The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, in partnership with Saildrone , a provider of real-time ocean mapping and data using unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), has completed a survey of near-shore ocean water quality around the main Hawaiian Islands using Saildrone Explorers.

From April 6 to November 27, three Saildrones surveyed the Hawaiian Islands, around Hawaiʻi, Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Niʻihau and gathered over 100,000 key measurements, including temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, turbidity, pH, and CO2 levels in both water and air.

The survey was designed to help state leaders make informed decisions about policies to protect Hawaiʻi's coasts and to assess and mitigate the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on marine ecosystems, including coral reefs.