and ocean resource sustainability and Pacific Islands. The PIRCA engages federal, coastal zone management. Specific topics of in U state, and local government agencies, non U terest include: government organizations, businesses, and com U • Climate variability and change science, munity groups to inform and prioritize their including historical observations, trends, activities in the face of a changing climate. The and climatologies PIRCA represents a “network of networks” that • Freshwater resource sustainability, relies on the regional culture of communication flow trends, groundwater recharge, and collaboration to support a sustained climate demographic stresses assessment process, as well as a Climate Impacts • SeaUlevel rise and coastal inundation Forum in the summer of 2012. The PIRCA fo U projections and scenarios, and current and cuses on three subregions: (1) the Western North projected coastal hazards and impacts Pacific, (2) the Central North Pacific, and (3) the • Ecosystem assessments, including climate Central South Pacific. effects on marine systems, seaUlevel rise impacts on ocean and coastal habitats and

7 species, and species/habitat responses to Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center; NOAA changes in precipitation and temperature Center for Operational Oceanographic Products • The adaptive capacity of different and Services; NOAA Coastal Storms Program; communities and institutions and related NOAA Coastal Services Center; the Pacific Risk opportunities and limitations Management Ohana (PRiMO); National Marine Fisheries Service; United States Geological Sur U Primary oversight of the PIRCA is being carried vey Pacific Islands Water Science Center; United out jointly by representatives from the NOAA States Fish and Wildlife Service; UH School of NESDIS National Climatic Data Center and Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, De U PaCIS, the Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences partment of Oceanography; UH International Pa U and Assessments (RISA) program through the cific Research Center; UH Sea Level Center; UH EastUWest Center, and the Pacific Islands Cli U Sea Grant and the Center for Island Climate mate Change Cooperative (PICCC). Other key Adaptation and Policy; Water and Environmen U contributors include the NOAA National Ocean tal Research Institute, University of Guam; and Service; NOAA Pacific Services Center; NOAA the Western Regional Climate Center.

Figure 6. PIRCA is an integrated and multidisciplinary process. Overarching themes stressing the impacts of climate change and the adaptation capacity of different Pacific Island communities and institutions will cut across the technical focus areas.

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OUTREACH pus and community groups, the event was the An important component of Pacific RISA’s work second in the ‘O Ke Au I Kähuli: Pehea Lä Ka includes outreach of our research activities to Hawai‘i E Pono Ai? series of traveling forums. stakeholders and communities. In Year One, out U Over 70 members of the campus and broader reach programs concentrated on building knowl U community were in attendance. Speakers in U edge about Pacific RISA by attending meetings cluded William Aila, Jr., Director of the State and giving presentations on the RISA program of Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural in general and Pacific RISA in particular, con U Resources, and Dr. Tom Giambelluca, Profes U ducting specific research projects, and creating a sor of Geography at the University of Hawai‘i series of climateUthemed “Documoment” videos at Mänoa. Panelists responded to over 25 about how climate matters to different people audience questions, and they identified a num U and industries in Hawai‘i. ber of potential adaptation tools and several possible priority areas for revising existing pro U • A press release was distributed highlighting the grams, laws, and administrative procedures on IPRC’s findings on the impacts of global which ICAP will concentrate research efforts. warming on marine boundaryUlayer cloud dynamics in the Pacific, which was published • In September 2010, Pacific RISA Project As U by Lauer et al. in the Journal of Climate . This sistant Rachel Miller participated in two dia U paper served as the basis for interviews with logues conducted by the Pacific Climate Drs. Kevin Hamilton and Axel Lauer, result U Information System (PaCIS) in Guam and ing in articles in the Discovery Channel News American Samoa, entitled “Dialogue with (http://news.discovery.com/earth/cloudsUmayU Local DecisionUmakers about Water Resource makeUwarmingUworse.html), New Scientist and DroughtUrelated Issues in Light of a (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg2082 Changing Climate.” Miller traveled with a 7893.400UgoodbyeUgreyUskiesUhelloUextraU team of five researchers from various branches warming.html?DCMP=OTCUrss&nsref=envi U of NOAA and the Pacific ENSO Applications ronment), Japan Herald (http://story.japan Climate Center (PEAC), as well as the Pacific herald.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/c4f2dd8ca8c78 Islands Climate Change Cooperative (PICCC), 044/id/713730/cs/1/), Tehran Times (http:// to Guam on September 13–15 and to Ameri U www.tehrantimes.com/PDF/11025/11025U can Samoa on September 20–23. The team 6.pdf), and China’s Yeeyan News (http: conducted meetings in both places with diverse //article.yeeyan.org/view/189830/153238). stakeholders to discuss local needs, capacity, and decisionUmaking capabilities in regard to • In February 2011, ICAP and the University of water resources and climate change more Hawai‘i Kamakaküokalani Center for Hawai U broadly. Meetings in Guam included stake U ian Studies convened a roundtable of natural holders from the Telecommunication and Dis U resource specialists and decision makers to re U tance Education Operation (TADEO)/ view current trends affecting the water supply PeaceSat; US Senator B.J. Cruz’s office; Uni U and explore approaches to improve resiliency versity of Guam Water and Environmental in Hawai‘i’s freshwater systems. Held in Halau Research Institute (WERI), Marine Lab, and O Haumea, a sharedUuse auditorium for cam U Center for Island Sustainability; the US Na U

9 tional Park Service; National Weather Service Guam, Weather Forecast Office; Bureau of Statistics and Planning; and the Department of Agriculture. Meetings in American Samoa in U cluded stakeholders from American Samoa Community College Land Grant Office; Na U tional Weather Service Samoa, Weather Fore U cast Office; Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources; Haleck Enterprises; Pago Pago Pure Water; Department of Homeland Security; National Park Service; American Samoa Power Authority; Island Breeze Water; Department of Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Pacific Energy; Coral Reef Advi U Bleached staghorn coral in the Majuro lagoon, top sory Group; Department of Health; Department (photo credit: Dr. Victoria Keener ). Some corals are of Public Works; Department of Education; able to recover either partially or fully from bleaching Bluesky Communications; Department of events; however, not all are so resilient, bottom (photo credit: Dr. Dean Jacobson ). Parks and Recreation; American Samoa Visi U tors Bureau; and American Samoa Environ U mental Protection Authority. Pure Water; Martina Enterprises; and several representatives from the US Embassy. New • In September 2011, Project Assistant Rachel contacts were made, and many potential inputs Miller and EWC Fellow and RISA Project to the PIRCA report were gathered to ensure Manager Dr. Victoria Keener spent five days that the Republic of the Marshall Islands is in Majuro, the capital of the Republic of the fairly represented. Marshall Islands, meeting with representatives from government, academia, and business • As part of Pacific RISA’s climate communica U about fair representation and contributing in U tions and outreach plan, Dr. Melissa Finucane puts to the NCA and the PIRCA report. Keener worked with professional filmmakers to create and Miller met with stakeholders from the Ma U three “Climate Matters Documoments.” Each juro National Weather Service; professors and video clip focuses on a different aspect of how students at the University of the South Pacific; climate information matters to people of dif U the editor of the Marshall Islands Journal ; pro U ferent professions around the Hawaiian Islands. fessors at the College of the Marshall Islands; On the Big Island, independent cattle rancher Namdrik Atoll Senator and Minister of Re U Michelle Galimba was interviewed about about sources and Development Mattlan Zackhras how drought on her Ka‘u ranch affects both her and Secretary of Resources and Development livelihood and locally produced food. In Tommy Kijiner; Marshall Islands EPA; Mar U Nänäkuli, O‘ahu, at the PVT construction shall Islands Conservation Society; Office of landfill, Vice President Steve Jacobs proudly Environmental Planning and Policy Coordina U showed how PVT responded to a climate fore U tion; Robert Reimers Enterprises and Pacific cast of a strong La Niña event by upgrading its

10 PACIFIC RISA YEAR ONE REPORT / FALL 2011

storm drains, thus avoiding potential catastro U www.PacificRISA.org, with current research phe when a 100Uyear storm dropped over 10 projects, maps, collaborations, contacts, and in U inches of rain in 24 hours. Finally, on the fa U formational links. For internal communica U mous beaches of Waikiki, O‘ahu, the president tions, all projects, presentations, research of KyoUYa Company, Greg Dickens, described articles and reports, stakeholder meetings, and changes in the Waikiki shoreline over the last conferences attended are updated and stored on 50 years, and how potential seaUlevel rise ef U a comprehensive projectUbased Google Site. fects on Waikiki beaches could be devastating Maintenance of these sites is done by Project for the local tourist economy. Assistant Rachel Miller. Additionally, with comments and feedback from the core team, • New Pacific RISAUrelated media are continu U Miller led the development of a new brochure ally being developed. Project Manager Dr. Vic U and logo for Pacific RISA. toria Keener updated the public web page,

Clockwise from upper left corner: Filming with independent rancher Michelle Galimba in drought-stricken pastures in Ka‘u on the Big Island; evidence of culled cattle from the last drought; filming at the Waikiki Sheraton Hotel, where seawalls have been built to protect the infrastructure; the PVT landfill on O‘ahu, where climate forecasts were used to avoid costly flood damage from a La Niña storm in January 2011. (Photo credits: Dr. Victoria Keener.)

11 KEY PRESENTATIONS AND MEETINGS ATTENDED • All Pacific RISA principal investigators • Dr. Melissa Finucane gave a public presentation and several associated researchers and assis U on “Pacific RISA: The Climate Adaptation Part U tants participated in the PaCIS Steering nership for the Pacific” at the SOEST (School Committee Meeting from March 22–24, of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology) 2011. Several researchers were involved in workshop on the Science of Climate Change leading breakout groups and assuming chair in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, January 20, 2011. Dr. positions of relevant working groups, includ U Finucane also presented a poster on “Climate ing the Preserving Freshwater Resources and Adaptation by Pacific Islanders: Integrating Minimizing Impacts of Drought and the Re U Physical and Social Sciences to Support Deci U search and Assessment groups. sion Making about Complex Systems on Multi U • Dr. Nancy Lewis attended and presented “Is U ple Timescales” at the annual meeting of the lands in a Sea of Change: Climate Change, Society for Judgment and Decision Making , Health, and Human Security in Small Island St. Louis, Missouri, November 19–22, 2010. States” for the NATO Advanced Workshop • At a meeting hosted by the Pacific Islands Cli 4 on Climate Change, Human Health and mate Change Cooperative (PICCC), Dr. National Security in Dubrovnik, Croatia, Melissa Finucane participated in a meeting April 27–29, 2011. Dr. Lewis also presented with representatives of the Department of In U “Climate Change, Health, and Human Secu U terior Assistant Secretary Thomas Strickland rity; Small Island States and Asia's Coastal and Department of Commerce Assistant Sec U Megacities” at the Association of American retary Dr. Larry Robinson, December 2010. Geographers meeting, April 13–17, 2011. PICCC and Pacific Climate Information Sys U • Pacific RISA Project Manager Dr. Victoria tem (PaCIS) representatives discussed effec U Keener attended the NOAA/Sea Grant tive interagency communication, coordination, Climate Adaptation Workshop during April and collaboration on climate change issues in 18–21, 2011, in Kihei, Maui. Victoria infor U the Pacific Islands region. mally discussed downscaling of climate infor U • Dr. Axel Lauer gave a public presentation on mation for islandUspecific water resource the “State of Regional Atmospheric Modeling planning with County of Maui Water and Plan U for the Hawai‘i Climate Prediction Problem” ning representatives, in preparation for Year at the SOEST workshop on the Science of Cli 4 Two research activities linking climate and mate Change in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, January hydrological simulation models. 19–20, 2011.

The damaged park and eroded beach road next to the Humpback Whale Sanctuary in Kihei, Maui, shows how potentially vulnerable Maui is to storms and climate phenomena. After an abnormally rainy La Niña winter season, beaches and shoreline in - frastructure were already affected when surge from the Japan earthquake caused additional damage. (Photo credits: Dr. Victoria Keener.)

12 PACIFIC RISA YEAR ONE REPORT / FALL 2011

• In May 2011, Drs. Melissa Finucane and RISA collaborator John Marra presented a paper entitled “The Challenge of Understand U ing and Communicating Climate Change” to local business leaders at the AsiaPacific Breakfast Briefing , Honolulu, Hawai‘i.

• In May 2011, ICAP Director Maxine Burkett presented at the Threatened Island Nations: Legal Implications of Rising Seas and a Changing Climate meeting, coUsponsored by the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Environmental lawyers, is U land political leaders, and other stakeholders Tour participants listen to Glenn Oyama before came together to discuss the international legal entering the dark and wet Waihe‘e tunnel, left, and implications of climate change and to take the stop at a waterfall and pumping station farther up the mountain. (Photo credits: Dr. Victoria Keener.) first steps toward shaping policies that will pro U tect island governments from climate change. Professor Burkett delivered a paper titled “The Why Science Alone Won’t Solve the Climate Nation ExUSitu,” proposing a new kind of Crisis,” at the Hawai‘i State Legislators Brief 4 international status for governments whose ing at the EastUWest Center on June 29, 2011. land has been destroyed by climate change. • Dr. Melissa Finucane was interviewed on • In June 2011, the Pacific RISA hosted repre 4 Hawai‘i Public Radio’s “The Conversation” sentatives from the NOAA Climate Program on July 6, 2011, about how people think about Office . RISA National Program Manager risk and uncertainty while making decisions, Adam Parris and Sea Grant Knauss Fellow and the applicability to climate change com U Chelsea Friedman visited Honolulu for three munication. The interview can be found at days, and were treated to presentations from http://hawaiiconverstaion.org/audio/ and strategic meetings with Pacific RISA prin U TC_070611.mp3, approximately twoUthirds of cipal investigators. One of the highlights of the the way through the show. visit was a tour into the Waihe‘e Tunnel, where • In August 2011, Dr. Wendy Lin Bartels (postU Honolulu Board of Water Supply HydrologistU doctoral researcher, University of Florida and Geologist Glenn Oyama gave participants an the Southeast Climate Consortium RISA) met inside look at the mountain from which much with Pacific RISA researchers to provide input of O‘ahu’s drinking water comes. After brav U and postUworkshop data evaluation. As an agri U ing the tunnel, participants hiked to a waterfall cultural anthropologist and ecologist in the and pumping station farther up the mountain. southeast, Dr. Bartels was interested in visiting • Dr. Melissa Finucane presented a briefing, “Man U a small farm to view local practices. We spent aging Climate Risks Facing Pacific Islanders: the day visiting with the Reppuns at their

13 family farm in Waiähole, O ‘ahu, discussing private, and community stakeholders, who en U freshwater policy and local hydrology and gaged in a series of discussions and small agriculture, sharing a meal, and helping with group activities facilitated by Drs. Jim Dator farm duties such as weeding the taro patches and Donna Ching. Outputs from this meeting and harvesting corn. were used to inform the drafting of a Hawai‘i State Climate Adaptation Policy in the State • Other visitors to the Pacific RISA included Planning Act (HRS §226–101) that will be in U Peggy Denny (Program Administrator, i*recy U troduced to the legislature in early 2012. cle Program, Guam), Sam Walker (Institutional Researcher, Center for Island Sustainability, • Professor and RISA collaborator Maxine Bur U University of Guam), Taylor Savusa and kett represented the Hawaiian Islands in the Danielle Mauga (American Samoa Power Au U 244Hour Climate Reality Project in Septem U thority), and Dan Ferguson (CLIMAS, the ber 2011. The Climate Reality Project aims to southwest region’s RISA), who participated as bring facts about the climate crisis into the observers in the Climate Change Impacts mainstream and engage the public in conver U on Freshwater Resources in Hawai‘i work U sation about how to solve it. Founded and shops. The visitors offered critiques of the chaired by Al Gore, Nobel laureate and former methods and data, as well as assessed if simi U vice president of the United States, the Climate lar workshops would be helpful or feasible in Reality Project has more than five million their own locales. members and supporters worldwide. For 24 hours, one presenter from each time zone spoke • Dr. Melissa Finucane and collaborators Dr. about the climate crisis to a global audience. John Marra, Maxine Burkett, Deanna Spooner, and Zena Grecni attended and participated in • EastUWest Center Fellow and Pacific RISA the Futures and Visioning Workshop for Project Manager Dr. Victoria Keener presented Developing a Statewide Climate Change a guest lecture at the University of Hawai‘i at Policy , August 22–23, 2011, organized by the Mänoa Department of Geography’s Clima 4 State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Business tology Seminar on September 28, 2011, enti U Economic Development and Tourism, Office tled “Use of Spectral Methods for Extracting of Planning. The workshop included public, NonUStationary HydroUClimatic Oscillations.”

Pacific RISA researchers visited the Reppun Farm in Wai ähole, where they helped shuck corn they picked (left) and weeded taro (middle). The Wai ähole Valley is a contentious site for water rights in O‘ahu (right). (Photo credits: Dr. Victoria Keener and Dr. Wendy Lin Bartels.)

14 PACIFIC RISA YEAR ONE REPORT / FALL 2011

MEET THE PACIFIC RISA YEAR ONE HIRES tidisciplinary nature of the research, the new To help accomplish its research and outreach hires span several different social and physical goals, the Pacific RISA program hired ten new science fields. employees in its first year. Reflecting the mulU

Kati Corlew, Pacific RISA Zena Grecni, Victoria Keener, PhD, Fellow, Research Assistant, (MA, ICAP Program Assistant East-West Center; Pacific RISA Community and Cultural Program Manager (Hydrological Psychology) Engineering and Climatology)

Scott Kiefer, MS (Indigenous Axel Lauer, PhD, Researcher, Rachel Miller, MA, Pacific Environmental Knowledge IPRC (Climatology) RISA Research Assistant Research Specialist, ICAP) (Pacific Islands Studies)

Richard Wallsgrove, JD, Alan Mair, PhD, Researcher, David Penn, Legal Research As - Senior Attorney, ICAP WRRC sistant, ICAP

Not pictured: Pradip Raj Pant, Graduate Re - search Assistant, SSRI

15 PUBLICATIONS Burkett, M. January 2011. “In Search of Refuge: Pacific Islands, Climate-Induced Migration, and the Legal Frontier.” AsiaPacific Issues 98: 1–8. http://www.eastwestcenter.org/fileadmin/stored /pdfs/api098.pdf .

Chowdhury, R., A.G. Barnston, C. Guard, S, Duncan, T.A. Schroeder, and P.S. Chu. October 2010. “Sea-level Variability and Change in the US-affiliated Pacific Islands: Understanding the High Sea Levels during 2006–2008.” Royal Meteorological Society’s Weather 65(10): 263–268. http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/MET/Hsco/Paper /Weather-65-10263-68.pdf .

Lauer, A., K. Hamilton, Y. Wang, V.T.J. Phillips, and R. Bennartz. November 2010. “The Impact of Global Warming on Marine Boundary Layer Clouds over the Eastern Pacific: A Regional Model Study.” Journal of Climate 23(21): 5844–5863. http://iprc.soest.hawaii.edu/users/kph/paper/2010jcliLaueretal.pdf .

Zhang, C., Y. Wang, and K. Hamilton. 2011. “Improved Representation of Boundary Layer Clouds over the Southeast Pacific in WRF-ARW Using a Modified Tiedtke Cumulus Parameterization Scheme.” Monthly Weather Review , in press.

Zhang, C., W. Wang, A. Lauer, and K. Hamilton. 2011. “Configuration and Evaluation of the WRF Model for the Study of Hawaiian Regional Climate.” Submitted to Monthly Weather Review , September.

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