Kaʻū News Briefs, Friday, October 11, 2019

Kaunāmano in Kaʻū is one of three parcels at the top of the preservation list for the Legacy Land Conservation Commission. Photo from PONC

KAUNĀMANO, KIOLAKAʻA, AND MANAKAʻA, all in Kaʻū, are the top three priorities for the state Legacy Land Conservation Commission, which votes on using state funds to preserve lands. The commission recently visited Kaʻū.
     The commission also recommended preservation of Mapulehu on Molokaʻi and Maka‘alae Lands on Maui. Legacy Lands is expected to spend some $6.4 million toward purchase of the properties, which is often in concert with funding from other government agencies and non-profits.

     The recommendations must be approved by the Board of Land and Natural Resources and the Governor. In total, 13 properties were recommended for funding, but the existing budget would only fund the top five, according to Department of Land and Natural Resources.

     Kaunāmano, conservation easement held by County of Hawai‘i, under Ala Kahakai Trail Association, covers five undeveloped parcels of 1,363 acres between Nāʻālehu and Honu‘apo, fronting four miles of Ka‘ū coastline and reaching up to the 600-foot elevation, stated DLNR. Licensed for cattle grazing, "this frequently brings people in to help protect sensitive resources and would provide a revenue stream to support future management actions." Kaunāmano is recommended for full funding in 2020.

Kiolaka‘a. Photo from Big Island Video News

     Kiolaka‘a and Manaka‘a, both have conservation easements held by County of Hawai‘i, under Ala Kahakai Trail Association. Kiolaka‘a begins at Ka‘alu‘alu Bay, a popular camping spot. The three parcels of Kiolaka‘a cover 1,840 acres, stretching over four miles inland to the 700-foot elevation, stated DLNR. Manaka‘a is an undeveloped coastal parcel of 348-acres, just south of Nā‘ālehu with remains of the Manāka‘a Fishing Village on cliffs overlooking Waikapuna, stated DLNR. Local ranchers hold license agreements to graze cattle on portions of both properties, as well as on adjacent lands that are also slated for conservation with funding from the Legacy Land Conservation Program. Kiolaka‘a and Manaka‘a are recommended for full funding in 2021.

     The Land Conservation Fund, established the State Legislature in 2005, provides continuous funding for land conservation by dedicating proceeds from the state's real estate conveyance tax to the Fund. The grant application and approval process includes consultation with three State agencies: DLNR, Department of Agriculture, and the Agribusiness Development Corp. The process also requires field visits and public meetings with the Legacy Land Conservation Commission; consultation with the President of the State Senate and the Speaker of the State House of Representatives; environmental review; before final approval by the BLNR, the Department of Budget and Finance and the Governor.

     The application process for grants for Fiscal Year 2022 funds is scheduled to begin in January 2020.

THE GREEN HOT POND IN KĪLAUEA CALDERA COULD EMIT EXPLOSIONS ON THE FLOOR OF HALEMA‘UMA‘U CRATER, according to U.S. Geological Survey. A new video, produced by USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, explains the pond's rise and discusses the summit's stability.

     In 2018, the largest lower East Rift Zone eruption and summit collapses in 200 years resulted in drastic changes on Kīlauea Volcano. At the summit, more than 60 collapse events caused the floor of Halema‘uma‘u crater, within the caldera, to drop more than 500 meters (1,600 feet). In July, water appeared at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u.

     The depth is more than 10 m (30 ft). Based on thermal camera measurements of the water surface, the pond is about 70 degrees Celsius or about 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

     The pond is greenish-yellow in color and is not uniform over the surface. There are segments of the pond that are bluer, or more clear, and others that are more yellow or green and opaque. The greenish-yellow color is assumed to be caused by sulfur. High-resolution videos show the circulation and mixing, and steam rising from the pond's surface.

     Scientists have a webcam set up at the summit on the west caldera rim and make near-daily direct observations on foot. Scientists take measurements of the water level with a laser range finder as they are about 2,000 ft above the pond.

Color variations and agitation show new water influx, and the steam indicates the temperature of the water. USGS photos

     The temperature of the water tells "that the water is heated by the magmatic system from depth," said HVO geologist Matt Patrick. "One thing that we've we noticed through tracking is that the water temperature has been very stable. We also rely on visual observations, taking high-resolution photographs. We're also monitoring on regular overflights, and that gives us a view of portions of the pond that we can't necessarily see from the ground."

     In addition to visual monitoring, field measurements, and thermal monitoring, HVO scientists have an extensive network of geophysical and geodetic and geochemistry monitoring tools situated at the summit. "Kīlauea is one of the best monitored volcanoes on Earth and the summit network is particularly dense," said Patrick.

     He said the next step in monitoring the pond and its potential hazards is to take a direct sample of the water to look at the chemistry. Said Patrick, "Being able to put a constraint on how much sulfur the pond is actually absorbing would be very useful for monitoring. At other volcanic lakes, changes in lake chemistry can sometimes be a precursor to changes on the volcano and changes deeper in the magmatic system. So being able to take direct measurements and track the chemistry of the pond is really a fundamental part of monitoring it."
     Scientists are working with Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to figure out how to collect that sample. "Whenever you have magma interacting with water, there's the potential for explosive activity. At Kīlauea summit, most likely those explosions would be relatively small, affecting just the immediate caldera floor," said Patrick

     He said the pond is very new, with nothing like it in the last 200 years, and that scientists are looking for any signs that might be potential precursors for larger scale activity in the future, such as inflation that would indicate magma rising or seismic activity that would indicate unrest in the deeper magmatic system.

     "The takeaway right now is that there's no immediate signs of imminent increased hazard at the summit," said Patrick. "Sulfur dioxide emission rates are low and seismicity is elevated relative to the levels before the 2018 eruption, but it's stable. Looking at all the indicators, it paints a relatively stable picture of the summit."

     See more on the study of the pond in future Kaʻū News Briefs.