Science Desk · USGS · Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program

A 253-year coral core records Maui land-use changes at Olowalu reef

USGS and University of Hawai‘i scientists traced sediment and nutrient inputs from 1760 through 2013 in one Porites lobata core.

Agency release dated 2026-10-09

What the record says

• Scientists from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and USGS analyzed a single Porites lobata core from Olowalu reef on Maui’s northwest shore.
• Trace elements in the core show how sediment and nutrient inputs changed from 1760 through 2013.
• USGS says the study links a mid-20th-century increase in land-derived inputs to declining coral growth.
• It is described as the first long-term baseline for ridge-to-reef connectivity on Maui.

Source: USGS — 253-year coral record reveals Maui reef’s long history of land-use impacts. Notice Nearby summarized this release; it adds no claims beyond the agency record.