A living guide to Kauaʻi
Kauaʻi species, habitats and conservation records
Explore the island’s native and introduced species, habitats, watersheds and conservation work. Each record connects its description, images and sources with the interactive Atlas.
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Soil organic-carbon accumulation
Retention and stabilization of organic carbon in forest, shrubland and grassland soils.
Wetland carbon burial
Longer-term storage of organic carbon in saturated or periodically flooded wetland sediments.
Aquatic detritus decomposition
Breakdown of organic matter in streams, wetlands, estuaries and nearshore waters.
Dissolved organic-carbon transport
Movement of dissolved organic matter through soils, groundwater, streams and coastal waters.
Oxygen production and consumption balance
Coupled photosynthetic oxygen production and respiratory demand that regulates aerobic habitat quality.
Hypoxia and anoxia development
Decline of dissolved oxygen where respiration and stratification exceed oxygen replenishment.
Biological nitrogen fixation
Conversion of atmospheric N₂ to biologically usable nitrogen by symbiotic or free-living microbes.
Ammonification
Microbial conversion of organic nitrogen into ammonium during decomposition.
Nitrification
Microbial oxidation of ammonium to nitrite and nitrate under oxygenated conditions.
Denitrification
Microbial reduction of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen under low-oxygen conditions.
Phosphorus mobilization and cycling
Release, uptake, sorption and redistribution of phosphorus among organisms, soils, sediments and waters.
Nutrient uptake and immobilization
Biological capture of dissolved nutrients into living biomass or microbial pools.
Nutrient remineralization
Return of nutrients from dead biomass and waste to dissolved inorganic forms.
Stream nutrient spiraling
Repeated uptake, transformation and downstream transport of nutrients through stream food webs and sediments.
Wetland nutrient retention
Retention and transformation of nutrients through plant uptake, sedimentation and microbial processing.
Ridge-to-reef nutrient export
Movement of dissolved and particulate nutrients from watersheds through streams and groundwater to coastal waters.
Animal-mediated nutrient translocation
Movement of nutrients across habitats through feeding, excretion, carcasses, nesting and movement.
Seabird-derived nutrient enrichment
Transfer of marine nutrients to terrestrial breeding sites through guano, prey remains and carcasses.
Rock and mineral weathering
Physical and chemical breakdown of volcanic and sedimentary materials that supplies ions and substrate for soils.
Soil formation
Development of soil horizons through weathering, organic inputs, biota, leaching and time.
Soil aggregation and root stabilization
Formation and stabilization of soil structure by roots, fungi, microbes and organic matter.
Bioturbation of soils and sediments
Mixing and aeration of soil or sediment by burrowing, rooting and animal movement.
Soil erosion
Removal of soil by rainfall, overland flow, wind or disturbance.
Mass wasting and landslides
Downslope movement of soil, regolith and rock during saturation, erosion or slope failure.
Sediment entrainment
Mobilization of loose particles by runoff, streamflow, waves or currents.
Fluvial sediment transport
Downstream transport of suspended and bedload sediment by streams and floods.
Floodplain and valley sediment deposition
Deposition of transported sediment when water velocity declines on valley floors, wetlands and floodplains.
Wetland sediment trapping
Capture and storage of suspended sediment by low-velocity wetland vegetation and basins.
Estuarine sediment trapping and sorting
Retention, settling and grain-size sorting where river flow meets tides and salinity gradients.
Coastal carbonate-sediment production
Production of reef-derived sand and sediment by calcifying organisms, bioerosion and skeletal breakdown.
Rainfall interception
Capture of rainfall by vegetation before water reaches the soil surface.
Cloud-water interception
Capture of fog/cloud droplets by vegetation, adding moisture beyond measured rainfall.
Throughfall and stemflow
Routing of intercepted precipitation from canopy surfaces to soil through drip and stem flow.
Evapotranspiration
Return of water to the atmosphere through evaporation and plant transpiration.
Soil infiltration
Entry of surface water into soil and porous substrate.
Soil-moisture storage
Temporary retention of water in the root zone and soil matrix.
Groundwater recharge
Downward movement of infiltrated water that replenishes aquifers.
Groundwater flow
Subsurface movement of freshwater through volcanic and sedimentary aquifer systems.
Groundwater discharge to streams
Release of groundwater that supports perennial and dry-season streamflow.
Baseflow maintenance
Sustained streamflow between rainfall events through groundwater and stored subsurface water.
Surface runoff generation
Generation of overland or shallow subsurface flow when rainfall exceeds infiltration or storage.
Streamflow generation and routing
Conversion of watershed water inputs into channel flow moving from uplands toward the sea.
Flash-flood pulse
Rapid high-flow events that move water, sediment, nutrients, organisms and woody debris through valleys.
Overbank flooding
Expansion of stream water across floodplains and wetlands during high flow.
Wetland hydroperiod
Timing, depth, duration and frequency of inundation that structures wetland communities.
Groundwater–surface-water exchange
Bidirectional exchange among aquifers, springs, wetlands, streams and estuaries.
Submarine groundwater discharge
Movement of groundwater directly into the coastal ocean through the seabed or shoreline.
Saltwater intrusion and freshwater-lens mixing
Landward or upward mixing of saline water into coastal aquifers and groundwater-dependent ecosystems.
Estuarine freshwater-plume formation
Formation and dispersal of low-salinity plumes where rivers enter bays and coastal waters.
Estuarine mixing
Physical and chemical mixing of freshwater and seawater across salinity gradients.
Tidal exchange
Periodic movement of water, solutes and organisms into and out of estuaries, wetlands, pools and reef flats.
Wave-driven reef circulation
Movement of water across reefs and reef flats caused by breaking waves and wave setup.
Reef-flat flushing
Exchange that renews water and removes or redistributes heat, metabolites, sediment and plankton across shallow reefs.
Sediment resuspension
Re-entrainment of settled sediment by waves, currents, storms or animal activity.
Littoral drift
Alongshore transport of sand and sediment by waves and currents.
Beach erosion and accretion
Seasonal and event-driven loss and gain of beach sediment.
Dune accretion
Build-up of windblown sand in coastal dunes.
Dune stabilization by vegetation
Sand trapping and retention by coastal plants and root systems.
Storm overwash and dune–beach exchange
Landward transport and later redistribution of sand during high surf, storm surge and wave runup.
Reef wave attenuation
Dissipation of incoming wave energy by reef structure before it reaches shore.
