The popular Maunakea Speaker Series continues its monthly scholar-focused series at 7 p.m. today (March 21) in Room 108 at the UH-Hilo Science and Technology Building. “The Only Way Is Up. How are Maunakea and Maunaloa alpine plants responding to rapid climate change?” will be presented by UH-Hilo’s James Juvik and focus on changing patterns of alpine native and alien plants on Mauna Loa and Maunakea.

The presentation is free and open to the public.

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In 1958, noted Pacific Islands botanist Raymond Fosberg recorded the upper altitudinal limits of various native plants growing along the access road to the Mauna Loa observatory at the 11,000-foot elevation level. Juvik, professor emeritus of geography and environmental studies at UH-Hilo, and his team resurveyed the plants again after 50 years (2008) and 60 years (2018).

Juvik specializes primarily in tropical forest climate, hydrology, ecology, paleo-ecology and international wildlife conservation and ecological studies. He was the first to core a number of Hawaiian swamps and bogs to secure peat/pollen records of past vegetation and climate change.

He is an internationally recognized expert on conservation management of endangered land tortoises around the world.

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Juvik also is internationally recognized in the climatological field for the development of the “Juvik Fog Gauge,” now used worldwide to provide standardized fog measurements for research and monitoring. He has done extensive research into cloud mist in the mountains of Hawaii.

For more information, visit malamamaunakea.org or call 933-0734.