Monitoring Sediment Dynamics Off Lānaʻi
Monitoring Sediment Dynamics Off Lānaʻi
Posted February 5, 2016Conservation International Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi researchers, local community leaders from the Maunalei Community Managed Makai Area, and PacIOOS all contributed to a study called, “Understanding Reef Flat Sediment Regimes and Hydrodynamics can Inform Erosion Mitigation on Land,” which was recently published in Collabra Journal Collabra Journal. Scientists measured sediments in two streambeds and water flow conditions in their corresponding coral reef environments off Lāna’i. Located within a mile from each other, the two reef sites experienced very different physical conditions of water movement, resulting in different levels of reef sedimentation. The study emphasizes the connection between reef health and land management and can serve as a guide for mauka to makai conservation projects.
