Unified Interior Regions
Hawaii
The Pacific Region has nine USGS Science Centers in California, Nevada, and Hawaii. The Regional Office, headquartered in Sacramento, provides Center oversight and support, facilitates internal and external collaborations, and works to further USGS strategic science directions.
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Transitions: What's next for HVO and the volcanoes it monitors?
2018 and 2019 were years of profound change at Kīlauea Volcano and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Devastation caused by the largest lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit collapse in at least 200 years resulted in many transitions for island residents, including HVO. Tina Neal, Scientist-in-Charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, describes the current status
How Our Reefs Protect Us: Valuing the Benefits of U.S. Reefs
The degradation of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, raises risks by increasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards during storms. The protective services of these natural defenses are not assessed in the same rigorous economic terms as artificial defenses, such as seawalls, and therefore often are not considered in decision-making. Here we
Hawaiʻi Coral Reefs and Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction
Rigorously Valuing the Role of Hawaiʻi’s Coral Reefs in Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction
Estimated Annual Benefits
Maps of Hawaiʻi showing the distribution of the value of averted direct building damages, indirect economic activity losses, and population annually protected from flooding by coral reefs. Results at 10 m2 resolution are aggregated into
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Ohia forest with dieback
Aerial photo of ʻōhiʻa forest on Hawaii Island, including dieback resulting from Rapid Ohia Death.
Ohia seedlings before planting
ʻŌhiʻa seedlings in dibble tubes, prior to planting.
Ohia seedling in a weeded plot.
Ohia seedling.
Kīlauea summit water lake KW webcam images 11-1-2019 to 10-30-2020
ANIMATED GIF: The KWcam webcam has been imaging the Kīlauea summit water lake for just over a year now, tracking visual changes in the lake including water level and color. This animated image file (GIF) includes a series of webcam images in a continuous loop showing the changes in the lake between November 1, 2019 and October 30, 2020, using approximately one image per
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Kīlauea summit water lake KW webcam images 11-1-2019 to 10-30-2020
ANNIMATED GIF: This animated image file (GIF) of the Kīlauea summit water lake is a cropped version this file, showing a close-up view of the lake. It includes a series of KWcam webcam images in a continuous loop showing the changes in the lake between November 1
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Digital elevation model from the 2019 LiDAR survey of Kīlauea
A sample of the digital elevation model from the 2019 LiDAR survey of Kīlauea, showing the vicinity of the former HVO office and Jaggar Museum in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The buildings have been digitally “flattened” because the instrument’s light pulses are not able to penetrate structures; this flattening approximates the “bare earth” ground surface below the
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Virtual flyover of Kīlauea summit
An overflight on December 18 provided aerial photographs of Kīlauea caldera, which were used to construct a 3D model. The water pond is visible in the deepest portion of Halema‘uma‘u crater. For scale, the water pond is 189 m (650 ft) long and approximately 600 m (1970 ft) below the western caldera rim.
Timelapse video of the water pond at Kīlauea summit
This timelapse sequence shows two hours of activity at the water pond in Halema‘uma‘u, at Kīlauea's summit. Flow is evident along the sharp orange color boundary in the center of the pond, as well as along portions of the shoreline. The pond is 189 m (650 ft) long. The vido was taken on the eastern rim.
How Our Reefs Protect Us: Valuing the Benefits of U.S. Reefs (AD)
The degradation of coastal habitats, particularly coral reefs, raises risks by increasing the exposure of coastal communities to flooding hazards during storms. The protective services of these natural defenses are not assessed in the same rigorous economic terms as artificial defenses, such as seawalls, and therefore often are not considered in decision-making. Here we
Today's Volcano Watch begins with a question: Can you guess when the next slow slip event will happen on Kīlauea Volcano's South Flank? As a hint, the last one was in October 2015, and before then, events occurred in May 2012, February 2010, and June 2007. If this seems like a pattern, you're right.
In recent weeks, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) joined forces with several other agencies to talk about Mauna Loa at community events and other public meetings. Unfortunately, some information presented at these gatherings has been misinterpreted.
If you visit Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park's Jaggar Museum Overlook when the wind is calm, you might be able to hear the sounds of gas bubbles bursting and lava splashing in the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake at the summit of Kīlauea. What you hear is only part of a rich chorus of sounds emitted from many processes near the surface of an active lava lake.
In November 2017, "Volcano Watch" entered its 27th year of publication. The long history of this column is, in large part, thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) scientists and affiliates who write the weekly articles, Hawaii newspapers and online news outlets that print and post the column, and you, the dedicated readers who peruse it each week.
Volcanic Air Pollution Hazards in Hawaii is an updated fact sheet that provides information on the science of Kīlauea's volcanic air pollution, known as "vog."
A 24-minute USGS video recounts the eruptive history of Halema'uma'u and tells the story of Kīlauea Volcano's current summit eruption, from its start in 2008 through today.
Astute visitors to the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) website may have noticed that some recent earthquakes have negative depths. This does not indicate a change in seismicity but, rather, an upgrade in HVO's seismic data processing system.
"During the current lapse in appropriations U.S. volcano observatories including the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory will continue to monitor volcanic activity and issue updates, warnings, and notifications through the usual channels, including this website, email, and news releases."
With recent attention focused on the need to be prepared for all hazards, this week's Volcano Watch offers ways to stay informed about Hawaiian volcanoes and earthquakes.
With the Wolf Moon illuminating Kīlauea Caldera from above and the Halema‘uma‘u lava lake glowing below, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) looks forward to another year of investigating the island's magnificent, active volcanoes. Not surprisingly, 2018 will see additions and improvements to our monitoring and research toolkit.
On January 3, 2018, Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on Kīlauea Volcano's East Rift Zone reaches its 35th birthday.
Lava erupting from the active vent on the east flank of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō has not entered the ocean or reached the Kamokuna lava delta during the past month. Instead, small lava flows are scattered across the 61g flow field, breaking out from the lava-tube network between Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō and the coastal plain.
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Locations
Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center
Phone: (808) 985-6420
Fax: (808) 967-8568
Pacific Islands Climate Adaptation Science Center
Pacific Islands Water Science Center
Phone: 808-690-9600
Fax: 808-690-9599
O'ahu Field Station
Phone: 808-690-9571
Fax: 808-690-9599
National Wildlife Health Center, Honolulu Field Station
Phone: (808) 792-9520
Fax: (808) 792-9596