Marine Resource Council to present preliminary coastal water quality data following Lahaina wildfires

Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) will host the March edition of its “Know Your Ocean Speaker Series” featuring Andrea Kealoha, assistant professor of the Department of Oceanography at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, on Wednesday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom.

In this webinar, Kealoha will present preliminary data from water quality sensor deployments and discrete water quality sampling events conducted over several months, including after significant runoff events, to provide initial insights into the effects of the Lahaina wildfire on coastal water quality in West Maui.

“The Lahaina wildfire was an unprecedented disaster, particularly, as there has never been an urban wildfire so close to a coral reef,” said Kealoha. “However, urban wildfires may become more common as expanding shoreline development intersects with potentially increased fire risk due to climate change. The overall goal of this study is to evaluate the direct effects of the Lahaina wildfire and associated potential contributing factors on coral reef ecosystem health”

Kealoha was born and raised in Pāʻia and obtained a bachelor’s degree in Global Environmental Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, an master’s degree in Marine Science at Hawaiʻi Pacific University and a doctorate in Oceanography at Texas A&M University, where she studied the impacts of global climate change stressors, such as ocean acidification and hypoxia, on coral reef health. In 2018, she returned to Maui and opened the water quality lab at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. In August 2023, she accepted an Assistant Professor position in the Department of Oceanography at UH Mānoa.

Kealoha is based on Maui and is passionate about conducting research that explores fundamental questions related to coral reef ecosystem function and addresses local challenges relevant to Pacific Island communities.

Registration for the talk is free and can be completed at https://bit.ly/KYOAK.