The Effects of Hawaiʻi's Seasons on Tourism and on Our Shoreline Health

Lehiwa Wong-Frank, Chaminade University of Honolulu, karsyn.wong-frank@student.chaminade.edu

Methods:

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Rainfall Data

Source: NOAA’s COOP database

Timeframe: 2020 to 2024

Method: Hourly precipitation data visualized using line graphs�Tools: Python on the TACC supercomputer

Wind Data

Source: NOAA’s Station OOUH1

Timeframe: 2008 to 2024�Method: Monthly windspeed visualized using heatmaps�Tools: Python on the TACC supercomputer

E. coli Data

Source: Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force�Content: Water quality data including E. coli concentrations�Method: Spatial heatmaps showing bacterial contamination patterns�Tools: Python on the TACC supercomputer

Visitor & Expenditure Data

Source: Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT)�Timeframe: 2018 to 2023�Content: Monthly visitor counts and tourism-related expenditures

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Discussion and/or conclusion

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• Hawaii is constantly preserving water. We've been getting more frequent rain but not as much water because of low rain.
• Seasonal changes and hurricane season do affect visitation and spending in Oʻahu.
• Tourism peaks in summer and winter — during school breaks and holidays — so spending goes up. In spring and fall, fewer people visit, and spending drops.
• Hurricane season runs from June to November, but it only affects tourism when a big storm actually happens. If there’s a hurricane warning or flooding, tourists cancel trips and spending drops for a short time.
• So overall, seasons have a strong, regular impact, and hurricanes affect tourism only sometimes, depending on the storm.

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Next steps

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The next steps for this project I would do is look more into wave height of Oʻahu and to see if it has any affect on visitation or enterococcus levels.

I would also look into NOAA website to look into wind speed as far back in historical data rather than just Pearl Harbor.

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Results

Introduction/Background

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• Overall weather patterns and hurricane season affect visitation and spending in Oʻahu.
• Hurricanes are intense tropical storms that develop over warm ocean waters, rotating around a low-pressure center. They bring strong winds, heavy rain, storm surges, and flooding, and are classified as hurricanes when wind speeds reach at least 74 mph.
• 7 types of Hurricanes:
• Tropical depression
• Tropical storm
• Category 1-5 based on wind speed
• Average rainfall in each season:
• Winter (Average: 15–20+ inches in wetter areas)
• Spring (Average: 5–10 inches)
• Summer (Average: 2–5 inches)
• Fall (Average: 5–10 inches)
• Define E. Coli (Enterococcus):
• Found in the intestines of humans and animals. While many strains are harmless, some can cause infections. Used to test water quality. If they are found in high amounts, it may mean the water is contaminated with sewage and unsafe for swimming or drinking.

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Research Question/Hypothesis

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Do seasonal changes and hurricane season affect visitation and spending in Oʻahu?

References

https://bwtf.surfrider.org/

https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/visitor/visitor-research/

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Acknowledgements

Project Lead: Dr. Kelly Gaither, Kumu Kahoaliʻi Keahi-Wood, Amber Camp, Rylan Chong

Mentors: Jacob-Kyle Laʻa

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