OPIHI enables intertidal data collection that would otherwise be too costly, time-consuming, or labor-intensive. The OPIHI undergraduate internship projects have included mapping groundwater in intertidal systems and examining how groundwater affects the distribution of algae and invertebrates, examining previously unknown diet relationships between intertidal herbivores and algae, and exploring how excess human-derived nutrients and invasive species have affected intertidal biodiversity over time. Interns also engage in outreach within the communities who live and are invested in their research sites, and participate as expert intertidal researchers in an ongoing monitoring program with teachers and K–12 students at rocky intertidal areas statewide. Our overall goal is to increase awareness and knowledge of the intertidal ecosystem in Hawaiʻi as well as identify potential threats to these systems by creating partnerships between undergraduates, researchers, and community groups engaged in the study and protection of this valuable ecosystem.
