Hawaii+Volcanoes

= Hawaii Volcanoes = By: Billy and Brian

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I**ntroduction:**
Located in Hawaii, Hawaii's volcanoes have formed as the Pacific plate passes over a hot spot. Since these islands have formed over 2000 miles from other land, the biosphere and human culture are very unique. The highlighted features of the park are: 2 active volcanoes, human culture, black sand beaches, lava flows, and unique plants and animals. Some roads that people take are Crater Rim Drive and Chain of Craters Road. Chain of Craters Road slopes gradually at 185 ft/ mile down to the coast of Hawaii where lava crosses the road. Crater Rim Drive takes people around the summit of the caldera of Kilauea. There are over 150 miles of trails and some lead to the top of Mauna Loa, at 13,500 feet above sea level 2.

Geologic Setting:
The unique geologic features of the park are the black sand beaches, shield volcanoes, and the caldera. The shield volcanoes have formed as the Pacific plate has moved over a hot spot. A hot spot occurs where there is a mantle plume or rising magma in the same spot in the mantle over a long period of time. As the magma rises and reaches the surface, it escapes through the lithosphere to form a volcano and release lava. Since the oceanic crust is basaltic, the lava has a low viscosity and is considered to be mafic. Mafic lava flow is generally fairly gentle and, when it erupts over time, the lava builds up and because of its low viscosity it flows down slope at a gradual angle. This process over time will form a gentle-sloped volcanoe or a shield volcano. A caldera occurs when the magma chamber of a volcano is emptied and then the volcano above it collapses. This forms a crater-like shape, such as on Kilauea. The Black sand beaches has occurred because of the basaltic composition of the bedrock of Hawaii. This has formed as the volcano has erupted basaltic lava over many years. As the ocean has weathered and eroded the coast of Hawaii through constant pounding and pressure, it has broken the basaltic rock into sand 2. [|http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/gal04/GEOL388/images/03/black.sand.jpg]

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Climate and Weather:
Since Hawaii is an island, the climate in the park is fairly unpredictable, yet there are a few general year-to-year patterns 2. The air is usually very humid and may cause precipitation as the clouds rise over the volcanoes 1. There may also be rain-shadow deserts on the island as the precipitation is spilled on the windward side of the mountain. The air temperature also decreases as altitude increases because there is more room for the air molecules to expand and therefore adiabatically cool. In general, there are two seasons: summer and winter. The winter climate is generally cooler and wetter than the summer 1. Hawaii generally has a very high relative humidity year around, with a slight drop during the summer. This is due to the oceans causing humid air masses to cross over Hawaii. Since Hawaii is fairly close to the equator, the temperature remains consistently warm, and the ocean helps to enhance the overall consistency of the temperature on the island. Some parts of the island, such as Mt. Waialeale are much wetter (average of 486 inches of rain a year), while other parts only get around 6 inches of rain a year. Since Hawaii is in the tropics, the length of day and solar intensity remain fairly consistent year round. Evidence of this is the longest day is 13.5 hours which is only 2.5 hours longer than the shortest day, 11 hours. In regards to solar intensity, the winter months recieve 67% of solar radiation than summer months 1. On average, a place between 40-50 degrees latitude's winter only recieves 33% of solar radiation in summer months 6. Hawaii's climate has not really impacted the formation of the developement of the volcanoes. Hawaii's climate has recently been having an increasing temperature average at night (.44 degrees celcius since 1970), and a decrease in precipitation (down 27% since 1970). Some evidence of the climate change in Hawaii is the bleaching of coral reefs as a result of increase in CO2 and warming oceans 4,6.


 * **Stats** || **Jan** || **Feb** || **Mar** || **Apr** || **May** || **Jun** || **Jul** || **Aug** || **Sep** || **Oct** || **Nov** || **Dec** || **Annual** ||
 * **Avg High - °F** || **67.0** || **66.7** || **66.5** || **66.9** || **68.3** || **69.9** || **71.0** || **72.2** || **72.3** || **71.3** || **68.9** || **66.8** || **69.0** ||
 * **Avg Low - °F** || **49.5** || **49.6** || **50.3** || **51.6** || **52.6** || **53.9** || **55.0** || **55.2** || **55.0** || **54.6** || **53.2** || **51.2** || **52.6** ||
 * <span style="color: #71120f; display: block; font-family: Times-Roman; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">**Avg Precip (in)** || **13.31** || **10.31** || **13.15** || **10.47** || **7.43** || **4.96** || **6.34** || **7.10** || **5.39** || **6.54** || **13.51** || **11.38** || **109.9** ||


 * Human Impact:**

While human development, technologically and culturally, has damaged the park’s ecosystems for centuries, the biggest threats to the plant and animal species of the park are in fact the non-native species that foreign peoples have introduced including wild pigs and goats as well as plants such as the intruding myrica fava, which is a fast-spreading, fire-resistant tree 5,7. As human and natural deforestation occur, native species that local animals rely on for food and shelter like the ohia tree are endangered and will eventually become extinct while newly introduced species like Australian eucalyptus trees spread and alter the life patterns of indigenous creatures 3,5. More than 75 % of US wildlife extinctions occur on Hawaii, and more than 50 % of the original bird species of Hawaii are now extinct due to the invasion of new groups (Polynesians, Australians, etc.) and the animals they carry to the island 2,3,5. Also, the diseases brought over by foreigners and their animals are very detrimental to native Hawaiian species 7. Wild pigs often provide waters suitable for mosquitoes to inhabit, which leads to the spread of deadly illnesses such as malaria and other infectious pathogens 3,7. These pigs, as well as rabbits and goats, are also willing to eat a wide variety of native and non-native plants, thus diminishing the remaining supply for homegrown creatures 2,3,7. Instead of condemning their national treasures, the people and preservation groups of Hawaii have actually made great efforts towards containing harmful outsiders, both plant and animal 2,3. For example, wild pigs and rabbits have been fenced in within certain sections of the park in an effort to reduce their damage to plant-life, and many plants have been added and multiplied by humans so that animals like the nene, a goose and the state bird, may endure in their herbivorous lifestyles 2,7.

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Biome:
The park is located in a tropical seasonal forest biome 3. This region is characterized by fairly small but dense trees in a tropical climate 3. The result is a jungle-like landscape that is difficult for humans to traverse but provides diverse plants and animals to live within close proximity 3,7. However, due to the lack of native mammals and large carnivores, many smaller creatures live comfortably as herbivores such as the hawksbill turtle and nene goose, Hawaii’s state bird 2,7. However, an adaptive diet and digestive system are crucial in order to flourish within this constantly evolving biome. For example, the nene and many other endangered birds struggle due to their narrow diet of certain leaves and berries while wild pigs are willing to eat almost any plant and thrive 7. Also, rabbits in the area have constantly growing, sharpening teeth and large digestive systems (20 feet!) that allow them to eat tough materials like tree bark and absorb more nutrients then animals with simpler, less efficient digestive tracts 7. Many plants such as the nene tree originated in isolated areas, free from bad odors, thorns, or other means of preventing animal life from feasting 3,7. Due to abundant rain during typical years as well as extensive root and leaf systems, trees and larger plants are able to absorb water and nutrients at high rates 7,8. However, dominant species such as the pigs often greedily control dense areas of lush undergrowth; this causes many smaller avian and non-native mammalian species to go malnourished for extended periods of time 2,3,7.

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**Sources:**
Works Cited
 * 1) "Climate of Hawaii." //Hawaii Vacation: Hawaii Travel Guide | To-Hawaii.com//. Web. 09 June 2010. <http://www.to-hawaii.com/climate.php>.
 * 2) "Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park - Nature & Science (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://www.nps.gov/havo/naturescience/index.htm>.
 * 3) Lawrence, Henry. "Biogeography: Explore The World's Biomes." UBC Department of Geography. July 2008. Web. 06 June 2010. <http://www.geog.ubc.ca/~ldaniels/biomes/explore/browseBiome.php?gid=5&img=11>.
 * 4) Letman, Jon. "Climate Change in Hawaii: Caught Between a Rock and a Big Wave." //T R U T H O U T//. 15 Dec. 2009. Web. 09 June 2010. [].
 * 5) "Plants of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park." Welcome to University of Hawaii at Manoa Botany. 5 Aug. 2003. Web. 06 June 2010. [].
 * 6) Respectively., 50 Degrees. "Climate of Hawai`i." //National Weather Service Pacific Region Headquarters//. Web. 09 June 2010. [].
 * 7) Uhler, John W. "Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Flora and Fauna Guide." Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, 2007. Web. 04 June 2010. <http://www.hawaii.volcanoes.national-park.com/bird.htm>.
 * 8) Weather Channel/Weather.com. "Average Weather for Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI - Temperature and Precipitation." National and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report. The Weather Channel, 2010. Web. 01 June 2010. <http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/96718>.