Kyle Thiermann

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Earth & Conservation

Hawaii has some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world.

How This Poo Problem Could Destroy The Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii has some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes in the world. The clear, blue water is striking to look at, but the water surrounding Hawaii also has a big problem: cesspools.A cesspool is essentially a capped hole in the ground used for residential wastewater discharge. Whatever comes from your toilet at home goes into this underground hole and is contained there. Because there is no waste treatment, the waste fosters pathogens, bacteria and excess nutrients, which can seep out of the cesspool and into the nearby soil. This contaminates ground water that eventually makes its way to the ocean, threatening marine life and human health. But many people are working to solve this problem. Watch this Seeker Stories video to find out what's being done to curb the cesspool problem in Hawaii.

The ocean is fundamental to all life on Earth.

Hunting Wild Pigs Could Save Hawaii's Coral Reefs

The ocean is fundamental to all life on Earth. It covers 70% of our planet, dictates weather, regulates temperature, and <a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/exploration.html">takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere</a>. On the ocean floor lies one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world: coral reefs. "There's no other ecosystem on this planet that occupies such a small geographic area, but has more forms of life than coral reef ecosystems. They're unprecedented," Dr. Jamie Gove, a research oceanographer at the <a href="http://www.noaa.gov/oceans-coasts">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a>, told Seeker's correspondent, Kyle Thiermann.  "One in four of all marine organisms live in association with coral reefs, but they occupy less than one-tenth of 1% of the seafloor."Although known for their beautiful appearance, the reefs are vital to humans and marine life alike. Life without coral reefs would likely mean millions of species dying. It would also mean losing reefs as a new source for medical research, which in the past has led to new medications that treat cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's, and <a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_medicine.html">many other conditions</a>.<a href="http://www.seeker.com/hawaii-reefs-reveal-species-found-nowhere-else-2030319297.html">RELATED: Hawaii Coral Reefs Reveal Species Found Nowhere Else</a>As much as coral reefs provide for the planet, they are very delicate, and reefs around the world are currently dying off at an alarming rate. <a href="http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/coralreefs/coral-reefs-coral-bleaching-what-you-need-to-know.xml">Coral bleaching</a> occurs in high water temperatures and affects the coral's zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae are photosynthetic algae that live within the issue of coral polyp and give healthy coral a bright color, as well as nutrients. When the water becomes too hot, the coral expel the zooxanthellae. At this point, the coral are not dead, but they're vulnerable.There have been many incidents recently that have decimated coral, like in 1998 when El Niño triggered a bleaching event that killed 16% of coral reefs around the world. A similar event happened during La Niña of 2010, and again in October of 2015. This event is ongoing and has become the <a href="http://www.globalcoralbleaching.org">longest bleaching event in recorded history</a>.With time and reduced climate intensity, bleached reefs can come back to life, but it's much harder when they are additionally stressed by land based activities. <a href="http://www.seeker.com/deadly-sponges-snuffing-out-coral-colonies-1769775953.html">RELATED: Deadly Sponges Snuffing-Out Coral Colonies</a>"I think we have seen declines in reef ecosystems for decades now and so I think that we're slowly reaching a tipping point which once we reach that point, reefs will be on a negative trajectory that there's no turning back," said Dr. Gove. "The only way that we can promote reef ecosystem resilience is by changing what we're doing on land, that currently impacts reef ecosystem health."One of these factors are the feral pigs and goats in Hawaii. Chad Wiggins, Marine Program Director at <a href="http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/hawaii/">The Nature Conservancy Hawaii</a>, is working towards solutions to manage the hoofed animals' growing population numbers, and in effect, hopefully provide relief for coral to survive the effects of climate change.Feral pigs and goats cause damage for coral as they dig up grounds in search for worms and snails in Hawaii's forests, and that's where the problem begins. "Once the rains come intermittently and flood these streams, that's when they get a big bolster of sediment onto the reef," explained Wiggins. "If it's smothered, it can't get sunlight, it can't get oxygen, it can't get nutrients and it's dead.  If the coral manages to survive, every time the waves come, it gets re-suspended and the sediment continues to do damage, sometimes for decades."<a href="http://www.seeker.com/bleached-corals-may-have-herpes-1770894002.html">RELATED: Bleached Corals May Have Herpes</a>Native residents of Hawaii, like Pono Hiu, feel very protective of both coral and feral pigs. Approximately 500 million people depend on reefs for food to feed their families. Reefs also support livelihoods by contributing <a href="http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/coasts/coral_reefs/coral_importance/">$30 billion to the global economy each year</a> through fishing, recreation, and tourism."It would be a sad day to jump into this ocean and not see any coral for me. I take my son out here and I dive all the time and poke fish to feed my family. This ocean provides food for a lot of us here in Hawaii," Hiu told Seeker. Hiu and his family have lived in Hawaii for generations, and are also eager to find solutions where pigs and coral can coexist."Pigs play a major role in our life. Pretty much all my friends and family hunt or utilize these pigs from these mountains to feed their families either on a daily or weekly basis. Pigs have been here since man has been here.""What needs to happen is management," said Wiggins. "If we want to have a healthy native forest, there have to be some areas that don't have pigs in them and finding where those areas are is something where conservationists and hunters have to work together."

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion resulted in what's been named the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster: A Survivor's Story

The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion resulted in what's been named <a href="http://ocean.si.edu/gulf-oil-spill">the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.</a> On April 20th, 2010, the explosion on the rig took the lives of 11 workers and caused an estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil and methane gas to leak into the ocean for 87 straight days.Caleb Holloway was on board the Deepwater Horizon the day of the explosion. Seeker's <a href="http://www.seeker.com/community/kyle_thiermann">Kyle Thiermann</a> spoke with Caleb about what happened that day, and his journey to recovery in the aftermath of this tragedy.<a href="http://www.seeker.com/oil-spills-cause-deformities-that-could-endanger-seafood-supply-1968539922.html">RELATED: Even Small Oil Spills Endanger Seafood Supply</a>"We did everything we could to get as many people off of there and to try to salvage what we could on the rig," Caleb told Kyle. "Whenever it finally sunk, the 11 guys that were missing were the guys from the drill crew. It was very, very hard for me to accept. I wasn't ready to give up. I wanted to go back out there and search some more," he said.In the months after the explosion, criminal investigations into the incident revealed that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bp-mistakes-2010-5#bp-may-have-cut-corners-in-well-design-2">BP may not have kept up with multiple design and procedure standards.</a> Their well design had a missing seal that left a gap for gas to escape from, they skipped crucial tests of the well cement lining, and despite various warning signs of an oil leak, rig managers did not evacuate Deepwater Horizon until it was too late. Still, no one could've imagined the devastation that actually occurred. For months afterward, Caleb struggled to return to normal life. He wanted to be back out on the rig, but knew he wouldn't be able to handle it mentally and emotionally, after what happened."I was on a downward spiral, not getting any better every day that I would think about it. I missed the rig, I missed the brotherhood that we had out there," he said.<a href="http://www.seeker.com/the-fight-to-stop-north-dakotas-oil-pipeline-2005522526.html">RELATED: The Fight To Stop North Dakota's Oil Pipeline</a>Despite the devastation of what Caleb went through, some good did come out of it. After helping in the search and rescue efforts during the disaster, he knew he could handle the pressure of a life or death situation. Caleb is now a firefighter in his hometown of Nacogdoches, Texas, where he continues to save lives."I think the Horizon tragedy kinda prepared me for some of the stuff that I'm faced with today," he told Kyle. "You can either run away or you can run and help, and I knew I had that in me to go and help. It gave me the confidence to be able to face the challenges I face today, 'cause when everybody else is running away, we're running in, and that's just something I'm extremely proud to be able to do and try to impact people's lives by helping."<a href="http://www.seeker.com/rig-with-300-tons-of-oil-runs-aground-off-scotland-1964558564.html">RELATED: Rig With 300 Tons of Oil Runs Aground Off Scotland</a>After experiencing a tragedy like this, it can be easy to give up and walk away. Caleb was able to overcome his fears and continues to exemplify bravery in his work as a firefighter by risking his own life to save others.He told Kyle he's very grateful for where he is today. "It's been such a blessing to be able to overcome the tragedy that happened and to be in the place that I'm at now."-- <a href="http://www.seeker.com/community/Molly_Fosco">Molly Fosco</a>

What Happened in Chile...

Exploration

Space & Innovation

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Pig Heads and Barrels (Sick Mex Surf Edit)

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Kyle Thiermann’s Recent Articles

How This Poo Problem Could Destroy The Hawaiian Islands

How is our sewage threatening coral reefs in Hawaii?

Hunting Wild Pigs Could Save Hawaii's Coral Reefs

How are land based factors, like wild pigs, hurting Hawaii's coral reefs?

Hunting Wild Pigs Could Save Hawaii's Coral Reefs

How are land based factors, like wild pigs, hurting Hawaii's coral reefs?

Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster: A Survivor's Story

Meet Caleb Holloway. An oil rig worker who survived the Deepwater Horizon accident, one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history.

What Happened in Chile...

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/1EJLkWV Get weekly tips and tricks in my newsletter http://kyle.surf/ Find me on Facebook https://www.faceboo

What Happened in Chile...

Here's the story.

Pig Heads and Barrels (Sick Mex Surf Edit)

We took a Springtime trip to Mexico... it was awesome.

Pig Heads and Barrels

We took a Springtime trip to Mexico... it was awesome.

Surfing A Foamie At Mexico's Most Dangerous Beachbreak

We we're bored and it was onshore.

Surfing A Foamie At Mexico's Most Dangerous Beachbreak

We were bored and it was onshore.

Through The Cave (Ft. Wildlight Lily Moon)

Hawaii.

Through The Cave

Hawaii.