Inventory, Monitoring, Research Catalog 2/28/13
1. Topic
Climate and Climate Change Modeling
2. Background
There have been a number of baseline weather and climate studies on Mauna Kea. Recent work has included developing microscale wind models to elucidate wind trajectory and resulting range of food dispersal for the wēkiu bug.
Climate data such as precipitation associated with snowfall and analysis of the spatial distribution of precipitation specific to the summit region and upper slopes of Mauna Kea is lacking. Specifically, snowpack depth and its snow-water equivalent is not measured or recorded. In addition to providing information important for understanding local conditions and dynamics, collection of these data over the long term will be valuable to any future studies investigating climate change.
Long-term global environmental factors such as climate change must be taken into account when planning natural resource management activities.
3. Purpose
Determine long term trends of changing weather and climate, including precipitation, temperature, cloud cover, wind, tradewind inversion altitude, etc.), to understand the implications of climate change on Mauna Kea, in Hawai‘i and globally.
4. Research Objectives
Establish climate monitoring facilities and programs to acquire long-term climate data for Mauna Kea, including data on snowfall and precipitation, threats to hydrology, and correlations within abiotic and biotic environments.
5. Management Applications
Potential uses of Climate and Climate Change research could: assist in management of ecosystems, evaluate threats to hydrology and its interaction with human activities, determine sources of aeolian drift on the summit and impacts of buildings on aeolian drift, determine sampling instruments for management of invertebrate ecosystems, and provide a climate change model to determine the impact of climate change on aeolian systems, and model vegetation response in subalpine and alpine regions.
6. Comprehensive Management Plan (and Sub-Plans) Applicability
- Priority –to be completed
b. NRMP Source – Section 2.1-45, 4.1-35, 4.1-36, 4.1-37
7. Desired Outcomes
· Technical reports providing data, models and addressing issues.
· Identify management recommendations to address any existing or potential resource impacts.
· Specifications for further studies.
Prepared by: R.Terry