Hawaii County committee hears Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange briefing on drought tools, votes to close file on communication 735

The Communication Reports and Council Oversight Committee of Hawaii County heard a briefing from the Pacific Drought Knowledge Exchange (PDKE) on tools for tracking drought, groundwater recharge and rangeland conditions, and then voted 9-0 to close file on communication 735, the request that prompted the presentation.

PDKE co-lead Christian Jardine introduced the team and Dr. Ryan Longman of the University of Hawaii Sea Grant described the group’s co-production approach, which pairs scientists with local resource managers to convert climate data into practical, site-specific products. “We take data that we've collected and mapped and turn it into relevant, knowledge products and tools that folks on the ground can use,” Longman said.

The core demonstration was a climate "portfolio" generator that produces a ready-to-use PowerPoint for any chosen area, from an entire island to a single site. Derek, a PDKE geospatial analyst, said the portfolios include more than 100 years of monthly rainfall records, multi-decade temperature series and a 100-year drought history; for the Pau'ilo aquifer example he cited “18 total” drought events since 1920. The portfolios are delivered by email in about 30 minutes and allow users to export figures and text for reporting or planning.

Derek also highlighted integration of recent USGS groundwater recharge maps. For an earlier severe drought (1998–2012) in the example area, he cited an estimated roughly 40% reduction in groundwater recharge and said that equated to “over 33,000 gallons per year” in that specific example. He described century-end scenario projections that include a modest decline in annual rainfall, a projected roughly 2.5°F increase in air temperature and, under a dry-climate scenario, a possible ~34% reduction in groundwater recharge.

Sherille Hu presented the Hawaii Rangeland Information Portal (HRIP), a PDKE product tailored for ranchers on Hawaii Island. HRIP uses one-by-one-mile grid squares that ranchers can select and bookmark to view localized climate dashboards, 12-month drought histories and a forage production outlook developed with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Hu said the ranching community lost more than $40 million and roughly 20,000 cattle during droughts from 2008–2016, underscoring the tools’ intended use for planning destocking and feed supplementation.

Longman added that PDKE is coordinating with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) around a pasture, forage and rangeland insurance product recently launched in Hawaii; the tools can help ranchers decide whether to purchase coverage. “We’re supporting RMA on putting that product out,” he said.

A council member asked how HRIP grid squares are chosen and accessed; PDKE staff said users can click anywhere on the map to create a grid square, which populates the map and can be bookmarked. A member of the public, Josephine Calipio, had earlier testified from Kona that last year she observed heavy rain on the Kona (west) side while the island’s east side experienced drought. When asked about that observation, Longman said he would need to review the data and suggested trade-wind deviations and atmospheric-circulation changes were plausible drivers for the pattern, rather than a direct, single-year linkage to manmade climate change.

After the presentation and a brief question-and-answer period, the committee voted to close file on communication 735. The motion was recorded in the transcript as moved by council member Heather L. Kimball and seconded by council member Kagiwada; the committee recorded nine votes in favor and no opposition. The chair then adjourned the committee and noted the next committee would convene at 10:30.

The presentation materials were submitted as replacement material on 02/12/2026 and are listed with the communication; PDKE staff said they are available for follow-up and further data review on specific local anomalies.