Coral reefs are Hawaii’s ‘rainforests of the sea.’ What happened to them after Lahaina wildfire?
9 months, 2 weeks ago

Coral reefs are Hawaii’s ‘rainforests of the sea.’ What happened to them after Lahaina wildfire?

LA Times  

Christiane Keyhani, program coordinator of Hui O Ka Wai Ola, fills a bucket to test water quality at the Mala Wharf on Feb. 23 in Lahaina, Hawaii. Scientists say one-fourth of the ocean’s fish depend on healthy coral reefs, which also protect shoreline communities from powerful waves during storms. Lahaina’s coral reefs had challenges even before the fire, including overfishing, abuse from kayak and stand-up paddleboard tours, warming ocean temperatures and sediment flows from fallow fields and construction sites, Lindsey said. The wildfire’s effects may also stretch beyond Maui, because scientists believe currents carry water from Lahaina waters to nearby Lanai and Molokai. “Fish that you collect to eat off of a reef on Molokai may very well have compounds that washed into the water from rainfall in Lahaina and got transported to ocean currents across the channel and onto the reefs of neighboring islands,” said Eric Conklin, the Nature Conservancy’s director of marine science for Hawaii and Palmyra.

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History of this topic

In Hawaii, coral is the foundation of life. What happened to it after the Lahaina wildfire?
9 months, 2 weeks ago

In Hawaii, coral is the foundation of life. What happened to it after the Lahaina wildfire?

Associated Press  

Abraham “Snake” Ah Hee rides waves when the surf’s up and dives for octopus and shells when the water is calm. Abraham “Snake” Ah Hee, one of the first crew members of Hokulea - the Polynesian double-hulled voyaging canoe, is pictured at Launiupoko Beach Park on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Abraham “Snake” Ah Hee, one of the …

Maui fires renew centuries-old tensions over water rights. The streams are sacred to Hawaiians
1 year, 3 months ago

Maui fires renew centuries-old tensions over water rights. The streams are sacred to Hawaiians

Associated Press  

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Shortly after the ignition of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, a developer of land around a threatened Maui community urgently asked state officials for permission to divert water from streams to fight the growing inferno. West Maui Land Company, Inc. said it eventually received approval from the Hawaii commission that oversees water management, …

Maui town ravaged by fire will 'rise again,' Hawaii governor says of long recovery ahead
1 year, 4 months ago

Maui town ravaged by fire will 'rise again,' Hawaii governor says of long recovery ahead

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “The fire occurred only 10 …

Hawaii wildfires: A brief history of natural disasters blighting the tropical paradise
1 year, 4 months ago

Hawaii wildfires: A brief history of natural disasters blighting the tropical paradise

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The blazes that have devastated Maui and the Big Island in Hawaii already constitute the …

Why the Maui Fire Is So Shocking
54 years, 11 months ago

Why the Maui Fire Is So Shocking

Slate  

As wildfires have devastated the western United States in recent years, casual observers have become familiar with a new term: “wildland urban interface,” or the transition zone between human settlement and unoccupied land. After studying three California cities devastated by wildfires, Santa Rosa, Ventura, and Paradise, researchers concluded that “state and local land use policies, coupled with the state’s housing …

Fast-moving Hawaii fires will take a heavy toll on the state’s environment
1 year, 4 months ago

Fast-moving Hawaii fires will take a heavy toll on the state’s environment

Associated Press  

The fast-moving wildfires that raked Maui this week took a heavy toll on humans and property, killing dozens of people and devastating the historic town of Lahaina. “Coral reefs provide coastal protection, they provide fisheries, they support cultural practices in Hawaii,” Gove said. Andrew Whelton, a professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, said the …

What is the environmental impact of the fires on Hawaii’s Maui island?
1 year, 4 months ago

What is the environmental impact of the fires on Hawaii’s Maui island?

Al Jazeera  

The effects on the landscape and environment in Maui are expected to be significant and to last for years. “We’re talking about the largest natural disaster of this generation in Hawaii.” As officials began to map out a plan to shelter the newly homeless in hotels and tourist rental properties, Green said it is going to take “many years to …

How a perfect storm of climate and weather led to catastrophic Maui fire
1 year, 4 months ago

How a perfect storm of climate and weather led to catastrophic Maui fire

LA Times  

The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission on Wainee Street in Lahaina are engulfed in flames Tuesday. Areas in “severe drought” include Maui’s leeward side — where the now burned town of Lahaina is — while the windward side is considered “abnormally dry.” “A lack of humidity and a lack of moisture is what …

What caused the wildfire in Maui, Hawaii, that killed 36 people and destroyed Lahaina?
1 year, 4 months ago

What caused the wildfire in Maui, Hawaii, that killed 36 people and destroyed Lahaina?

Hindustan Times  

A series of devastating fires on the picturesque island of Maui has left a community reeling, prompting experts to raise concerns about the role of human activities in the unfolding tragedy. Thousands of residents raced to escape homes on Maui as blazes swept across the island, destroying parts of a centuries-old town in one of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in …

Wildfire devastates Hawaii’s Lahaina, historic town and onetime capital of former kingdom
1 year, 4 months ago

Wildfire devastates Hawaii’s Lahaina, historic town and onetime capital of former kingdom

Associated Press  

KAHULUI, Hawaii — The wildfire that has brought sheer devastation to Maui is especially heartbreaking for Hawaii because it struck one of its most historic towns and the onetime capital of the former kingdom. It’s feared that the fire also consumed much of Lahaina’s historic Front Street, home to restaurants, bars, stores and what is believed to be the United …

$2M insurance policy in effect for Hawaii coral reefs in time for hurricane season
1 year, 6 months ago

$2M insurance policy in effect for Hawaii coral reefs in time for hurricane season

Associated Press  

HONOLULU — An environmental group has a $2 million insurance policy on Hawaii’s coral reefs, which is in effect in time for a busier hurricane season that could damage the vital natural resources that are increasingly under threat from climate change. In announcing the policy purchase last year, The Nature Conservancy said it was the first-ever coral reef insurance policy …

Coral reefs provide stunning images of a world under assault
2 years, 7 months ago

Coral reefs provide stunning images of a world under assault

Associated Press  

MIAMI — Humans don’t know what they’re missing under the surface of a busy shipping channel in the “cruise capital of the world.” Just below the keels of massive ships, an underwater camera provides a live feed from another world, showing marine life that’s trying its best to resist global warming. That camera in Miami’s Government Cut is just one …

Climate-fueled wildfires take toll on tropical Pacific isles
3 years, 4 months ago

Climate-fueled wildfires take toll on tropical Pacific isles

Associated Press  

WAIMEA, Hawaii — A metal roof sits atop the burned remains of a homestead on the once-lush slopes of Hawaii’s Mauna Kea — a dormant volcano and the state’s tallest peak — charred cars and motorcycles strewn about as wind-whipped sand and ash blast the scorched landscape. “On tropical islands, fires have a unique set of impacts,” said Clay Trauernicht, …

Global warming’s extreme rains threaten Hawaii’s coral reefs
3 years, 8 months ago

Global warming’s extreme rains threaten Hawaii’s coral reefs

Associated Press  

HONOLULU — As muddy rainwater surged from Hawaii’s steep seaside mountains and inundated residential communities last month, the damage caused by flooding was obvious — houses were destroyed and businesses swamped, landslides covered highways and raging rivers and streams were clogged with debris. But extreme rain events predicted to become more common with human-caused global warming not only wreak havoc …

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