Vol.16 No.3 - September 2008

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In New Zealand, Caprella mutica has been found attached to structures in ports and aquaculture farms, such as this line in a mussel farm. (Photo: Chris Woods)
Blending in with the background, a female with full brood pouch hangs from a string line, awaiting a passing meal. (Photo: Chris Woods)
Body parts and relative sizes of adult Caprella mutica male and female.

NIWA’s National Climate Centre has produced a set of five A1-size maps displaying some of our new climate change projections for New Zealand. The maps present a ‘middle-of-the-road’ picture of the future.

Habitat suitability is a familiar concept to most people who collect fish, plants, or aquatic insects from rivers.

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Smittoidea (orange) and Cinctipora (white) bryozoans from the undisturbed seabed at Separation Point. (Photo: Ken Grange)
Retehornera foliacea, one of the ‘lace coral’ bryozoans found at Separation Point. (Photo: Ken Grange)
Representative grab samples from fished (left) and unfished areas (right) show the difference in biodiversity and sediment texture outside and inside the closed area. (Photo: Sean Handley)
Separation Point fisheries exclusion area between Tasman Bay and Golden Bay.

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Park Pass glacier in the Humboldt Mountains at the end of summer 2007. (Photo: Trevor Chinn)
Two contrasting glaciers at Mt Cook: Stocking Glacier (above) and Tasman Glacier (below). (Photos: Trevor Chinn)
Murchison Glacier has lowered below the moraine trimlines established a century ago, while losing little in length.

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Landlocked kōaro from Te Hirau Stream, Lake Rotorua. (Photo: Shane Grayling)
Results of stream surveys in the Rotorua lakes region.
Shane Grayling samples an example of ideal stream habitat for kōaro. (Photo: Josh Smith)
Shane checks out a culvert. (Photo: Josh Smith)
Dave Rowe, Josh Smith, and Shane Grayling put the case for restoration of a native fish in New Zealand lakes. The kōaro (Galaxias brevipinnis) was once abundant and the dominant fish in the Te Arawa lakes near Rotorua in New Zealand’s North Island.

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NIWA’s new climate change projections.
Climate change projections for New Zealand How is New Zealand’s climate changing? What could be in store for the future? Our National Climate Centre has produced a detailed four-page information leaflet outlining NIWA’s new climate change projections.

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Visitors flocked to the NIWA stand at Fieldays. (Photo: Alan Blacklock)
Young travellers admire the aquarium at Wellington airport. (Photo: Wendy St George)
Yellowtail kingfish. (Photo: Malcolm Clark)
NIWA at Fieldays 2008 A major event in the farming calendar is Fieldays, held each June at Mystery Creek, Hamilton. The theme this year was the ‘Science of Farming’.

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Kudos for NIWA scientists Anti-inflammatory compound The notable Journal of Natural Products has selected an article by the scientists of TerraMarine for the Arthur E. Schwarting award for best paper for 2007. TerraMarine is a joint venture partnership between NIWA, the Malaghan Institute, and Crop & Food Research, with the University of Auckland providing significant expertise in marine natural products chemistry.

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Resources from the website: an information sheet about the factors that influence kōura in the Te Arawa lakes. (Graphic: Aarti Wadhwa)
Resources from the website: a conceptual model.
Native species of Te Arawa lakes NIWA and the Te Arawa Lakes Trust are developing a sustainable management plan for Te Arawa’s customary fisheries. We’re putting together tools, monitoring methods, and guidelines that focus specifically on culturally important mahinga kai and taonga species.

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Stratospheric ozone recovery The Montreal Protocol has been very successful is reducing emissions of man-made ozone-depleting substances to the atmosphere. In response, stratospheric concentrations of halogens (chlorine and bromine) that deplete ozone are declining, and ozone is expected to return to pre-1980 levels during this century.

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Len Doel (left) and Alan Thomas send up a balloon to collect ozone data. (Photo: Hamish Chisholm)
Len beside rain gauge test equipment in an alpine area of the central North Island. (Photo: Barry Waugh)
On board Tangaroa with one of the 200-micron plankton nets. (Photo: Jenny Pollock, NZMST Fellow)
NZMST Teacher Fellow: Len Doel Len Doel, a teacher from Papatoetoe East Primary School in Auckland, is one of the New Zealand Science, Mathematics and Technology Teacher Fellows working with NIWA staff in 2008.

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Tony sends up the Helikite near Lake Tennyson. (Photo: Ross Martin)
Whether it’s crossing the western Pacific to Osaka on a bulk carrier or chasing helicopters through New Zealand bush, Tony Bromley gets around. His years of experience and his expertise in making atmospheric measurements in the field have taken him from one end of the country to the other, and quite a distance offshore as well.

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Millions of small dark brown brittlestars, tentatively identified as Ophiacantha otagoensis, cover the flat summit of the seamount. (Photo: DTIS TAN0803)
Waving for a meal: Ophiacantha rosea capture plankton and zooplankton from the passing current in mucus on the feathery spines on their arms. (Photos: DTIS TAN 0803
The DTIS is winched over the side as it sets off on another run through the depths. (Photo: Julian Finn, Museum Victoria)
One of the deck crew guides the DTIS over the side.

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One of NIWA’s aims with this magazine is to contribute to science education in New Zealand. To this end we distribute Water & Atmosphere without charge to New Zealand high schools. Articles are assigned ‘Curriculum Connections’ to indicate which of the NZ NCEA Achievement or Unit Standards they can complement as a classroom resource.

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Flood irrigation in the Waitaiki catchment. (Photo: MS Srinivasan)
Spray irrigation system in Central Otago. (Photo: Alan Porteous)
Measuring soil moisture levels. (Photo: Maurice Duncan)
To help farmers get the most out of their irrigation systems, MS Srinivasan and Jochen Schmidt have turned to the TopNet computer model. Irrigation is like an insurance policy against weather failure, offering the solace of certainty and security for food production. Irrigation also improves the marketability and market value of horticultural produce.