Vital signs monitoring tracks certain ecological indicators selected to represent the overall health or condition of park resources. Monitoring data are periodically collected on 12 vital signs. The data are analyzed and summarized to park managers so that they have relevant and up-to-date information on the condition of park resources to inform management actions. Learn more about vital signs.
The Pacific Island Network Vital Signs Monitoring Plan provides a detailed description of the network's overall monitoring strategy. Use the table below to access specific vital signs monitoring protocols.
Monitoring reports are available that provide periodic updates and findings of ongoing monitoring work.
Network staff take a comprehensive and long-term approach to managing all data we collect. The integrity, utility, security, and availability of data is a primary responsibility. Learn more about network data management.
Vital Signs
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Anchialine PoolsAnchialine pools provide critical habitat for rare invertebrate species including shrimp, snails, and damselflies
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Benthic Marine CommunitiesFour parks within the Pacific Island Network contain rich benthic marine communities that are home to algae, corals, and other invertebrates
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ClimateClimate is widely recognized as a major driver for both terrestrial and marine ecosystems
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Early Detection of Invasive PlantsEarly detection of invasive plant species is a key component in helping to curtail the spread of noxious weeds into surrounding areas
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Established Invasive Plant SpeciesNonnative plant species invasions present a serious threat to Pacific island ecosystems
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Focal Terrestrial Plant CommunitiesLong-term vegetation monitoring helps us determine plant community health, ecosystem stability, and the effectiveness of management
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Groundwater DynamicsIn many Pacific islands, groundwater is the primary source of water for ecologically significant and often rare habitats
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LandbirdsOn Pacific islands, birds pollinate the majority of woody plant species and disperse their seeds
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Landscape DynamicsLandscape dynamics monitoring in parks provides information on land use and land cover change
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Marine Fish CommunitiesMarine fish are a major component of coral reef ecosystems and serve many ecological functions
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Stream CommunitiesFreshwater ecosystems are considered to be among the world's most vulnerable
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Water Quality - Fresh & BrackishFresh and brackish water quality monitoring occurs in places like streams and anchialine pools
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Water Quality - MarineThe quality of surface waters, marine waters, and groundwater is fundamental to the ecosystems across the Pacific islands
Monitoring Quick Reads
Showing results 1-9 of 9
- Locations: American Memorial Park, Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Kalaupapa National Historical Park, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, more »
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network
As climate changes, significant changes in weather conditions impact the natural environment by shifting patterns of precipitation, promoting extremes in storm behavior, and influencing bird migration, invasive species spread, coral reef decline, and much more. The Pacific Island Network (PACN) undertakes systematic long-term monitoring of a wide variety of natural resources to accurately determine if change is occurring and why.
- Locations: Haleakalā National Park, Kalaupapa National Historical Park, National Park of American Samoa, War In The Pacific National Historical Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network
Changes in weather patterns affect the quantity and quality of the water, which has profound effects on our native stream animals. In the Hawaiian Islands, the total amount of rain is expected to decrease as the impacts of climate change manifest.
- Locations: Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division, Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network
Pacific Islands Inventory & Monitoring Network performs an early detection pilot study at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Haleakalā National Park to document the presence of non-native and invasive plant species. I&M is evaluating the effectiveness of this study to enhance the Early Detection of Invasive Plants protocol and the feasibility of instituting early detection at a larger scale throughout these and other the Pacific island national parks.
- Locations: Kalaupapa National Historical Park, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division
How unique marine assemblages at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park provide an excellent opportunity to study nutrient inputs into nearshore waters, and its influence on benthic communities and the associated fish assemblage.
- Locations: Haleakalā National Park
- Offices: Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network
Scientists with the National Park Service Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network (PACN) and US Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center recently teamed up to answer a pressing question: how prevalent is avian malaria in Haleakalā National Park? USGS scientists had tackled the question once before in 2002. But this time, they suspected they might find very different answers.
- Locations: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park, Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division
Anchialine pools are brackish coastal ecosystems without a surface connection to the ocean, where groundwater and ocean water (from underground) mix. In Hawai‘i, groundwater flows through these pools and out to wetlands and coral reefs making them valuable indicators of broad-scale groundwater recharge and contamination.
- Locations: Haleakalā National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division
The National Park Service at Haleakalā and Hawai‘i Volcanoes have combined resources and know-how to give three dozen species a fighting chance to remain viable in the midst of climate change.
- Locations: War In The Pacific National Historical Park
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division
In response to stresses such as higher water temperatures, corals can lose the symbiotic microscopic algae (which provides up to 95% of the coral’s nutrition) from their tissues causing them to look white or "bleached." If favorable conditions return, corals can sometimes recover. However, bleached corals are more vulnerable to disease and other stressors, which can lead to death. This worldwide trend of coral bleaching is linked to global warming.
- Locations: National Park of American Samoa
- Offices: Inventory and Monitoring Division
Found throughout the Indo-Pacific the crown of thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci is one of the largest sea stars in the world (up to 45 cm across). Unlike the typical starfish with five arms, the crown of thorns starfish is disc-shaped with multiple arms (up to 21) covered in poisonous spines. These unique features gave rise to this starfish's commonly referred to name of the crown of thorns.
Last updated: September 12, 2024