Craig Glenn, geology and geophysics professor, Gary McMurtry, an associate professor of oceanography, and doctoral student Geoffrey Garrison plan to measure the rate and quantity of submarine groundwater discharge. Researchers first gather groundwater samples from land wells in the Kahana Bay vicinity and Punaluu, the next valley north of Kahana. They'll also collect samples from the ocean floor, using domes that cover a little more than one square yard, to measure speed and quantity of seepage into Kahana Bay. By using sophisticated equipment to trace the path of radon and other elements, they hope to estimate the amount of submarine groundwater discharge entering Kahana Bay. The ground water eventually seeps into the bags, providing flow rates and samples for analysis.
Domes stay at a collection site for four to six hours.
With radon preserved in gas-tight containers, this material is analyzed for content and quantity. The trio of researchers hopes eventually to pinpoint nutrient sources, hoping this knowledge will aid reef restoration. Garrison, who is writing a doctoral dissertation in geology and geophysics on submarine ground water discharge in Hawaiian coastal ecosystems, said the thrust of the research is patterns and quantities of such discharges and the nutrient loads provided by these discharges into coastal waters. That means nutrients coming from people, Garrison said. Kaneohe is an impacted bay.