H 
< 
H 
Q_ 
O 
LlI 
cr 
CL 
900 - 
800 
700 
600 
500 
400 
300 
200 
100 
KANEOHE MAUKA 
STATION 
60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 
YEARS 
Figure 23-2. Monthly Rainfall Since 1960 at a Selected Rain 
Gauge in the Kaneohe Bay Watershed. 
of hard substratum for settlement; particulate material in the water column 
lowers light and interferes with feeding mechanisms. 
Nutrient loading from sewage discharge has increased about sixfold since 
1963 (Figure 23-3). This increase is consistent with the previously cited rate of 
human population increase in the Kaneohe watershed. Virtually the entire 
nutrient load delivered to Kaneohe Bay is stripped from the water by biological 
uptake. There have been several obvious responses to the increased nutrient 
loading. Benthic algae are locally abundant on the reef flats and compete 
successfully with the corals for space on the reef slopes (2). The zone of 
present algal dominance on the reef slopes corresponds with the zone left 
undamaged by the 1965 freshwater kill. Phytoplankton standing crop and 
productivity are elevated above pre-loading levels; included in this high 
standing crop are frequent plankton “blooms” (4, plus our own data). Various 
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