RAPID: Coral reef stress responses to an urban fire

毛伊岛的珊瑚礁支持自给自足、娱乐和商业捕鱼，特别是对大量夏威夷土著人口来说。2023年8月，飓风大风和低湿度加上最近的干旱，在毛伊岛的城市沿海城镇拉海纳引发了一场前所未有的火灾。大火迅速烧毁了超过2170英亩的土地和2200座建筑，将火山灰、颗粒物和潜在的有毒物质释放到邻近的沿海水域。该项目提供了有关野火对珊瑚礁的生态影响的新信息，以帮助适应气候变化和制定应急计划。夏威夷原住民社区成员的文化观点和传统知识被纳入整个研究过程。该项目直接支持包括一名夏威夷原住民学生在内的四名学生参与实地考察、数据收集、分析和解释以及研究成果交流等活动。位于珊瑚礁附近的城市发生野火是史无前例的，但随着海岸线开发的扩大与气候变化可能增加的火灾风险相交，野火可能会变得更加常见。这项研究的总体目标是研究城市野火和相关的潜在压力因素--如水质下降、酸化、缺氧和重金属--对珊瑚礁生态系统功能的直接影响，以及制度转变为有利于底栖藻类而不是珊瑚的可能性。该项目以2023年拉海纳野火为例，采用“事前-事后控制-影响”的设计，对毛伊岛西部三个受野火影响和未受影响的珊瑚礁进行比较，特别注意秋季降雨后有机物、有毒化合物(如多环芳烃)和金属的预期迁移。物理和化学水参数将在径流事件之前、期间和之后限制珊瑚礁尺度的碳循环和珊瑚新陈代谢，以记录对城市火灾影响的生态反应。该项目将支持三名早期职业研究人员，为多名研究生和本科生提供研究培训，并为严重依赖珊瑚礁资源的社区提供关于污染物和水质的有价值的信息。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Maui’s coral reefs support subsistence, recreational, and commercial fishing, particularly for the large Native Hawaiian population. In August 2023, hurricane winds and low humidity combined with the recent drought to cause an unprecedented fire in Lahaina, an urban coastal town on the island of Maui. The fire quickly burned over 2170 acres and 2200 structures, releasing ash, particulate matter and potentially toxic materials into the adjacent coastal waters. This project provides novel information on the ecological impacts of wildfires to coral reefs to aid in climate change adaptation and emergency response planning. Cultural perspectives and traditional knowledge of Native Hawaiian community members are incorporated throughout the research process. The project directly supports four students, including a Native Hawaiian student, to participate in activities including field work, data collection, analyses and interpretation, and communication of research results.A wildfire in an urban city located adjacent to a coral reef is unprecedented but may become more common as expanding shoreline development intersects with potentially increased fire risk with climate change. The overall objective of this study is to examine the direct effects of urban wildfires and associated potential stressors - such as reduced water quality, acidification, hypoxia, and heavy metals - on coral reef ecosystem function and the potential for regime shifts favoring benthic algae instead of corals. Using the 2023 Lahaina wildfire as a case study, the project employs a “before-after control-impact” design to compare three west Maui reefs both affected and unaffected by wildfire, with special attention to the anticipated remobilization of organic matter, toxic compounds (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and metals following rain events in autumn. Physical and chemical water parameters will constrain the reef-scale carbon cycle and coral metabolism before, during and after runoff events to document the ecological responses to urban fire impacts. This project will support three Early Career Researchers, contribute toward research training for multiple graduate and undergraduate students, and provide valuable information about contaminants and water quality to a community that relies heavily on coral reef resources.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.