Biology Seminar: Climate Change, Ecological Drought, & Wildfire in the Pacific Islands
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Description
Climate Change, Ecological Drought, & Wildfire in the Pacific Islands, presented by Abby Frazier, assistant professor, Clark University.The Pacific Islands are on the front lines of global climate change and are already experiencing changes and impacts. Droughts in the Pacific Islands can be extremely severe, causing drinking water shortages, extensive crop damage, and increases in the size, severity, and extent of wildfires that burn incredibly large percentages of island land areas. This talk will describe how the climate is changing in the Pacific Islands region with a focus on ecological drought and wildfire. Over the last century, drought duration, magnitude, and frequency have all increased significantly in Hawai‘i, which has had severe impacts on native ecosystems. Drought increases the likelihood of wildfires, and the amount of area burned each year in Hawai‘i has increased, largely due to the increase in unmanaged non-native grasslands and shrublands. Climate services that provide actionable climate information to end users are more important than ever in building resilience to wildfire and drought.