Links

A few of the more commonly used resources about Maunakea's natural history.

On this page:

Flora

• Botanical Baseline Survey (2011) of the University of Hawaii’s Managed Lands On Mauna Kea . (9 MB pdf file) Pepared by Dr. Grant Gerrish, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, in 2013. (full-resolution, 36 MB pdf file)
  • Botanical Data as an excel file (2 MB Microsoft Excel file).
  • Botanical Data as a zip file (84 MB .zip file, for GIS as ESRI personal geodatabase, includes FGDC metadata).
  • Data file description Appendix B excerpted from the report (1 MB pdf file).
  • Available upon request is a 2nd report that focuses exclusively on the data from within the Astronomy Precinct and a surrounding buffer.
• Mauna Kea Silversword
  • University of Hawaiʻi Botany Department page on Mauna Kea Silversword

Fauna

• Life history and captive rearing of the Wekiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola, Lygaeidae), an alpine carnivore endemic to the Mauna Kea volcano of Hawaii , Prepared by Drs. Jesse Eiben & Daniel Rubinoff, University of Hawaiʻi, 2010.
• Annual alien arthropod and wēkiu bug (Nysius wekiuicola) survey results for Mauna Kea: 2004 , 2005 , 2006 , 2007-2008 , 2009 , 2010 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2014 , 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
• Federal Register notice removing wēkiu bug as a candidate threatened or endangered species
• Video (Vimeo): Using Diverse Research Programs Focused on the Wekiu Bug to Improve Conservation Management Strategies in the High Alpine Ecosystem of Mauna Kea. Presentation by Dr. Jesse Eiben at the 2012 Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference.
• High resolution habitat suitability modelling for an endemic restricted-range Hawaiian insect (Nysius wekiuicola, Hemiptera:Lygaeidae). Journal of Insect Conservation, 2017. N.Stephenson, R.Perroy, J.Eiben, F.Klasner
• Arthropod Diversity Estimates for Three Native Subalpine Plant Species on Maunakea... , 2016. H.Stever (UH Hilo MS Thesis)
• An Assessment of Nysius wekiuicola Populations and Thermal Microhabitat Conditions on Cinder Cones ...., 2018 J.Kirkpatrick (UH Hilo MS Thesis)
• Life Cycle of a Wēkiu Bug (pdf). Craft project from State of Hawaiʻi - Department of Land & Natural Resources
• Two new day-flying species of Agrotis Ochsenheimer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) from the alpine summit of the Maunakea Volcano Prepared by Matthew Medeiros, Jessica Kirkpatrick, Christine Elliott, Andersonn Prestes, Jesse Eiben, Daniel Rubinoff. In "Zootaxa", volume 4545, 2019.
• Hawaiian Nysius Insects Rely on an Obligate Symbiont with a Reduced Genome That Retains a Discrete Nutritional Profile to Match Their Plant Seed Diet Heather Stever, Jesse Eiben, Gordon M Bennett. Genome Biology and Evolution, Volume 13, Issue 9, September 2021.

Geology & Hydrology

• U.S. Geological Survey: Mauna Kea
• Lake Waiʻau research (part of Mauna Kea Ice Age Natural Area Reserve, not UH managed lands):
  • time series of photographs, 2012 - 2018
  • USGS Scientific Investigations Report (2015)
  • Research Paper EOS (2014)
  • Arctic, Antarctic, & Alpine Research (2014)
  • Researcher: Donna Delparte Faculty Website
  • Research Outreach Video
• Subsurface architecture of two tropical alpine desert cinder cones that hold water Prepared by Matthias Leopold, Amanda Morelli, and Norbert Schörghofer. In "Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface volume 121. 2016.
• Permafrost In Our Time, section on Maunakea permafrost . Prepared by Dr. Kenji Yoshikawa, University of Alaska Permafrost Outreach Program, Water and Environmental Research Center. 2013.
• State of High-Altitude Permafrost on Tropical Maunakea Volcano, Hawaii Prepared by Norbert Schörghofer, Matthias Leopold, and Kenji Yoshikawa. In "Permafrost and Periglacial Processes", volume 28. 2017.
• Maunakea Topographic Data (erosion baseline); led by Dr. R.Perroy (UH Hilo). Terrestrial LiDAR - 2014, UNAVCO . EZID link .
• Ice needles weave patterns of stones in freezing landscapes Prepared by Anyuan Li, Norikazu Matsuoka, Fujun Niu, Jing Chen, Zhenpeng Ge, Wensi Hu, Desheng Li, Bernard Hallet, Johan van de Koppel, Nigel Goldenfeld, and Quan-Xing Liu. In "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", 118 (40) e2110670118; DOI:10.1073/pnas.2110670118. Oct 2021.

Climate

• Climatological Analysis of Meteorological Observations at the Summit of Mauna Kea , Prepared by Sara da Silva, University of Hawaiʻi, 2006.
• High Altitude Climate of the Island of Hawaiʻi , Prepared by Sara da Silva, Masterʻs Thesis, University of Hawaiʻi. 2012.
• Rainfall Atlas of Hawaii , Prepared by Dr. Tom Giambelluca and others, University of Hawaiʻi, 2013.
• Snow on the Summits of Hawaiʻi Island: Historical Sources from 1778 to 1870 Prepared by Norbert Schörghofer, Elianna Kantar, and M. Puakea Nogelmeier. In "The Hawaiian Journal of History", volume 48, 2014.
• Monitoring and Projecting Snow on Hawaii Island , Prepared by Chunxi Zhang, Kevin Hamilton, and Yuqing Wang. In "Earth's Future", volume 5, 2017.
• The Coldest Places in Hawaii: The Ice-Preserving Microclimates of High-Altitude Craters and Caves on Tropical Island Volcanoes Prepared by Norbert Schörghofer, Steven Businger, Matthias Leopold. In "Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society", volume 99, 2018. See also: Nature, Research Highlights, December 18, 2018 .
• Snow cover in Hawaiʻi (1893–1953) and its effect on ground temperature Prepared by Jake Martin, Norbert Schörghofer, Kenji Yoshikawa, and Frederick Klasner. In "Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research", volume 51(1): 148-154.

Environmental Management

• For a Management overview, see Mauna Kea Science Reserve Master Plan, Section IV, Natural Environment
• Maunakea Invasive Species Management Plan

Resources in the UH News

• Grad student conducts in-depth arthropod research on Maunakea
• First endangered ʻuaʻu observed on Maunakea in more than 60 years
• Volunteers protect precious māmane on Maunakea, remove invasive weeds
• After 50 years of silence, endangered seabird heard on Maunakea
• Study to assess visitor impact on Maunakea
• Maunakea permafrost shrinking according to OMKM sponsored research
• 2 moth species native to Maunakea named by UH Hilo, UH Mānoa scientists
• Greenhouse for native species planned for Maunakea
• The climate of Maunakea: past, present and future
• Successful management of Maunakea’s cultural and natural resources
• Tracing the movement of ancient Hawaiian adzes at the Maunakea Speaker Series
• Office of Maunakea Management honored with culture and heritage award for preservation initiatives
• Office of Maunakea Management awarded 2017 Preservation Commendation
• Invasive species weed pull supports Mālama Maunakea Campaign
• A decade plus of stewardship of Maunakea
• Invasive fireweed eradication effort on Maunakea seeks volunteers
• Stewardship by UH to protect Maunakea for future generations