Waikiki: Assessing the "Spouting Waters" and Studying Its Effect on Benthic Communities

Present day Waikiki is the result of a massive transformation of what used to be a flourishing ecosystem. It provided natural resources to a thriving traditional Hawaiian community where natural streams used to flow to help nourish the land and sea. As a result of this dramatic change, most of these streams have been filled in or diverted. However, there is anecdotal evidence that suggests some flow may reach the ocean via submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) along the shoreline of Waikiki’s beaches. This study sets out to discover sources of SGD in Waikiki in an effort to characterize their influence on adjacent benthic communities of marine organisms and coral reefs. In order to locate SGD along the shoreline, we will measure fluctuations in the salinity and temperature of the seawater during low tides along the shoreline. Upon locating an area of SGD, the adjacent benthic community will be characterized using point-intercept transect snorkel surveys to assess the algal composition, marine organisms, and coral reefs of the area. This data will be compared against data collected at a near by control site in Waikiki that is not influenced by SGD. We predict the two sites will differ in community composition and suggest that the influence of SGD is a factor in those differences. The significance of this research is to connect the history of Waikiki with the present-day effects of these ever-flowing streams.  It addresses the influence of these “spouting waters” to determine the impact on adjacent benthic communities.