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Yinphan Tsang

Freshwater is a critical driver for island ecosystems. In Hawai‘i, though rainfall intensity has increased, total rainfall has been on the decline for the last two decades and, as a result, reduced streamflow. Climate change has fundamentally altered the water cycle in these tropical islands. The changes in dynamic patterns of streamflow could result in temporal and spatial differences in the fluvial, estuarine, and coastal habitats. These habitats support the nine native aquatic species in Hawaii at different stages of their amphidromous life cycle. To examine how changes in streamflow regime has impacted habitat quality for native migratory aquatic species, an ongoing project has examined statewide long-term stream...
Streams are like the blood vessels of the body weaving through the lands, collecting and delivering essential resources from land to the ocean. Flowing water, on its way to the ocean, becomes a corridor for the movement of organisms that connect and sustain ecosystems from mountain ridges to the sea. Looking into the long term records of streamflow, this project found that the majority of streamflow in Hawai‘i is decreasing resulting in drier conditions. When applying the projected changes in climate, the simulated streamflow outputs indicated likely increases in the frequency and duration of no-flow conditions in Hawaiian streams. Both long-term trends and simulated future streamflows indicate the impact drier...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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Effect of Extreme Tidal Events on Future Sea-Level Rise Scenarios for He‘eia Fish Communities undergoing Ahupua‘a Restoration
For the past few years, “king tides,” or the highest tides of the year, have been occurring more frequently and significantly affecting coastal environments across Hawaiʻi. Now, disappearing beaches and waves crashing over roadways are seemingly the “new normal.” In response, the state of Hawaiʻi is implementing adaptation strategies to combat tidal flooding in coastal areas. While flood management strategies are being implemented in urban areas, less is known about how tidal flooding, and associated inundation into surface and groundwater, might influence watershed dynamics and the native animals that depend on estuarine environments where freshwater meets the sea. Efforts for biocultural restoration of ecosystem...
Abstract (from Journal of Hydrology): Flooding is a significant threat to life and property in Hawaiʻi. As climate warming continues to alter precipitation patterns and hydrological processes in the tropics, characterizing the shifting patterns in magnitude, seasonality, and location of floods would improve our understanding of the consequences and better prepare us for future flood events. In this study, 84 rain gauges and 111 crest gauges across five major Hawaiian Islands were analyzed from 1970 to 2005. We estimated trends in the annual maximum daily rainfall (RFmax) and the annual peak flow (PFmax) using the Mann-Kendall test and Senʻs slope. Subsequently, we examined the association between PFmax and rainfall....
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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Connecting Ecosystems from Mountains to the Sea in a Changing Climate
Freshwater is a critical driver for island ecosystems. In Hawaiʻi, though rainfall intensity has increased, total rainfall has been on the decline for the last two decades and, as a result, streamflow has also been reduced. The changes in dynamic patterns of streamflow could result in impacts to river, estuarine, and coastal habitats. In turn, these changes also affect the nine native Hawaiian aquatic species found in these habitats at different stages of their amphidromous life cycle (in which they migrate from fresh to salt water or vice versa). To examine how changes in streamflow regime have impacted habitat quality for native migratory aquatic species, an ongoing project has been examining statewide long-term...
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