The University of �鶹��ý has been designated as a new Pacific Reef Research Coordination Institute (Pacific RRCI) by the (NOAA) to support coral reef conservation in the Pacific through research, collaboration and public education.

The Pacific RRCI will be housed in UH’s , under the aegis of the , and will perform the following critical functions: conduct federally directed research to fill national and regional gaps; collaborate with relevant states and territories, Indigenous groups, coral reef managers, non-governmental organizations, and other coral reef research centers; assist in the implementation of the NOAA’s National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy and coral reef action plans; build non-federal capacity for management and restoration practices; and conduct public education and awareness programs.

“This new institute combines UH’s strengths in cutting-edge, ocean-related research and our collaborative, place-based approach to working with resource managers throughout �鶹��ý and the Pacific to protect our vital coral reefs,” said Chad B. Walton, UH interim vice president for research and innovation. “At the same time, it provides us with further opportunities to develop our region’s next generation of researchers and managers in the field of conservation futures.”

To restore and preserve coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. from natural and human-related effects, the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 was reauthorized and modernized by the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021, which was included in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act that became law in 2022. The reauthorized law required the designation of two RRCIs, one each in the Atlantic and Pacific basins, was required. The RRCIs were chosen from 32 preselected coral reef research centers and were designated based on the results of technical merit and panel reviews. The Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 was introduced and sponsored by �鶹��ý Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie K. Hirono, and Congressman Ed Case.

The UH-led institute will be guided by experienced reef researchers from UH Mānoa’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory and the �鶹��ý Institute of Marine Biology, UH Hilo’s Marine Sciences program, and the University of Guam’s Marine Laboratory. It will support research, monitoring, capacity building and outreach for coral reef management throughout the U.S states and territories of American Samoa, Guam, �鶹��ý, and the Northern Marianas Islands and with the Freely Associated States of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

“Many people worked many years to make this vision for collaborative reef research across the Pacific a reality,” said Suzanne Case, director of the Office of Land and Ocean Conservation Futures. “We’re excited to jump in with scientists and communities and agencies across the region to take it forward.”

A new $4.6–million multi-institute collaborative project to help grow coral restoration capacity in American Samoa will begin in early 2026, leveraging more than two decades of coral heat tolerance studies to inform a restoration with resilience approach.

The project will bring together partners from American Samoa Community College, , American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources, UH Mānoa and Old Dominion University with local agencies and village leaders to focus on restoring healthy coral reefs and training the next generation of natural resource managers.

American Samoa has some of the healthiest coral reefs within inhabited U.S. waters that are exceptionally heat tolerant, as well as the world’s oldest continuously monitored coral reef transect, making it an excellent coral reef study site. American Samoa also has the highest rate of relative sea-level rise recorded within the NOAA global tide gauge network. Since the fringing reef crests (the shallow part of the reef where the waves break) remove up to 97% of wave energy before reaching the shore, maintaining healthy reefs is key to protecting the land. Coral restoration, where corals are grown and outplanted onto the reef, is one method of helping reefs recover from impacts such as storms and ship groundings.

Understanding heat tolerant corals

Researchers have made progress in understanding the environmental and genetic drivers of heat tolerant corals.

“Heat tolerance is key for coral survival due to the increase in marine heatwaves causing mass coral bleaching and coral die-offs,” said Kelley Anderson Tagarino, UH Sea Grant College Program extension agent in American Samoa and co-lead on the project. “By ensuring some of the corals in our restoration nurseries are heat tolerant, we can help our reefs have a better chance to withstand marine heatwaves. American Samoa has long been known to have highly resilient corals, and now we will be able to weave together local knowledge with Western science to help our reefs continue to protect our islands and feed our people.”

Funding student positions

The project includes funding for three graduate student positions for residents of American Samoa to study coral restoration at either UH Mānoa or Old Dominion University, and will provide support for local positions focused on coral restoration in partnership with the American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources.

Oceana Francis, professor in the UH Mānoa and coastal sustainability faculty with the UH Sea Grant College Program, will provide critical project support by conducting hydrodynamic modeling (understanding how our ocean water moves) to help identify suitable places for the restoration nurseries as well as which shorelines are at most risk to flooding. These areas will be prioritized for coral restoration outplanting.

The project was funded by the NOAA Coastal Zone Management program.

From the coral reefs of the tropics to the oyster reefs of temperate estuaries, nature’s most diverse ecosystems are built by “master architects.” A study revealed that the complex shapes of these reefs are not random—they follow precise geometric rules that maximize survival.

The collaborative research of the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (HIMB) and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, offers a proven guide for reviving damaged marine habitats and protecting the vital seafood sources that communities depend on.

“This work shows that there are universal architectural rules for reef persistence,” said Joshua Madin, a senior author of the study, HIMB research professor, and a principal investigator of the HIMB Conservation Innovation Group. “Nature has already solved the design problem. Our job is to read that blueprint and scale it up to help reefs grow faster and survive longer.”

Geometry of survival

Using high-resolution 3D mapping and field experiments in Australia, the team engineered concrete structures spanning a wide range of surface complexities. They discovered that while simple structures left juvenile oysters exposed to predators, and overly complex structures offered diminishing returns, survival peaked at a specific, optimal combination of height and fractal dimension—exactly the geometry found in thriving natural reefs.

“Reefs are not just piles of skeletons or shells,” said Juan Esquivel-Muelbert, the study’s lead author from Macquarie University. “They are finely tuned three-dimensional machines. Their shape controls who lives, who dies, and how fast the reef grows.”

While the fieldwork focused on oysters, the theoretical principles were developed at HIMB and apply directly to coral reefs.

R3D project

The study provides the biological validation for cutting-edge restoration work currently underway in �鶹��ý. The geometric principles utilized in this paper are a driving force behind the UH project Rapid Resilient Reefs for Coastal Defense (R3D), a project funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency that is deploying immense, geometric reef modules off the coast of Oʻahu.

By mimicking the “optimal geometry” of coral reef, using the same principles identified in the study, these artificial structures are designed to do more than just break waves—they are engineered to attract coral larvae, protect them from predators and grow into a thriving coral reef.

“We are applying these exact principles to coral restoration here in �鶹��ý,” said Madin. “Recent work at HIMB testing these 3D-printed designs showed we could increase the settlement and survival of corals by 80-fold compared to natural reef surfaces. By building with the right geometry, we can jump-start the feedback loops that allow reefs to build themselves.”

A group of colorful hexacorals (aquatic organisms in the group of stony corals and anemones), known as “zoantharians” is defying the traditional laws of evolution by remaining virtually identical across the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans, according to a led by researchers at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�.

The study, led by Maria “Duda” Santos of UH ����ԴDz�’s (HIMB) ToBo Lab and the University of the Ryukyus, began with a moment of “déjà vu” underwater.

“During my first dive in Okinawa, I was surrounded by a multitude of species I had never seen in my homeland of Brazil,” said Santos. “But then I saw the zoantharians. They looked exactly like the ones back home—the same colors, shapes and sizes. It was striking.”

While the Indo-Pacific typically hosts 10 times the species diversity of the Atlantic for most reef animals, this research found that the genetic and morphological divergence between oceans for these creatures is surprisingly narrow.

By combining DNA data and records from Mexico to the Philippines, the team has provided the first-ever global “atlas” for a group of animals that has remained in the shadows for decades. This map of the past and present provides a vital baseline for monitoring how marine life will navigate climate change.

Secrets of the ultimate travelers

The researchers suggest that zoantharians may be the ultimate oceanic travelers. Their secret likely lies in high dispersal via an “epic” larval phase, where young zoantharians can survive in open water for more than 100 days, paired with an ability to “raft” across ocean basins by hitchhiking on floating objects. In addition, an unusually slow evolutionary rate appears to keep distant populations looking and acting like siblings, even after long time of separation.

As climate change stresses traditional stony corals, zoantharians are increasingly moving in to fill the void.

“In some habitats impacted by stress, some zoantharian species can outcompete stony corals,” said Santos. “We are seeing ‘phase shifts’ where reefs once dominated by corals are being taken over by zoantharians. Understanding how they spread helps us forecast what the reefs of the future will look like.”

This study represents an international effort, uniting a team from �鶹��ý, Okinawa, Russia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Indonesia.

A multi-year scientific expedition including the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� and led by researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara and collaborating institutions, were able to find critical connections between land, rainwater and lagoon waters.

The researchers determined that land use on tropical islands can shape water quality in lagoons and that rainfall can be an important mediator for connections between land and lagoon waters. These findings provide vital information for ecosystem stewards facing global reef decline. Their findings were published in .

“The links between land and sea are dynamic and complex, so it’s a topic that has remained elusive to science,” said Mary Donovan, co-author and faculty at the in the UH ����ԴDz� (SOEST). “It took a dream team to pierce through that complexity. We brought together a group of interdisciplinary thinkers, from students to senior investigators, across at least five major institutions to tackle this immense challenge.”

Understanding the phase shift

Scientists have long been concerned that with an increase in human-associated inputs from land to a coral reef, there is often a “phase shift”—a decline in corals accompanied by an increase in harmful algae. This ecological shift is often linked to excessive nutrients and changes in the microbial community, but the precise connection between land use and coral reef health has been poorly understood.

Through its investigation, the team found that nutrients in the lagoons off Moʻorea were highest in concentration closer to the island, lower farther offshore.

Informing stewardship efforts

“Gravity is a unifying force in ecology, and islands are always uphill from the coral reefs that surround them,” said Christian John, lead author of the study and postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Across Pacific Island systems, the flow of nutrients from mountains to the ocean is a central focus for coastal resource management. Targeted strategies, such as reducing polluted runoff, developing buffers along rivers, or actively mitigating soil loss at development sites, can significantly dampen the adverse effects of land use on lagoon water quality.

“The ahupuaʻa, land use divisions that connect mauka to makai, are central to watershed management here in �鶹��ý,” said Nyssa Silbiger, co-author and associate professor in the SOEST Department of Oceanography. “Understanding water quality is a fundamental challenge for everyone: it is key to assessing coral reef health and it is inseparable from human health.”

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Internationally recognized researchers currently or formerly affiliated with the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa have been honored among the world’s most influential scientists in Clarivate’s 2025 . The annual analysis identifies just 1 in 1,000 researchers globally—including Nobel laureates—whose publications have demonstrated exceptional influence across their fields.

(SOEST) Professor Fei-Fei Jin and the late Director and Researcher Ruth Gates, were recognized in the cross-field category, which highlights researchers whose influence spans multiple scientific areas. Daniel Mende, a former SOEST postdoctoral researcher, was selected to the biology and biochemistry category.

“This distinction underscores the global influence of UH Mānoa’s research enterprise,” UH Mānoa Interim Provost Vassilis Syrmos said. “Our scholars drive discoveries that resonate across disciplines and continents, and their work exemplifies the innovation and excellence that define our university.”

SOEST Professor Fei-Fei Jin

Jin’s research interests cover a wide range of topics, including the dynamics of large-scale atmosphere and ocean circulations, and climate variability. His primary research focuses are understanding the dynamics of El Niño-Southern Oscillation, climate variability in the extratropical atmospheric circulation and global warming.

The late Ruth Gates

Gates was a tireless innovator and advocate for coral reef conservation. The focus of her most recent research efforts was creating super corals, coral species occurring naturally in the ocean that could be trained to become more resilient to harsh conditions.

Former SOEST postdoctoral fellow Daniel Mende

Mende specializes in environmental microbiology, microbial ecology, metagenomics and more. He came to UH Mānoa in 2014 for his postdoctoral studies on microbial communities in oceans. Mende is now an assistant professor at Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam.

These scientists are identified based on their publication of highly cited papers in the Web of Science Core Collection—a widely respected global citation database. Using rigorously curated data, analysts at the Institute for Scientific Information select individuals who have demonstrated remarkable influence in their field.

This story was compiled based on primary affiliation according to the Web of Science’s Highly Cited Researchers list. If there are other researchers currently or formerly affiliated with UH on the list, email Marc Arakaki at marcra@hawaii.edu.

Fifteen years after the devastating poured an estimated 134 million gallons of oil into the marine environment, vital long-term monitoring work involving University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa oceanographers continues to chart the slow path to recovery for the region’s deep-sea coral communities, providing critical information to guide their restoration. The marine organisms, living at depths of 1,000 to 2,000 meters, were directly impacted by the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

In October, two oceanographers from the UH Mānoa (SOEST) participated in the that revisited monitoring sites off Louisiana. The team’s mission was to capture new images of more than 200 individual coral colonies using a remotely operated vehicle equipped with high-resolution still and video cameras.

“Processes in the deep ocean are very slow,” said Fanny Girard, assistant professor of oceanography at SOEST and lead investigator in the project. “Many of these animals look exactly the same as they did in 2011. Itʻs a sobering reminder that recovery in the deep sea takes time.”

High-tech imaging

The first phase (2011 to 2017) of this work aimed to evaluate impacts to deep-sea corals to inform the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process. Following the 2016 settlement with BP Exploration & Production, the second phase of this work is now informing restoration by providing critical baseline information on coral health, growth and role as habitat for many other species.

Teams took images of the same locations each year, and Girard and her graduate student Jack Howell manually compared the photos, a demanding process that can take hours for a single coral colony.

“We’ve learned that lots of animals, particularly brittle stars, live on these corals,” said Howell, whose project is focused on associations between coral and other organisms. “This seems to be a ‘win–win’ collaboration, where the brittle star may receive food and shelter, while the coral benefits from the brittle star potentially eating parasites and cleaning up sediment that could compromise its health.”

A cutting-edge marine platform designed to revolutionize coral reef monitoring and mapping called ReefVision Robotics was field tested in Kāneʻohe Bay by University of �鶹��ý researchers.

The successful trial, conducted at the (HIMB) in September, represents a step toward a more scalable and highly accurate method for monitoring and mapping coral reefs. The project’s initial targets are invasive macroalgae species and marine debris but the technology can be used to detect many coral reef organisms. This test served as one of several trial runs before the technology is deployed in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in summer 2026.

“The integration of these technologies represents a significant step forward in our ability to manage and respond to invasive species threats facing our Hawaiian coral reefs,” said Keolohilani “Keo” Lopes, Jr., the project lead. The research is part of his PhD dissertation in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management within the UH Mānoa .

The platform integrates three leading-edge detection methods on a suite of unmanned marine systems—two operating on the surface and one submersible—to provide a comprehensive picture of the reef environment including:

• Computer vision: The surface robot is equipped with advanced camera systems and uses machine learning to visually identify and automatically flag invasive algae or marine debris.
• Environmental DNA (eDNA): A second surface robot also serves as a mobile genetic lab, collecting water samples during deployment for eDNA analysis after its return. This allows researchers to perform rapid, in-field genetic analysis of water samples to confirm the presence of a target species.
• Hyperspectral benthic mapping: A submersible drone dives beneath the surface to scan the reef with a hyperspectral camera. This sensor captures detailed light signatures, creating 3D maps that reveal the specific composition and health of the coral ecosystem.

“We are moving beyond standard visual surveys to provide managers with definitive genetic, spectral and visual data, all collected autonomously,” said HIMB Associate Research Professor Erik Franklin, a collaborator on the project. “While technical challenges related to data synthesis and real-world accuracy remain, the collaborative team–comprising marine biology, invasive species, and technology experts–gives us confidence in the ultimate data products.”

The successful completion of the field test yielded valuable initial data, paving the way for the future research cruise to Papahānaumokuākea. The team aims to demonstrate a suite of technologies that can be deployed across coral reefs globally to protect them for generations.

The project is a collaboration among: UH, Queensland University of Technology (Australia), NOAA Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, the state’s Division of Aquatic Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A University of at Mānoa graduate’s new research reveals that plastic pollution poses a significant, unseen threat to endangered coral reefs. The study found that chemicals leaching from plastics disrupt the two most critical processes for reef survival—the reproduction of adult corals and the settling of their larvae.

The work by Keiko Wilkins, who recently earned her PhD from the UH Mānoa , is among the first to demonstrate these hidden dangers, which may help explain why some reefs are failing to recover after mass–bleaching events.

“When people think of threats to coral reefs, microplastics are often unnoticed,” said Wilkins. “Not only do corals eat microplastics, microplastic–associated chemicals may have hidden impacts. My research highlights this issue, urging us to see plastic pollution as a complex stressor to our reefs.”

Unseen threat

Coral reefs in and around the world are vital ecosystems facing extreme pressure from climate change. Wilkins’ work, conducted at the , was published in two parts.

showed that plastic leachates—chemicals released from plastics into the water—significantly reduced fertilization rates in corals.

demonstrated that these same chemicals negatively affected the ability of coral larvae to settle onto reefs, a step essential for replenishing coral populations.

“Keiko’s research is timely and essential in supporting efforts at the protection of coral reefs and all who depend on them,” said Bob Richmond, director of the Kewalo Marine Laboratory and Wilkins’ advisor. “Her results provide proof of the unseen, damaging effects of plastic pollution and the need to urgently address this problem if we are to leave a legacy of vital coral reefs for future generations.”

Scholarship support, real-world impact

Wilkins conducted much of her research with support from a highly competitive NOAA Nancy Foster Scholarship. This allowed her to collect coral samples in protected areas, including the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary and the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

The scholarship also supported her outreach and education efforts, through which she has connected with communities and schools across American Sāmoa to share her findings and raise awareness about the health of our oceans. She is now investigating how many microplastic particles are being ingested by corals in these regions.

To dramatically increase coral survival rates, scientists at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (HIMB) have developed innovative 3D-printed ceramic structures that provide crucial protection for baby corals. These new designs offer a low-cost and scalable solution to enhance reef recovery worldwide.

The discovery, , addresses a critical challenge in reef restoration—the low settlement and survival rates of juvenile corals, which often die before adulthood due to predation, being overgrown by algae or being swept away by waves.

“We developed structures that help baby corals find safe homes in the reef,” said Josh Madin, principal investigator at HIMB’s Geometric Ecology Lab and co-author of the study. “Our new designs, with small spiral-shaped shelters called ‘helix recesses,’ give young corals the protection they need during this critical stage.”

Increased baby coral settlement

The study found these sheltered spaces had about 80 times more baby corals settle on them compared to flat surfaces and helped them survive up to 50 times better over the course of a year. The idea was inspired by observing coral larvae in nature, which almost always chose small crevices to settle.

“We wondered if we could recreate these safe spaces in structures that could be easily added to reefs for restoration or built into coastal engineering projects,” said Jessica Reichert, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in HIMB’s Geometric Ecology Lab.

To test this, the team designed and deployed seven different 3D-printed reef modules at two sites in Kāneʻohe Bay. Over the next year, they tracked the settlement and survival of coral recruits, finding the &#lsquo;helix recess&#rsquo; design to be the most successful.

“We expected the helix recess design to help, but we were surprised by the scale of improvement,” said Reichert. “Seeing thousands of baby corals clustered in these tiny shelters, compared to almost none on flat surfaces, was remarkable.”

Simple to maintain

This method offers a significant complement to current restoration efforts that are often limited by the high cost and labor of rearing and outplanting coral fragments. The new structures are simple to produce, require no ongoing maintenance, and can be integrated into artificial reefs, seawalls, and other coastal infrastructure.

For �鶹��ý, where coral reefs are vital for coastal protection, fisheries, and cultural heritage, the implications are particularly significant. “Developing and testing these designs in �鶹��ý allows the UH to provide practical, locally driven solutions that help preserve the ecological, cultural, and community benefits reefs provide across the islands,” said Madin.

This research was conducted as part of the Reefense: Rapid Resilient Reefs for Coastal Defense (R3D) program, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, with additional support from the National Science Foundation and the HIMB Director’s Innovation Fund. The project’s goal is to develop hybrid reef structures that act as living breakwaters to reduce coastal erosion. The helix recess design is intended to attract and shelter coral recruits within these larger structures, helping to create self-sustaining reef systems.