Pacific Region RCSD Projects & Activities (PAWS) Worksheet
Form used for a entering PAWS into Piko (Worsheet Version April 27 2012)
Acronym
Name/Title
Low-Flow Regionalization of Streams in Hawaii - Phase 1
Capability Area: Understanding Climate Variability and Change
Understanding Climate Variability and Change
Observing Systems, Data Stewardship, Data Services
Operational Products and Services
Research/Development
Historical Observations (hindcasts/climatologies)
Projections (modeling and downscaling)
Training and Capacity Building, Education, Outreach
Best Practices/Guidance
Decision Support Tools
Essential Climate Variable/Parameter
Atmospheric:
Surface (e.g., temp, precip, wind)
Upper-Air
Composition
Oceanic:
Surface (e.g., SST, SSH, salinity, ocean color)
Sub-surface (e.g., temp, salinity, nutrients, carbon, phytoplankton)
Terrestrial:
(e.g., surface water, glaciers and ice caps, land cover, biomass)
Time Frame
Seasonal (outlook)
Intra-annual to Decadal
Multi-decadal (scenarios)
Capability Area: Understanding Climate Impacts and Informing Adaptation
Understanding Climate Impacts and Informing Adaptation
Climate Impacts
Observing Systems, Data Stewardship, Data Services
Research/Development
Historical Observations (hindcasts/climatologies)
Projections (modeling and downscaling)
Climate Adaptation
Training and Capacity Building, Education, Outreach
Best Practices/Guidance
Decision Support Tools
Policies and Legislation
Assessment and Evaluation
Sector
Public Health and Safety
Fresh Water Resources
Energy
Transportation/Communication and Commerce
Community Planning and Development
Social and Cultural Resources
Agriculture and Fisheries
Recreation and Tourism
Ecosystems
Other
Status
Completed
Ongoing
Planned
Proposed
Focus Area
Fresh Water Resources and Drought
Coastal Inundation/Sea Level Rise, Extreme Weather, and Community Resilience
Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems
Region/Locale
Central North Pacific
State of Hawaii
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Pacific Remote Islands
Western North Pacific
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)
Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)
Guam
Republic of Palau
Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI)
Other Western North Pacific
South Pacific
American Samoa
Australia
Cook Islands
Fiji
French Polynesia
Kiribati
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea (PNG)
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Other South Pacific
Pacific Basin
Global
Description
In Hawaii, management of the surface-water resources for many streams is problematic because of a lack of information on the availability of water during low-flow conditions. Knowledge of low-flow characteristics is fundamental to establishing reasonable and defensible instream-flow standards. Furthermore, the use of stream water for agriculture and municipal purposes, protection of traditional and customary Hawaiian rights, maintenance of ecologic balance, aesthetic differences between dry and flowing streams, and recreational use of the streams are factors that play a role in planning and management decisions by many agencies.
Objectives/Outcomes
This study is the first phase of a larger two-phased 7-year study with the overall objective of applying regionalization techniques to estimate low-flow duration discharges for streams at sites where streamflow data are limited or unavailable on the islands of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii. The results from this study are necessary for the proper management of the surface waters in the State and, thus, the study is consistent with the mission of the USGS Science Strategy to provide citizens, communities, natural-resource managers, and policymakers with a clearer knowledge of the status of their water. This study will also assist the Hawaii State Commission on Water Resource Management in determining equitable, reasonable, and beneficial instream and off-stream uses of the surface-water resources in Hawaii.
Lead Agencies, Institutions and Organizations
USGS/Pacific Islands Water Science Center
Contacts(names, emails)
Chui Ling Cheng, ccheng@usgs.gov
Partnering Agencies, Institutions, and Organizations
Hawaii State Commission on Water Resource Management, Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Required Resources
Projected Timelines
Phase 1: June 2013 through September 2015
Feedback Mechanisms and Evaluation Measures
Url
http://hi.water.usgs.gov/studies/lowflow1/
Worksheet
Keywords
Ongoing Fresh Water Resources and Drought State of Hawaii Central North Pacific Central North Pacific Understanding Climate Impacts and Informing Adaptation Fresh Water Resources Agriculture and Fisheries Social and Cultural Resources Ecosystems Recreation and Tourism Community Planning and Development Climate Adaptation Assessment and Evaluation Best Practices/Guidance Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems