A new grant for the University of Hawaiʻi’s Water Resource and Research Center will help researchers analyze how fecal contaminants are transferred between shores and the ocean.
Xiaolong (Leo) Geng, the principal investigator on the project, said plenty of research has been done on the quantity of bacteria along coastlines, but what is still unknown is the time it takes for harmful bacteria to break down, as well as how quickly it is transferred from shores into ocean water.
“If bacteria can decay before discharging into the coastal water, there's no risk. But if the transport of bacteria is faster than the decay rate, the bacteria can be discharged back into the coastal water, which means the water could be defined as risky,” Geng said.
The team will track the patterns of contaminants at Waiʻalae Beach on the south side of Oʻahu, and at Waialeʻe Beach on the north shore.
After about a year of monitoring movement patterns at the two beaches, they will develop a digital model that mirrors the patterns they tracked. The team will use these models to predict the water quality at other beaches that have similar wave and tidal patterns to Waiʻalae and Waialeʻe.
Geng added that Hawaiʻi is a good place to start this research because of the tourism industry. He believes analyzing the difference in pollutant patterns at beaches with high foot traffic versus more remote beaches will lead to a more sustainable way to manage coastlines and predict quality risks.
He hopes this will expand to the other islands and will eventually help monitor coastlines around the country.
“This is a big concern from local communities. It affects their daily life. So I hope the outcome from this project can be a framework that helps coastal managers to mitigate this kind of pollution in Hawaiʻi beaches,” Geng said.
The $549,960 grant from the National Science Foundation will cover research costs over the next three years and will cover the salaries of two graduate assistants.
