2020 NFWF grant with SDSU
Trent Biggs at San Diego State University was awarded a grant from the NAtional Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) to do follow-research in Faga’alu. Dr. Messina’s research documented the increased sediment yield to the reef in Faga’alu and the reduction of that sediment yield to natural levels with the installation of BMP’s at the Faga’alu quarry. NFWF is funding 2 years of monitoring in Faga’alu stream to document the success of those BMP’s 5 years later. Dr. Messina is traveling to American Samoa in May 2020 to assist Trent Biggs and an SDSU graduate student with installation of monitoring equipment.
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Urban Heat Mapping Workshop
Following the success of the drifters workshop in American Samoa we have been asked, “How can I do something like that for my organization? We don’t have an ocean, or We only have one day?”
The focus of the drifters workshop is simply to get participants to ask a research question, get outside to collect environmental data, put that data into a GIS, and answer the research question. Our next workshop will be using simple air temperature measurements to map “Urban Heat Islands”. Students collect air temperature measurements with corresponding GPS points and they can map how temperature changes around built and natural surfaces. This can be done over an area as small as their school campus, or over a whole city or town. This project can tie in learning opportunities about the surface energy balance, public health related to heat stress, and climate change.
The Science Museum of Richmond, VA, has provided an excellent example of how to do this kind of workshop: https://toolkit.climate.gov/case-studies/where-do-we-need-shade-mapping-urban-heat-islands-richmond-virginia
The Malosi Foundation is currently searching for funding to host this workshop.