Pelagicos

05/31/2026

The wedge-tailed shearwaters are back to the Freeman Seabird Preserve, and will start laying eggs in the first week of June.

05/31/2026

Decades of ice loss have fundamentally altered Arctic ocean chemistry, disrupting the foundations of the marine food web

New data shows that decades of ice loss have altered Arctic ocean chemistry, triggering an irreversible disruption to Arctic foodchain

05/30/2026

Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge Hawaii team is testing the response of Bonin Petrel chicks to different seabird-friendly lighting fixtures at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Stay tuned for updates.

05/29/2026

Ongoing ocean discoveries increase marine biodiversity

Over the course of 13 expeditions and other efforts between mid-2025 and mid-2026, scientists found hundreds of previously undiscovered creatures living under the waves

05/28/2026

An El Niño develops as multiple eastward Kelvin waves cross the equatorial Pacific Ocean over several months, and warm water anomaly expands off the coast of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Waves of higher, warmer water move eastward across the Pacific Ocean a few months before an El Niño emerges. Several have shown up in 2026 satellite data.

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

Wait! Where did the ‘ua’u kani go?

Didn’t we just welcome them back!? Yes! But…

These fascinating seabirds return to Maui Nui to reunite with their mate and spruce up their burrow, but then they turn around and return to sea. Why? Because they are getting ready to welcome an egg! This phenomenon is called the egg-laying exodus. Egg laying takes a significant amount of energy, so to prepare female birds need to feed as much as possible. Their male partners also need additional nutrition, as they help share incubation duties during which time they do not eat. Eat well ‘ua’u kani and we’ll see you soon!

📸 credit: Na'ia Koole

05/24/2026

Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge Hawaii team spent friday night quantifying lighting at Makai Pier with Leora Radetsky from DLC https://designlights.org/our-work/luna

05/22/2026

Found a dead wedge-tailed shearwater on Kailua Brach, banded as a flightless chick on October 29 2021 at Popoia Island. Thank you to the USGS Bird Banding Lab !