Kimberly Burnett

After the Maui wildfires: The road ahead.

August 31, 2023

By Steven Bond-Smith, Daniela Bond-Smith, Carl Bonham, Leah Bremer, Kim Burnett, Makena Coffman, Peter Fuleky, Byron Gangnes, Rachel Inafuku, Ruben Juarez, Sumner La Croix, Colin Moore, Dylan Moore, Nori Tarui, Justin Tyndall, and Chris Wada The immediate recovery efforts from the devastating Maui wildfires continue, and at UHERO we share our community’s anguish over the […]

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Solving Optimal Groundwater Problems with Excel

August 16, 2023

Abstract: Welfare maximizing management of coastal groundwater requires a sequence of pumping targets, typically terminating with a constant withdrawal rate in the long run. In contrast, managing according to sustainable yield at best identifies the constant rate of pumping in the long run. We illustrate an accessible solution method, using Excel Solver to find the […]

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Linking climate, forests, and limu: Examining the influence of environmental change on groundwater dependent ecosystems in Kona

July 26, 2023

By Leah Bremer, Brytne Okuhata, Jade Delevaux, Angela Richards Doná, Celia Smith, Veronica Gibson, Henrietta Dulai, Aly El Kadi, Kosta Stamoulis, Kimberly Burnett, Christopher Wada Summary: Natural hazard resilience and increased groundwater pumping are likely to increase the habitat suitability of an invasive seaweed and decrease the abundance of a native and culturally important limu […]

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Effects of Multiple Drivers of Environmental Change on Native and Invasive Macroalgae in Nearshore Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems

New UHERO Environment and collaborator publication in Water Resources Research demonstrates the connections between forest management, groundwater pumping, natural hazard resilience and nearshore groundwater dependent ecosystems in Kona, Hawaiʻi. Abstract: Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDE) are increasingly recognized as critical components of sustainable groundwater management, but are threatened by multiple drivers of environmental change. Despite this […]

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Balancing culture and survival: An urban-rural socioeconomic assessment of indigenous Fijian funerals in Fiji

April 29, 2023

Abstract: As a final act, families of the deceased strive to implement funeral rites that are befitting of their loved one. However, perceived obligatory adherence to an immutable culture, plus emulation, can compel families to carry out a costly funeral. Yet, no data exist on financing and expenditure of indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) funerals in Fiji, […]

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Tourism water use during the COVID-19 shutdown: A natural experiment in Hawai‘i

September 28, 2022

By Nathan DeMaagd, Peter Fuleky, Kimberly Burnett, and Christopher Wada A recent study published in the Annals of Tourism Research used the shutdown of tourism in Hawai‘i during the COVID-19 pandemic to shed light on the relationship between tourism and water use on O‘ahu. The importance of water management is accentuated when there is near […]

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Publication: Tourism water use during the COVID-19 shutdown: A natural experiment in Hawai‘i

Abstract: Many popular tourist destinations are on small islands whose resources are in limited supply, and the effects of climate change and burgeoning tourism tend to worsen the outlook. In this study, we identify the relationship between tourism and water use on the Hawaiian island of O‘ahu. Hawai‘i closed almost entirely to tourism during the […]

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Social and Cultural values of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems in Kona

September 19, 2022

By Veronica Gibson, Leah Bremer, Kimberly Burnett, Nicole Keakaonaaliʻi Lui, and Celia Smith “I think about the anchialine pools and the significance of the anchialine pools and how, if you have anchialine pools in your ahupuaʻa, especially in a place like North Kona, Kekaha Wai ʻOle,… you’re considered very wealthy” ~ anchialine pool resource manager […]

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Biocultural values of groundwater dependent ecosystems in Kona, Hawaiʻi

August 24, 2022

New UHERO Environmental Policy and Planning Group study, led by UHERO/WRRC/Botany graduate student Veronica Gibson, illuminates social and cultural values of groundwater dependent ecosystems in Kona, Hawaiʻi.

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