Latest news with #UHHilo
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Kīlauea's eruptions uncover secrets of volcanic activity
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Since just before Christmas, Kīlauea has been putting on a stop-and-go volcanic show—and it's more than just a spectacular display. According to a University of Hawaii at Hilo geologist, the pattern of eruptions offers insight into the volcano's inner workings and future behavior. Vote now to name two baby sharks at Sea Life Park Hawaii Kīlauea has erupted 21 times since December 2024, said Dr. Steven Lundblad, a geology professor at UH Hilo. 'We're seeing this cycle where pressure builds beneath the summit until the magma finds a way to the surface,' he explained. 'Because the magma contains a lot of gas, it erupts in these dramatic fountains—some shooting up to 1,000 feet in the air.' After that initial burst, a crust of lava often forms over the vent, capping it temporarily. But pressure builds again, and the pattern repeats—about once a week on average. 'It's a bit like inflating a balloon,' Lundblad said. 'As pressure builds, the ground surface deforms and rises. Once it hits a certain point, the volcano erupts, the pressure drops, and then the cycle starts all over again.''At UH Hilo, we help by looking at the chemical composition of the erupted material,' Lundblad said. 'That helps us understand how the eruption is evolving and how this one compares to past eruptions.' The current activity at Kīlauea has parallels with past long-lasting eruptions. Lundblad pointed to Puʻu ʻŌʻō's 35-year eruption starting in 1983, as well as high-fountaining phases at Kīlauea Iki in 1959 and Mauna Ulu in 1969. 'All of those eruptions started with this kind of episodic, high-fountaining activity,' he said. 'It's possible we'll see something similar here—maybe less explosive over time, with steady lava flows gradually building up the lava lake at the summit.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news While it's still too early to say how long this cycle will continue, researchers are keeping a close eye. For now, Kīlauea's regular rhythm offers both a natural spectacle and a valuable opportunity to study the science behind one of the world's most active volcanoes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Bows beat UH Hilo with walk-off walk in extras
Just one night after winning in walk-off fashion against UC Davis, the University of Hawai'i baseball team delivered more late-game drama at Les Murakami Stadium, rallying past UH Hilo 9-8 in 10 innings Tuesday night to close out a seven-game homestand. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, pinch-hitter Itsuki Takemoto drew a walk-off walk to seal the Rainbow Warriors' sixth straight win, improving their record to 18-5 on the season. Playing without several regular starters, including third baseman Elijah Ickes (injury), the 'Bows turned to their depth — and it delivered. Hilo native Xaige Lancaster, filling in for Ickes, went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple. Mililani's Kalei Alana added three hits in the back-and-forth battle. UH led 7-5 heading into the eighth, but the Division II Vulcans came alive with three runs to take an 8-7 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Kamana Nahaku came through with a two-out RBI single to tie the game and force extras. In the 10th, with the bases loaded and two outs, Takemoto patiently worked the count and drew a walk, allowing the winning run to trot home — capping off another unpredictable night at 'The Les.' UH Hilo, now 6-20, will return to the Big Island for a matchup against Chaminade on Sunday. The Rainbow Warriors hit the road next for a three-game Big West series at CSUN, beginning Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Small, short-lived lava flows kickstart Kīlauea's 14th episode
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Kīlauea gave early signs of erupting once again in the early hours of Wednesday, March 19. Shortly before 9:30 a.m., it began its 14th episode. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park saw first signs of activity at around midnight when seven small, short-lived lava flows erupted until 6 a.m. Episode 13 of Kilauea's eruption has started Lava began spewing out of the south vent around 9:50 a.m. 'Low dome fountaining is intermittently present as gas-rich magma starts to mix with the degassed magma,' said HVO in a report. Kīlauea has been erupting in phases since Dec. 23 with each episode lasting between 13 hours to eight days and separated by pauses lasting less than 24 hours to 12 said the latest episode is optimal for visitors. 'It could go on for a while. That would be fun. It's a good spot to have it because it's not particularly dangerous for anybody. Most of the effects are either gases coming out or any of the byproducts are generally in places that are not very populated,' said Steve Lundblad, UH Hilo geology professor. Officials added that vog and Pele's hair is expected to increase as this episode continues. HVO said all eruptive activity remains within Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Check out more news from around Hawaii 'No significant activity has been noted along Kīlauea's East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hensel details confusion and impact of Trump's executive orders on UH
COURTESY PHOTO Wendy Hensel COURTESY PHOTO Wendy Hensel The University of Hawaii has joined other Hawaii institutions forced to respond to President Donald Trump's flurry of executive orders to eliminate diversity and race-based programs and practices—while also putting at risk over $386 million in federal funding used to pay thousands of UH employees, UH President Wendy Hensel told the 10-campus system Tuesday. 'Moreover, students receive significant federal financial aid and other forms of support implicated by these orders, ' Hensel wrote in her latest update about the fallout from Trump's actions. 'In short, we cannot carry out our core higher education mission without federal government funding.' Hensel has kept UH updated on Trump's impacts since he began issuing a series of executive orders starting on his first day back in the Oval Office in January. On Thursday, Hensel also plans to brief UH regents at their board meeting at UH Hilo. UH officials have been working with state Attorney General Anne Lopez, who has joined a hui of blue-state attorneys general pushing back in court against Trump's policies, some of which courts have temporarily blocked. 'We will continue to pursue every means available to us to preserve our mission and core values, which have not and will not alter with these changes, ' Hensel said. 'Nevertheless, the power of the federal executive branch to set policy prospectively is significant. While these legal actions provide temporary relief, long-term implications remain uncertain.' Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. Another Trump order bars diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs, along with ones also directed at affirmative action and 'environmental justice.' Hensel wrote, 'On January 31, 2025, the President issued Executive Order 14173 titled 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.' The directive states that DEIA programs can violate civil rights laws and directs all grant recipients, including universities, to end unlawful 'preferences, mandates, policies, programs and activities.' The EO requires universities, as a condition of receiving federal funding, to certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEIA. Consequences for false assertions are not only the loss of federal funding, including financial aid for students, but potentially civil and criminal penalties for the university's certifying official.' The U.S. Department of Education on Friday offered guidance that 'states categorically that 'if an educational institution treats a person of one race differently than it treats another person because of that person's race, the educational institution violates the law.' It prohibits universities from using race 'in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.'' A subsequent DOE directive issued Sunday, Hensel said, 'stated more clearly that universities may 'no longer operate programs based on race.'' Trump's attitudes toward race and ethnicity have led to confusion at UH about the future of its ethnic studies programs that focus on specific ethnic populations and their histories in Hawaii, including Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and Asians. And UH student organizations and clubs are specifically organized for students representing a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. One Trump executive order makes exceptions for universities that work to protect First Amendment rights of free speech and prevent illegal employment. 'While the meaning and extent of these exemptions are unclear, they suggest that academic programs and curricula currently may fall outside the order, ' Hensel said. Also under Trump, the National Institutes of Health has chopped 'indirect cost recovery rates in federal grants, reducing them from university-negotiated rates (typically from 25 % to 70 %) to a maximum of 15 %, ' Hensel said. 'This move is significant for all universities and potentially could reduce research funding nationally by billions of dollars.' For UH specifically, she said that federal funding represents 'an extremely significant source of financial support for the university.'
