At the edge of the reef on Moloka\u02bbi’s east end, Ka\u02bbiku Kaholoa\u02bba is researching the thermal tolerance of corals.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor colony 17, we have that stark white bleaching. It\u2019s a clear five,\u201d he tells volunteer researcher Carly Kajiwara, as she ranks results in a notebook. \u201cThis is a major sensitive coral to heat.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under a makeshift tent, an intricate network of tubes and cords connects a series of coolers. Kaholoa\u02bba and his small team of research volunteers are peering at chunks of coral they have carefully labeled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat that tells us is that this coral, this colony that we pulled off the reef, is actually really susceptible to climate change, and that when those heat waves come in the future out there in the wild, this individual wouldn\u2019t do as good,\u201d Kaholoa\u02bba explains.<\/p>\n
That reaction to rising water temperatures is called coral bleaching.<\/p>\n
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Catherine Cluett Pactol<\/p>\n
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Ka\u02bbiku Kaholoa\u02bba and Carly Kajiwara document color changes in coral samples exposed to incremental heat. <\/p>\n
Volunteer Kanoe Aiu, a fellow Stanford student from Hawai\u02bbi, explains how she and volunteer Nichole Ishii are grading coral samples based on color.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re just going through and giving visual bleaching scores from one to five. So one is a coral that looks healthy and has all of its color,\u201d she says. \u201cA five is a coral that doesn’t have any color anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over six days, heaters in the tanks incrementally bring water temperatures up during set periods each day to mimic low tide and midday heat.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most that they experience is 37 degrees [Celsius] and in Fahrenheit, that is 98.6, so it’s really hot water \u2014 like saimin water,\u201d laughs Kaholoa\u02bba. \u201cBut what we found is that some corals are actually surviving throughout the entirety of the experiment. It’s very low, but some of them are really resistant, and that’s what we wanted to capture.\u201d<\/p>\n
They\u2019re testing about 1,000 samples from 25 sites on Maui and Moloka\u02bbi that they collected in accordance with scientific gathering regulations during dive sessions. Half of the samples are kept at control temperatures for accuracy and comparison.<\/p>\n
\u201c[A score of one] is as happy as it gets, and a five will look totally white,\u201d says Aiu, holding up a sample they\u2019re examining. \u201cIf you look inside the polyps, there won’t be any dots of color. So this one, I see a little bit of color still inside the polyp, it looks a little darker than the surrounding tissue. So I would probably give this one a four.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Catherine Cluett Pactol<\/p>\n
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Nichole Ishii (left) and Kanoe Aiu are among Kaholoa\u02bba’s friends volunteering to assist with field work on a rotating basis. <\/p>\n
Kaholoa\u02bba’s research centers around the idea of thermal tolerance, or how much heat a coral can withstand before bleaching.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe really cool part is that thermal tolerance is genetic,\u201d he says. \u201cThe fact that thermally tolerant parents produce thermally tolerant keiki is a really important deal, because this means that coral populations have the potential to acclimate and build a resistance to climate change conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coral colonies spawn by releasing eggs and sperm simultaneously, based on the lunar cycle. Where they end up is what\u2019s especially interesting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese larvae, is what we’ll call them, drift around in the currents, wherever they go, and they’re the ones that actually create our new reefs,\u201d explains Kaholoa\u02bba.<\/p>\n
The larvae can stay alive for up to 40 days, traveling great distances.<\/p>\n
Testing a theory<\/p>\n
Based on the work of previous researchers tracking those coral larvae, Kaholoha\u02bba wants to prove a theory.<\/p>\n
The Olowalu reef in West Maui is believed to be a mother reef, or a genetic origination point for spawning neighboring reefs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found that Oluwalu harbors lots of thermally tolerant corals, so it already has that potential to be a critical reef area.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with other areas of Maui, Kaholoa\u02bba theorizes it is also a mother reef of the extensive Kawela Reef Track on Moloka\u02bbi’s south shore. Genetic testing from the samples he\u2019s taking on Maui and Moloka\u02bbi will confirm whether or not the theory is true.<\/p>\n
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Catherine Cluett Pactol<\/p>\n
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Genetic testing takes time \u2014 and money. Kaholoa\u02bba says it might be as long as two years before he gets back the results, in part because of financial challenges with federal research funds being cut. But that\u2019s not stopping him from pressing ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we’re doing is finding those thermally tolerant reefs, those areas with a lot of thermally tolerant corals, but ultimately those highly connected reefs,\u201d he says. \u201cOur goal is finding those combination \u2018ali\u02bbi reefs\u2019 that have both thermally tolerant corals \u2014 a lot of them \u2014 and will seed future reefs across Maui Nui and maybe even O\u02bbahu.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, he hopes his research could lead communities to seek designations as marine protected areas, shown to be heat-tolerant mother reefs \u2014 bringing greater resilience to coral of the future.<\/p>\n
He says those designations need to be created by Hawaiians, for Hawaiians.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy job is to help you, all you community members, know what reefs you have on your island is most important, and share that information with you and your leaders,\u201d he says. \u201cYour job is to decide if you want to protect your areas, and if so, how you want to protect those areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inspiring Hawaiians in science fields<\/p>\n
Rising ocean temperatures are just one factor among many negatively affecting reef health. Other impacts can come from sedimentation and runoff, overfishing and irresponsible human behaviors like trampling delicate corals. A mauka to makai approach is important to creating a healthier ecosystem for coral, Kaholoa\u02bba says.<\/p>\n
Born on Moloka\u02bbi, Kaholoa\u02bba grew up with a close connection to the ocean and its cultural significance. Marine science became the link that tied his cultural connections to his desire to protect Hawai\u02bbi’s reefs. He says learning to dive and practicing a sustainable lifestyle at Mo\u02bbomomi with his \u02bbohana is also where he first saw coral bleaching and was taught about the concept in middle school.<\/p>\n
After graduating from high school on O\u02bbahu, Kaholoa\u02bba got his bachelor\u2019s in molecular biology and is now a doctoral candidate at Stanford University. As part of his work at Stanford\u2019s Palumbi Lab, he had the opportunity to travel to other small coastal communities around the world to see their coastal conservation methods.<\/p>\n
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Catherine Cluett Pactol<\/p>\n
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Ka\u02bbiku Kaholoa\u02bba presents his research at the Moloka\u02bbi Public Library.<\/p>\n
Now two months into the field work portion of his dissertation, he\u2019s sharing his research with communities on Maui and Moloka\u02bbi. Presentations have been supported by local organizations like \u02bb\u0100ina Momona, Marine Institute Maui Ocean Center, Kipuka Olowalu and The Nature Conservancy.<\/p>\n
Kaholoa\u02bba says he hopes one day to be a role model for Native Hawaiian youth in science, because he didn\u2019t see that representation growing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever I dreamed about being a scientist, I imagined being an old white guy on an old boat doing specific things,\u201d he says. \u201cIt just never occurred to me that I could be an old Hawaiian guy in a wa\u2019a, doing my work.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hopes to do just that as he fulfills his goal of coming home to become a University of Hawai\u02bbi professor in molecular biology \u2014 though admits he struggles with “imposter syndrome.”<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I can make a huge difference in the next generation, just serving as a Native Hawaiian role model in science \u2014 letting our keiki see that if you want to be a scientist, this is what a Native Hawaiian scientist looks like,\u201d he says. \u201cIt’s just in the middle of the surfing and the paddling, you just got to work on protecting your oceans and your community.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the meantime, he hopes his research can help Hawaiians “understand that these different communities are actually very much connected through their coral reefs.”<\/p>\n
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Catherine Cluett Pactol<\/p>\n
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Left to right, Kanoe Aiu, Ka\u02bbiku Kaholoa\u02bba, Nichole Ishii and Carly Kajiwara. <\/p>\n