Kim Falinski, Ph.D., P.E.
Lead Water Scientist, Hawaiʻi & Palmyra
Hawai'i
Kim Falinski Lead Water Scientist, Hawaiʻi & Palmyra © TNC
Areas of Expertise
Tropical Island Hydrology, Coastal Water Quality, Environmental Engineering, Stormwater Engineering
Links
Biography
Kim leads strategic planning around land-based pollution and freshwater resources that connect to the ocean for Hawaiʻi and Palmyra. When possible, she works to include nature-based and indigenous-knowledge solutions into her work, including considering the role of wetlands, taro fields and bioswales to capture nutrients and soils. She has been a technical advisor for a Maui-based community water quality program since 2015 and helped to use that data to advocate for watershed management actions.
Kim has provided guidance to the Cesspool Working Group for the State of Hawaii to prioritize upgrades and has focused on finding better ways to choose the right tech solutions for the right communities in the right places to make the most difference for nearshore reef systems. Most recently, she has been involved in identifying solutions to keep coastal erosion from affecting west Maui reefs.
Kim holds a PhD from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Tropical Plant and Soil Science, an MSc from Cornell in Biological and Environmental Engineering, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from MIT. She is a Professional Engineer for the state of Hawaii and affiliate faculty at UH Manoa's Water Resources Research Center.
Drexler, J. Z., Raine, H., Harrington, C. L., Winter, Falinski, K. ., ... & Wolfe, B. (2025). The Scientific Benefits of a Statewide, Standardized, Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program in Hawaiʻi. Ecology and Evolution, 15(4), e71293.
Dulai, H., Mackenzie, C., Falinski, K. Nutrient source tracking in a mixed land use watershed in young, high volcanic island, Hawaii, US. Conference paper. Goldschmidt 2025.
Robinson, S., Falinski, K., Johnson, D. et al. Evaluating the Risk Landscape of Hawaiian Monk Seal Exposure to Toxoplasma gondii. EcoHealth (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-024-01678-7
Minton, D., Falinski, K., Carr, R., Lynch, H., Rose, J., Conklin, E. (2022). Coral reef and water quality surveys of the Keōmuku Reef Tract, Lāna’i. Reported submitted to the National Fish and Wildlife Federation.
Panelo, J., Wiegner, T.N., Colbert, S.L., Goldberg, S., Abaya, L.M., Conklin, E., Couch, C., Falinski, K., Gove, J., Watson, L., Wiggins, C., 2022. Spatial distribution and sources of nutrients at two coastal developments in South Kohala, Hawai'i. Mar. Pollut. Bull. 174, 113143.
Falinski, K., Minton, D., Most, R., Seidel, B. (2021) Survey of Fishpond Complex and Marine Resources at Kalāhuipua ‘a, Hawai ‘i (2018-2019). Report compiled for NOAA.
Marrack, L. Wiggins, C., Marra, J., Genz, A., Most, R., Falinski, K., Conklin, E. (2021) Assessing the spatial-temporal response of groundwater-fed anchialine ecosystems to sea-level rise for coastal zone management. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystem. 31(853-869).
Winter, K., Lincoln, N., Berkes, F., Alegado, R., Kurashima, N., Frank, K., ..., Falinski, K., McClatchey, W. (2020). Ecomimicry in Indigenous resource management: optimizing ecosystem services to achieve resource abundance, with examples from Hawaiʻi. Ecology and Society, 25(2).
Falinski, K., Oleson, K., Lecky, J., Hamel, P., El-Kadi, A., Yost, R., El Kadi, A., Sutherland, R. (2017). Development of a subtropical, volcanic geology-specific model for sediment delivery in the Hawaiian Islands. Ecological Modeling and Software, Submitted Feb 2020.
Bremer, L. L., Wada, C. A., Medoff, S., Page, J., Falinski, K., & Burnett, K. M. (2019). Contributions of native forest protection to local water supplies in East Maui. Science of The Total Environment, 688, 1422-1432.
Bremer, L., Falinski, K., Ching, C, Wada, C., Burnett, K., Kukea-Schultz, K, Reppun, N., Chun, G., Medoff, S, Oleson, K, Ticktin, T. (2018). Biocultural restoration of traditional agriculture: assessing the multiple outcomes of lo’i restoration in Heʻeia, Oʻahu. Sustainability (Special Issue).
Falinski, K. Penn, D. (2017). Loss of reservoir capacity through sedimentation in Hawaii: management implications for the 21st century. Pacific Science 72:1.
Hamel, P., Falinski, K, Auerbach, D, Frank, J, Sanchez-Canales, M. (2017) Sediment delivery modeling in practice: Comparing the effects of watershed characteristics and data resolution across hydroclimatic regions." Science of the Total Environment.
Oleson, K. L. L.,Falinski, K, Lecky, J, Rowe, C, Kappel, C, Selkoe, K, White, C. (2017). "Upstream solutions to coral reef conservation: The payoffs of smart and cooperative decision-making." Journal of Environmental Management 191: 8-18.
Stock, J. Falinski, K. Callender, T. (2015). Reconnaissance sediment budget for selected watersheds of West Maui, Hawaii, USA. Open File Report, USGS.
Falinski, K., Yost, R., Sampaga, E., Peard, J. (2014). Arsenic accumulation by edible aquatic macrophytes. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 99