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Department of the Interior Briefing on Coastal Research in Hawai'i
On November 11, 2005, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) geologists Michael Field, Eric Grossman, and Curt Storlazzi briefed Department of the Interior (DOI) Assistant Secretary Mark Limbaugh on USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program research in Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park on the west coast of the Big Island of Hawai'i. The multifaceted research includes high-resolution mapping of the park's coral-reef resources and investigation of dynamic processes, including coastal circulation and submarine ground-water discharge, that influence the transport and flux of associated nutrients and contaminants to the benthic habitat. Limbaugh was in the islands for the National Water Resources Association's 74th Annual Conference in Honolulu, where he was the keynote speaker. After attending the water conference, Limbaugh toured some facilities operated by DOI agencies, including several on the Big Island: the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the USGS Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center's Kilauea Field Station, and the National Park Service's Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park (NHP). Limbaugh spent November 11 at Kaloko-Honokohau NHP, where he and his party were hosted by NPS biologist Sallie Beavers. An introduction to the park was followed by a visit to anchialine pools (nearshore pools with no surface connection to the sea but with saltwater and tidal cycles; see the Kalaoko-Honokohau National Historic Park Web site) led by USGS research ecologist David Foote, who also described some endangered terrestrial and aquatic species. Next came the briefing by Field, Grossman, and Storlazzi on ground-water issues and coral-reef studies. To wrap up the visit, Field led Limbaugh and others on a short snorkeling field trip in the coral gardens of Kaloko-Honokohau NHP, where the USGS scientists pointed out salient aspects of the coral community and the processes that control it.
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in this issue:
special feature: Offshore Impacts of Hurricane Katrina Sediment-Toxicity Studies in Western Long Island Sound Sea-Floor Geology Off Massachusetts Coast Alvin Dives to Deep-Water Coral Habitats Study Links Urbanization to Amphibian Decline San Francisco Bay Floor Explored Briefing on Coastal Research in Hawai'i USGS Research on the Kona Coast, Hawai'i Third International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals Award for USGS Map Hawaii's Volcanoes Revealed USGS Citizen Soldier on the Move! Native-Plant Landscaping in Florida |