Deep Diving Into Wildlife

What is ROD? ROD abbreviates Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death. I wish they came up with a more positive affirmative title. The ancient Hawaiians believed that words have a powerful influence on ourselves and others, which is true.  What is causing ʻŌhiʻa death?    It is a disease caused by two fungal pathogens: Ceratocystis lukuohia   ( d estroyer of ʻōhiʻa ) and Ceratocystis huliohia (disruptor of ʻōhiʻa) .   Ceratocystis lukuohia   has been found to be a more aggressive fungus than  Ceratocystis huliohia. Once an individual tree has been infected, there is no current cure for it. The fungus begins its infection by entering through open wounds of the tree. These wounds may not always be visible  It is not exactly sure where these fungus originated from, but they are not native to Hawaii and were introduced. Several types of beetles play a major role in spreading the disease. The ambrosia beetles and long-horned beetles, bore into i...

Healthy vibrant coral reef on the left, and dead reef on the right. An estimate of 14,000 tons of sunscreen end up in the ocean—onto coral reefs, causing further progress of irreversible damage. Efforts in Hawaii have already taken action to support the protection of coral reefs. Hawaii is the first state to pass a bill banning the sale of sunscreen containing chemicals harmful to the reefs. These chemicals include: oxybenzone, octinoxate, and paraben. Oxybenzone lowers the temperature level at which the coral will begin to bleach. What is coral bleaching? The coral turns white when it is under stress, in consequence to a slight change in the seawater temperature. The algae (zooxanthellae) share a symbiotic relationship with the coral and under stress it will expel from the coral, turning it white (This does not mean the reef is dead). However, after this event leaves the coral reef vulnerable to infection and because the algae is gone it loses its main provider of nutri...

Alright, huddle around Hawaii folks, bundled in your a jacket and jeans. I'm going to answer your itching curiosity of why some winters feel colder than others, in Hawaii and other places around the world.  To start with, the polar vortex may be a one of the reasons. A polar vortex is a constant low pressure area with cold air, swirling counter-clockwise, located at the polar regions. The cold air from the polar vortex will expand from the North Pole to the South. At the bottom edges of the polar vortex is polar jet stream, which flows from west to east. The direction of the jet stream result to the northeastern areas being hit the hardest with such freezing temperatures. During the summer, the jet stream is strong and is able to stay closer to the Northern Hemisphere, at a higher latitude. But in winter, the vortex is weaker and without that strong low-pressure system, the jet stream becomes uneven and wavy. The warm air from the Southern Hemisphere prevent the ...