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Concerns over the construction of a three-story judging tower at a famous Tahiti surf break for the 2024 Paris Olympics sent a team of scientists from Hawaiʻi to Teahupoʻo. Construction has begun, but the timeline for completion remains uncertain. HPR's Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi explains what the controversy has meant to the surfing and science communities.
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You've heard of organ transplants, but what about the benefits of sound transplants? For coral reefs, an acoustic footprint called a soundscape is a critical indicator of their health. The Conversation spoke to Nadège Aoki, the graduate student who led the new study, about using sound to rehabilitate coral reefs.
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A recent study from University of Hawaiʻi researcher Steven Minaglia, a channel swimmer himself, found a striking association between cookiecutter shark bites and moonless nights. Speaking to The Conversation's Maddie Bender, Minaglia said he's going to keep a close eye on swimmers for recurring patterns.
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Public input is being sought for a proposed marine sanctuary within the existing Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is proposing a 580,000 square-mile sanctuary within marine portions of the monument.
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Scientists say there has never been another instance of a large urban fire burning next to a coral reef anywhere in the world. They don't know how chemicals and metals from burned plastics, lead paint and lithium-ion batteries will affect delicate reef ecosystems. But research now underway could provide the community a sense of how the ocean that shapes their lives is weathering the disaster.
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Surfrider Foundation Hawaiʻi released its new Blue Water Task Force Water Quality Report this week. The Conversation talked with the foundation’s Hawaiʻi Regional Manager Lauren Blickley about the most polluted beaches in our state and other results of the 2023 report.
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Off the coast of Lahaina, researchers are on the lookout for humpback whales that come to the islands every year around this time to breed. HPR contributor Adia White joined a Whale Trust crew on their new boat to find and record a special whale song. Both of the nonprofit's research vessels were moored in the Lahaina harbor the day the August wildfire swept through.
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Fraser’s morbillivirus causes respiratory and neurological disease in mammals. The disease is responsible for the mass mortalities of dolphins and whales during outbreaks.
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The corals were damaged when a Navy plane overshot a runway and ended up in the water. Emergency restoration efforts will give some the best chance of survival.
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The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has received nearly $900,000 from the National Science Foundation to collect new species of seaweed, specifically in low-light environments. Funding is also allocated to train incoming algal biologists in DNA sequencing, dried plant collecting and more.