Vol.16 No.2 - June 2008

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Cultured kingfish cruise a tank at Bream Bay Aquaculture Park. (Photo: Alan Blacklock)
The microbial processes at work in the sediment beneath a fish cage during decomposition of organic material, such as fish faeces. (Graphic: Hilke Giles)
Four cores in the lab experiment. (Photo: Kay Vopel)
A close-up of the layer of fish faeces on one of the sediment cores. (Photo: Kay Vopel)
Hilke Giles measures oxygen in the cores during the laboratory experiment.

Ship’s track of the IPY-CAML voyage, February and March 2008. The yellow dots show where the vessel stopped for sampling along its 7150 nautical mile journey. Read about the expedition inside this issue and at www.niwa.co.nz/rc/antarctica/ipy-caml

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Components of the RECFISH GIS data scheme. (Graphic: Ude Shankar)
The inner Hauraki Gulf survey area marked with our eleven sampling zones. (Map: Mark Morrison)
RECFISH: example of data layers from the Motiuhe Channel. (Graphic: Mark Morrison and Glen Carbines)
Recreational fisher with large snapper tagged at the Noises Islands and later re-caught (and released) at Kawau Island, 30 km away. (Photo: Sam Mossman)
Material from a benthic core sample from the ‘worm beds’ north of Rangitoto Island.

Over the centuries, Māori have recorded a litany of natural hazards and catastrophic events in their stories, songs, and place names. Now Darren King, James Goff, and Apanui Skipper are investigating how this wealth of information can complement scientific studies and management of natural hazards. 

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Sending the DTIS cameras over the side to film the seabed below. (Photo: Helen Kettles, DOC)
We sorted over 11 tonnes of samples during the voyages. Prime specimens and material that we couldn't readily identify were retained for further work back in the laboratory. (Photo: Scott Nodder)
Though the deepsea floor around New Zealand may look like a desert, initial results from a wide-sweeping new survey point to a surprising abundance of life.

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The ‘Natural Hazards 2007’ publication.
Natural hazards in 2007 From volcano and earthquake to flood, drought, tornado,  and tsunami, 2007 was one of the most costly years on record for natural hazards in New Zealand. For the insurance industry, it's projected to be the second most expensive year for natural hazard payouts since 1968, the year of the Wahine storm (exceeded only by the 2004 Manawatu floods).

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Projected Annual Mean Temperature Change between 1980-1999 and 2080-2099. (Map: NIWA)
Projected Annual Mean Precipitation Change between 1980-1999 and 2080-2099. (Map: NIWA)
How could climate change affect us? NIWA has just released new projections of climate change in New Zealand.

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Fisheries scientist K. Radway Allen, 1911–2008
K. Radway Allen. (Photo: NIWA)
The Allen Building, home to marine fisheries research at NIWA’s Wellington campus, was named after Kenneth Radway Allen, who died recently in Australia, aged 97.

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Wendy Nelson holds the bronze she received last year as part of the New Zealand Marine Sciences Award. (Photo: Alan Blacklock)
Queen’s Birthday honour for Dr Wendy Nelson Wendy Nelson, an expert in marine macroalgae (seaweeds) and coastal ecology, was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the marine environment.

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Gorgonian and stylasterid corals on Macquarie Ridge. (Photo: NIWA)
Fourth International Symposium on Deepsea Coral Research
1–5 December 2008, Victoria University of Wellington Understanding deepsea corals – their ecology, function, and value – has become a priority for marine resource agencies and managers around the world. NIWA is hosting the 4th International Deepsea Coral Symposium, the first time the symposium has been held in the southern hemisphere.

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Carbon: Global Cycle to Regional Budget
14–15 April, National Library, Wellington The challenge of ‘decarbonisation’ – or carbon constraint – following an era of cheap fossil fuel energy is undoubtedly the largest single environmental issue of the 21st century.

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Mark sets a fyke net to sample small fish in mangroves. (Photo: Meredith Lowe)
Fisheries ecologist Mark Morrison balances his desk job writing research proposals, reports, and journal articles with liberal doses of fieldwork in estuaries and coastal waters all around New Zealand. Mark gained his post-undergraduate degrees from the University of Auckland.

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Based on data from NASA satellites, this image shows the phytoplankton concentration in the Ross Sea. (Image: Matt Pinkerton)
Adélie penguins in the southwest Ross Sea. (Photo: Peter Wilson)
Matt Pinkerton, Janet Bradford-Grieve, and Stuart Hanchet are developing a mass-balance model to learn how animals fit together in the Ross Sea ecosystem. After braving some of the worst sea ice in decades, NIWA scientists returned in late March from a seven week voyage to the Ross Sea region of Antarctica.

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The light band shows a deep gouge in soft sediment near the summit of a seamount; this was probably made by a trawl door. (Photo: DTIS, Malcolm Clark)
Changes over time in the number of seamounts fished by bottom-trawl commercial fisheries
A fish's-eye view of the Northwest Hills, where we're comparing fished and unfished areas. (Graphic: Brent Wood)
Stony coral covering the seafloor along the undisturbed ridge on Morgue. (Photo: DTIS, Malcolm Clark))
Distribution of stony corals in seafloor photographs on Morgue.

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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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Tangaroa working in heavy pack ice in the Ross Sea. (Photo: Dave Bowden, NZ IPY-CAML)
Finds from the seabed beside Scott Island, a seamount in the northern Ross Sea: basket star collected at 500 m depth. (Photo: Dave Bowden, NZ IPY-CAML)
Finds from the seabed beside Scott Island, a seamount in the northern Ross Sea: abundant sea pens and brittle stars photographed at 150 m. (Photo: DTIS, NZ IPY-CAML)
Adélie penguins on a newly formed ice floe, northern Ross Sea.