We present an analysis of exposure, resilience, and social vulnerability to climate change threats for the coral reefs of the main Hawaiian Islands, relative to the rest of the U.S. Pacific. We focus primarily on increases in ocean temperatures and the impact of coral bleaching on Hawaii’s coral reefs and the communities that depend on them. Ocean temperatures will rise across the region, with little potential for refuge areas from warming. There are, however, important differences in reefs’ resilience; the ability of a reef to resist or recover from the impacts of warming and continue to provide ecosystem goods and services. Hawaii’s human communities have a greater capacity for social change relative to communities in the other U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands.

https://doi.org/10.25923/5xhp-5k12

CRCP Project ID ; 31074

Public Domain