HIMB) are using selective breeding in corals to speed up natural evolutionary processes and better understand if heat tolerant coral colonies produce offspring better suited to dealing with climate change.
Researchers will identify thermally tolerant corals in the field, breed them in the lab and expose them to anticipated future climate conditions to see how they cope with the increasingly stressful environments they will face. The most resilient corals will then be out-planted and the results of this selective breeding process will be monitored in the field.
Bleached corals lose the algal symbionts living within their cells and can die if they do not recover quickly enough. This process is becoming increasingly frequent and severe, challenging ecosystems everywhere to keep up.
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Diver with coral. (Photo credit: Robert Richmond)
Coral reefs could be almost extinct in 30 to 50 years, under the worst-case scenario, according to an international group of scientific experts, including University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa research professor
Robert H. Richmond, who identified and discussed the requirements for coral reef survival in an article in
More than 500 million people rely on coral reefs for the protection they confer against coastal damage from waves, the fisheries resources they offer, the cultural practices they support and the tourism they help attract. Yet these ecosystems are among the most threatened by global climate change. Since the 1980s, there has been a rise in the number of mass bleaching episodes, during which corals expel the microscopic algae that keep them alive.
Gov. David Ige, College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka, Director of Marketing and Outreach Relations Kim Perez Hults and College of Engineering students
How to help the community effectively manage stormwater runoff was the focus of a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Engineering student-powered project in spring 2021. The Community Innovation Mentorship Program (
UH students from two engineering disciplines and a team of five Waipahu High School students with industry mentors to design a real-world solution to this growing challenge.
Stormwater runoff is precipitation that does not get absorbed by the ground and flows into sewers and streams, eventually leading to the ocean. The water is untreated and has collected pesticides, dirt, debris and physical and chemical pollutants. Most of this water flows from developed areas, such as buildings and pavements. Hawaiʻi’s growing population has made stormwater runoff a pressing issue in our state.