POLLEN AND ORGANIC RESIDUE (FTIR) ANALYSIS OF SOIL SAMPLES FROM THE POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, HAWAI’I

Twenty-one sediment samples from seven culturally modified pits excavated into lava flows in the Pohakuloa Training Area, Hawai’i were submitted for pollen and organic residue analysis. Six additional sediment samples from a Hawai’ian Petrel nesting area on Mauna Loa, located in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, were submitted as FTIR control samples representing modern avian activity. These samples were made available specifically to answer the need for identifying the possibility that the culturally modified pits represent bird nesting areas. This is the first study to ever address the signature of a Hawai’ian petrel nest. Samples were tested for organic residues using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Pollen and organic residue analysis was used to gain information regarding feature function, specifically whether these pits were used for sweet potato cultivation or bird nesting habitats.