Pacific Islands Water Science Center
Publications
Publications from the Pacific Islands Water Science Center are geographically grouped.
- State of Hawaiʻi
- Kauaʻi
- Oʻahu
- Molokaʻi
- Maui
- Kahoʻolawe
- Hawaiʻi Island
- Guam
- Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- American Samoa
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Republic of Palau
- Diego Garcia
Search the USGS Pubs Warehouse for products written for the general public and scientists.
Local to landscape-level controls of water fluxes through Hawaiian forests: Effects of invasive animals and plants on soil infiltration capacity across substrate and moisture gradients
Given the potential effect of invasive plants and animals to water fluxes through forests, the invasive-driven degradation of native ecosystems is a topic of great concern for many downstream land and water managers. The infiltration rate determines the partitioning between runoff and infiltration into soil in Hawaiian forests and beyond. Thus, to...
Fortini, Lucas B.; Leopold, Christina; Perkins, Kimberlie; Chadwick, Oliver A.; Yelenik, Stephanie G.; Jacobi, James D.; Bishaw, Kaiena; Gregg, Makani; Rosa, Sarah N.
Numerical simulation of groundwater availability in central Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i
Since the 1990s, increased chloride concentrations of water pumped from wells (much of which is used for drinking water) and the effects of withdrawals on groundwater-dependent ecosystems have led to concerns over groundwater availability on the island of Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi. An improved understanding of the hydrologic effects of proposed...
Oki, Delwyn S.; Engott, John A.; Rotzoll, Kolja The ‘Ike Wai Hawai‘i groundwater recharge tool
This paper discusses the design and implementation of the ‘Ike Wai Hawai‘i Groundwater Recharge Tool, an application for providing data and analyses of the impacts of land-cover and climate modifications on groundwater-recharge rates for the island of O‘ahu. This application uses simulation data based on a set of 29 land-cover types and two...
McLean, Jared H.; Cleaveland, Sean B.; Rotzoll, Kolja; Izuka, Scot K.; Leigh, Jason; Jacobs, Gwen A.; Theriot, Ryan
Water resources on Guam—Potential impacts of and adaptive response to climate change
The goals of this joint U.S. Geological Survey, University of Hawaiʻi, University of Guam, University of Texas, and East-West Center study were to (1) provide basic understanding about water resources for U.S. Department of Defense installations on Guam and (2) assess the resulting effect of sea-level rise and a changing climate on freshwater...
Gingerich, Stephen B.; Johnson, Adam G.; Rosa, Sarah N.; Marineau, Mathieu D.; Wright, Scott A.; Hay, Lauren E.; Widlansky, Matthew J.; Jenson, John W.; Wong, Corinne I.; Banner, Jay L.; Finucane, Melissa L.; Keener, Victoria W. Freshwater availability in Guam with projected changes in climate
Guam receives 85 to 116 inches of rain a year, two-thirds of which has historically fallen during the wet season. On average, three tropical storms and one typhoon pass within 80 nautical miles of Guam each year, generally during the rainy season. Both drought and flooding can impact freshwater supply and the associated infrastructure. Department...
Gingerich, Stephen; Keener, Victoria; Finucane, Melissa L. Guam's water resources
How do climate and humans impact freshwater resources, and how can we plan for change?
Gingerich, Stephen; Keener, Victoria; Finucane, Melissa L. Drought in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands: Impacts to water resources
No abstract available.
Anthony, Stephen
Estimated groundwater recharge from a water-budget model incorporating selected climate projections, Island of Maui, Hawai‘i
Demand for freshwater on the Island of Maui is expected to increase by 45 percent between 2015 and 2035. Groundwater availability on Maui is affected by changes in climate and agricultural irrigation. To evaluate the availability of fresh groundwater under projected future climate conditions and changing agricultural irrigation practices,...
Mair, Alan; Johnson, Adam G.; Rotzoll, Kolja; Oki, Delwyn S. Enabling real-time user interaction for decision support: Experiences extending a local agave platform metadata service
The University of Hawai'i Information Technology Services Cyber-infrastructure team in partnership with the United States Geological Survey developed the Hawai'i groundwater recharge tool, a decision support tool, as part of the 'Ike Wai Gateway to support water sustainability research for the state of Hawai'i. To enable the development of the...
Cleveland, Sean B.; McClean, Jared H.; Rotzoll, Kolja; Izuka, Scot K.; Jacobs, Gwen A. Hawai‘i Groundwater Recharge Tool
The Hawai‘i Groundwater Recharge Tool allows users to evaluate the potential effects of land-cover and climate changes on groundwater recharge. This website provides a baseline estimate of recharge representing recent conditions of precipitation (1978–2008 average) and land cover (2010). Users can change land cover and rainfall conditions to...
McLean, Jared H.; Rotzoll, Kolja; Cleaveland, Sean B.; Izuka, Scot K. Tropical cyclone projections: Changing climate threats for Pacific Island defense installations
Potential changing climate threats in the tropical and subtropical North Pacific Ocean were assessed, using coupled ocean-atmosphere and atmosphere-only general circulation models, to explore their response to projected increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical cyclone occurrence, described by their frequency and intensity, near islands...
Widlansky, Matthew J.; Annamalai, Hariharasubramanian; Gingerich, Stephen B.; Storlazzi, Curt D.; Marra, John J.; Hodges, Kevin I.; Choy, Barry; Kitoh, Akio
Fena Valley Reservoir watershed and water-balance model updates and expansion of watershed modeling to southern Guam
In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, initiated a project to evaluate the potential impacts of projected climate-change on Department of Defense installations that rely on Guam’s water resources. A major task of that project was to develop...
Rosa, Sarah N.; Hay, Lauren E.