Volcano Watch: Learning from the impacts of Kilauea’s 2018 LERZ lava flows

Lava flows erupted from the lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea in 2018 and devastated lower Puna. In 2019, a team of scientists from the USGS, the Earth Observatory of Singapore, and GNS Science in New Zealand set out to document and assess the impacts to buildings and infrastructure to advance understanding of how lava flows impact the built environment.

Volcano Watch: Volcanoes of American Samoa

Ta‘u volcano in American Samoa experienced volcanic unrest in the form of an earthquake swarm that was felt throughout the Manu‘a Islands (Ofu-Olosega and Ta‘u Islands) from late July through early September 2022.

Tropical Gardening: Avocado Lace Bug continues to cause damage

Last year’s avocado defoliation due to the Avocado Lace Bug raised havoc with fruit production. Exposed fruit is quickly sunburned and that affected the quality. University of Hawaii entomologists had hoped that this season might be better with natural predators reducing the lace bug population. So far, this does not seem to be the case.

Acclaimed quartet to perform in Hilo

United by their love of chamber music, four undergraduate students came together in 2008 at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music to form the Dover Quartet. Fourteen years later, the Dover Quartet has become one of the most sought-after string quartets in the world.

UH-Hilo names new vice chancellor

Carla Ho‘a has been selected as the University of Hawaii at Hilo’s new vice chancellor for administrative affairs following a UH Board of Regents committee meeting held Nov. 3.

Officer honored for saving woman’s life

For his quick-thinking efforts that saved a woman’s life, Hawaii Police Department Officer Dallas Arce was honored as Officer of the Month for July 2022 by the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawaii during a ceremony in Hilo on Oct. 27.

Volcano Watch: Inflating volcanoes or cloudy data? Discerning deformation from noise with InSAR

Satellites have become one of the fundamental tools used to monitor active volcanoes. They allow us to monitor volcanoes that are otherwise hard to access and provide perspectives that are not possible to get from the ground. Satellites orbiting the Earth can provide normal “pictures” of a place, but can also provide thermal images, measure amounts and types of gases, changes in gravity, and topography.

Macadamia leaves substitute for holiday holly in Hawaii

Some folks on the mainland think of macadamia nut trees are native to Hawaii, but here we know it is an Australian tree that we adopted as our own. We use the nut in all kinds of local dishes, especially desserts. We even use the leaves for holiday decorations instead of holly.