Programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the…

The University of Hawaii at Hilo was awarded a $249,967.73 Cooperative Agreement under the National Park Service's Cooperative Research and Training Programs - Resources of the National Park System (CFDA 15.945) on August 15, 2024. This funding supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate collaborative research, technical assistance, education, and training on science-based management of the National Park System.

The project will determine the exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and future projections of marine life, including coral reefs and fish, to climate change and related disturbances in two or more National Park units in the Caribbean and Pacific regions. This will involve leveraging existing data to analyze size-frequency distributions and trait-based approaches to detect ecological changes and vulnerabilities. The results will provide the first climate vulnerability assessments for these park resources and guide managers in identifying resilient areas and prioritizing adaptation strategies.

Programming supports a comprehensive network of cooperative study units to facilitate cooperative research, technical assistance, education, and training to inform science-based management of the national park system. The study units facilitate multi-disciplinary science and integrated information products across multiple geographic regions of the national park system. This work will determine exposure, sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and future projections of marine life to climate change and related disturbance events in two or more NPS units that manage coral reefs and marine resources in the caribbean and the pacific. We will leverage existing data to detect vulnerability based on shifts in organismal size structure by analyzing size-frequency distributions using a trait-based approach. This approach will examine trophic groups and their size distributions, accounting for factors such as the presence of a few large individuals versus numerous small ones. This will enable US to better detect significant ecological changes compared to typical metrics based solely on numerical abundance, biomass, and diversity. Most importantly, we will determine how coral habitat metrics drive traits in reef organisms. These statistical approaches will allow US to observed change after disturbance events, such as elevated temperature and coral bleaching, and develop quantitative vulnerability estimates based on future climate projections. These quantitative endeavors will indicate which locations are most vulnerable to disturbance and provide accurate projections as to how each location will respond to future climate scenarios. The results of this work will provide 1) the first NPS climate vulnerability assessments of coral reefs, marine fish, and other associated biota in these parks and 2) data and information that will allow managers to strategically focus adaptation efforts based on site vulnerability, resilience, and future climate impacts. Results will translate directly into management as this information is required to identify expand on thermal tolerant coral and fish nurseries and prioritize mitigation strategies for terrestrial based inputs like pollution and sedimentation. Beneficiaries include state and local governments, federally recognized indian tribal governments, public private nonprofit organizations, nonprofit institutions of higher education, and the general public).