Vol.14 No.2 - June 2006

NIWA Poster No. 4 (2006)
Copies of this poster can be obtained from: [email protected] or order from www.niwa.co.nz/pubs/posters
Posters cost $20.00 each

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Don Jellyman presents a female longfin eel caught in a small stream in the Wairarapa. The eel weighs 4.5 kg and is 1.2 m long; we estimate that she is about 45 years old. (Photo: Eric Graynoth)
The cover index is a measure of instream and streamside cover. As the index rises, so does the number of large longfin and shortfin eels found in rivers and streams during the day.
Pulling out an aggregation of 24 longfin eels (26-47 cm long) from beneath a willow bush in the braided Aparima River.

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Intertidal seagrass bed in Whangapoua Harbour. (Photo: Sarah Hailes)
Low tide reveals the traps for sampling animals within the seagrass. (Click for detail.) (Photo: Carolyn Lundquist)
Current profilers are positioned to measure near-bed currents inside and outside the seagrass bed.

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Tangaroa weathering the high wind speeds typical of the Southern Ocean that contribute to strong surface exchange between the atmosphere and ocean. (Photo: Peter Minnett, RSMAS, University of Miami)
The physical pump and the biological pump.

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Diatoms are one of the main phytoplankton groups that respond to iron addition. (Photo: Mary Silver, University of California, Santa Barbara)
Preparation for release: the deck of RV Tangaroa with the iron tanks on the left and the SF6 tracer tanks on the right. (Photo: Matt Walkington)
In the subantarctic waters southeast of New Zealand, Cliff Law and the SAGE Team have found that pumping iron doesn't always build bulk.
About half of New Zealands' EEZ lies in nutrient-rich subantarctic waters.

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Tending mussel lines in Wilson Bay.

From left to right: Apanui Skipper, Te Hiringānuku Ngāmane, and Darren King. (Photo: Pat Ngamane)
Darren, Apanui, Bill (Wīremu) Tawhai, Mere Roberts, Weno Iti, and Liliana Clarke. (Photo: Leona Stirling)
Click for enlargement and names.
Darren King and Apanui Skipper have recorded and compiled traditional knowledge held by two North Island iwi. Climate has always been important for Māori.

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Filled with pond water, protozoa, and microbes, the mesocosm tubes are lowered into an experimental wastewater treatment pond. At regular intervals, we bring them up and open another tube to count the microbes and analyse the amount of grazing that has occurred. (Photo: Rebecca Stott)
A protozoan ingesting fluorescently labelled microspheres. (Click for more detail.) (Photos: Rebecca Stott)
Rebecca Stott has met the diners of the microscopic set and reports on their favourite hangouts and cuisine.

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ClimateExplorer now online
Sample products from ClimateExplorer: climate maps; 15-day forecast for Reefton; plot for the climate station at Appleby.
ClimateExplorer is NIWA’s new online storefront for products based on climate data.

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'Water in the woolshed' road-show
Water-clarity tube in hand, John Quinn discusses stream water quality with farmers from around Taumarunui. (Photo: Sally Hobson)
Agriculture covers about half of New Zealand’s land surface and generates half our traded exports; recent intensification has meant more fertiliser, stock, and farm infrastructure such as drainage, tracks, and fencing.

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Coastal effects workshop a success
A workshop on the 'Effects of land-based activities on the coastal environment', hosted jointly by NIWA’s National Centre for Coasts and Oceans and National Centre for Water Resources, has generated considerable interest and enthusiasm. Held at Te Papa in Wellington in early May, the two-day meeting brought together almost 100 participants, including policy makers, industry sector groups, regional and local authorities, iwi authorities, and a wide range of science disciplines.

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Bugged by bugs?
NIWA identification workshops
How do I tell a damselfly from a swimming mayfly?
What’s the difference between lateral gills and pseudopods?
Brian Smith answered these and many similar questions at the NIWA training course, 'Introduction to stream invertebrates', held in April at the University of Waikato in Hamilton.
The one-day workshop was well attended by staff from regional councils, polytechs, environmental consultancies, and Biosecurity NZ.

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New atmospheric science laboratory in Antarctica
Drilling for the foundations and welding the cold-porch frame. During construction, the weather ranged from dreadful to delightful. (Photos: Leighs Construction Ltd)
Workers prepare to install one of the 250-mm-thick wall panels. Below, the completed shell of the new building, showing the walkway to access the roof. (Photos: Stephen Robbins, Antarctica NZ)
Antarctica New Zealand has constructed a new atmospheric science laboratory at Arrival Heights, a few kilometres away from Scott Base.

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2006 Science & Technology Fairs
(Poster: Kath MacLeod)
Each year NIWA contributes to science education in New Zealand by sponsoring five of the regional Science and Technology Fairs. From early August to mid October, NIWA staff will be helping with judging and prize-giving. Prizes at the fairs include summer work experience at NIWA, trips to overseas science fairs, and participation in the national 'Realise the Dream' science and technology event.

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Reyn Naylor checks the progress of the tiny paua in one of the experimental jars. (Photo: Alan Blacklock)
Five paua larvae after settlement on Phymatolithon repandum. below: A paua larva 'tasting' coralline algae before settlement. (Photos: Kate Neill)
Jars containing Mesophyllum sp. (at top right in the close-up), Phymatolithon repandum, and bare pebbles imbedded in modelling clay. About 50 paua larvae were placed in each of the jars.

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Perched atop the optics building at NIWA's Lauder campus, Richard checks the solar tracker. (Photo: Mike Kotkamp)
UV Index display at the Alexandra Blossom Festival. (Photo: Richard McKenzie)
In the remote Manuherikia River valley of Central Otago, far from the air pollution of any sizable human population, sits NIWA’s world-renowned atmospheric research facility.

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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. Most of the magazine’s articles are assigned ‘Curriculum Connections’ to indicate which of the NZ NCEA Achievement Standards they can complement as a classroom resource.