EP 20 Climatologist Tom Giambelluca on how the changing Hawaiian weather and climate affects fire and water

Dr. Tom Giambelluca, University of Hawai`i (UH) at Mānoa geography and environment professor has been studying and teaching Hawaiian weather and climate in relation to the land and water across the archipelago for 46 years. In the aftermath of the devastating fires on Maui, we ask him to unpack the local atmospheric trends of the past and future, specifically how climate warming is creating greater risk for more wildfires in Hawai`i.  As director of the UH Water Resources Research Center, we get to ask him how different land covers (native and invasive) affect the hydrology of a given area--specifically water in the streams, on the ground, and in the air.