Ecological drought in the Hawaiian Islands newsletter

Image of the front cover of the ecological drought in the Hawaiian Islands newsletterThe Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers and their managing organization, the National Climate Change and Wildlife Center at the U.S. Geological Survey have chosen the emerging climate science field of ecological drought as a research focus area. This newsletter highlights the outcomes of a two-day workshop held in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Hawaiian Islands are among the most isolated and recently inhabited places on Earth. These island landscapes and ecosystem services are uniquely susceptible to changing climate. Today, as drought events become more severe, contemporary communities must also learn to adapt. The paucity of scientific information on drought limits the ability of managers to respond to severe drought events. Through retrospective climate analyses, and engaging traditional knowledge and agency managers, there is an opportunity to better understand how droughts have changed over the past centuries, as well as how people have managed resources during severe droughts.