Alan Mair
Alan Mair is a hydrologist with the Pacific Islands Water Science Center in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi.
Alan Mair's research focuses on quantifying the impacts of climate and land-cover change on freshwater availability in the Hawaiian Islands and other Pacific island communities. His active research studies include:
- Estimating changes in groundwater recharge under projected future climate conditions for the island of Maui
- Quantifying the impacts of high-priority non-native and dominant native plant species on freshwater availability in Hawai‘i
- Estimating soil-moisture stress, climatic water deficit and groundwater recharge during droughts for current and projected future climate conditions in Hawai‘i
Alan joined the U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Islands Water Science Center in 2013. His prior professional experience includes post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Hawai‘i, and engineer positions in Hawai‘i, Malaysia, and California.
Education
PhD, Natural Resources & Environmental Management, University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa, 2009
MEng, Civil & Environmental Engineering, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, 1989
BS, Electrical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1986
Registrations
Professional Civil Engineer, California and Hawai‘i
Professional Hydrologist (Groundwater), American Institute of Hydrology
Science and Products
Groundwater Availability on the Island of Saipan, CNMI
Most of the public water supply on Saipan comes from wells that tap groundwater from the island’s aquifers. The island is small, so the amount of groundwater available is limited. The aquifers also contain saltwater from the ocean, so wells may yield salty water if pumping is excessive, the wells are clustered together, or if droughts cause a reduction in natural groundwater recharge. The USGS...
Effects of Drought and Cloud-Water Interception on Wildfire Hazard in Hawaiʻi
Understanding the effects of drought and cloud-water interception on wildfire hazard is critical to Hawai‘i’s water-resource managers, farmers, ranchers, and forest, watershed, and wildfire managers for developing adaptive management strategies. Identifying areas of increased wildfire hazard is also important for developing strategic monitoring programs to help assess and predict the effects of...
Groundwater Recharge in Hawaiʻi
Groundwater provides 99 percent of Hawai‘i’s drinking water and about 50 percent of all freshwater used in the State. Groundwater recharge is water derived from precipitation and other sources, such as irrigation and leakage from surface reservoirs, that moves through or bypasses the plant-soil system and replenishes aquifers. Groundwater availability in Hawai‘i is affected by changes in...
Effects of High-Priority Non-Native and Dominant Native Plant Species on the Water Cycle
The spread of highly-invasive non-native plant species in Hawaiʻi’s forests may be reducing freshwater availability across the islands. However, little information has been collected to determine the effects of highly-invasive non-native plant species on freshwater resources. The lack of information, in turn, limits the development of effective management strategies for preserving Hawaiʻi’s...
Science and Products
Groundwater Availability on the Island of Saipan, CNMI
Most of the public water supply on Saipan comes from wells that tap groundwater from the island’s aquifers. The island is small, so the amount of groundwater available is limited. The aquifers also contain saltwater from the ocean, so wells may yield salty water if pumping is excessive, the wells are clustered together, or if droughts cause a reduction in natural groundwater recharge. The USGS...
Effects of Drought and Cloud-Water Interception on Wildfire Hazard in Hawaiʻi
Understanding the effects of drought and cloud-water interception on wildfire hazard is critical to Hawai‘i’s water-resource managers, farmers, ranchers, and forest, watershed, and wildfire managers for developing adaptive management strategies. Identifying areas of increased wildfire hazard is also important for developing strategic monitoring programs to help assess and predict the effects of...
Groundwater Recharge in Hawaiʻi
Groundwater provides 99 percent of Hawai‘i’s drinking water and about 50 percent of all freshwater used in the State. Groundwater recharge is water derived from precipitation and other sources, such as irrigation and leakage from surface reservoirs, that moves through or bypasses the plant-soil system and replenishes aquifers. Groundwater availability in Hawai‘i is affected by changes in...
Effects of High-Priority Non-Native and Dominant Native Plant Species on the Water Cycle
The spread of highly-invasive non-native plant species in Hawaiʻi’s forests may be reducing freshwater availability across the islands. However, little information has been collected to determine the effects of highly-invasive non-native plant species on freshwater resources. The lack of information, in turn, limits the development of effective management strategies for preserving Hawaiʻi’s...