Freshwater

Most of the plastic in the ocean originates on land, being carried to the estuaries and coasts by rivers. Managing this plastic on land before it reaches the river could be the key to stemming the tide of marine-bound plastics. The aim of this project is to understand the sources and fate of plastic pollution carried by urban rivers using the Kaiwharawhara Stream as a case study.

It may be rubbish to everyone else, but to Amanda Valois each little scrap of plastic on a river bank or in a waterway tells a valuable story.

If you think science and art have nothing in common, think again. At environmental science institute NIWA, it’s all about one inspiring the other.

As a young child growing up on an Irish farm, one of Eimear Egan’s chores was to regularly clean out the well from where her family drew its drinking water. In the well lived a large eel that, no matter how many times it was shifted, just kept coming back.

Christchurch’s Red Zone is to be the focal point of a scientific experiment involving street lights and insects over summer. 

NIWA scientists have made an important breakthrough in the battle to save New Zealand’s freshwater mussels.

Previous research has identified significant unintended water loss (surface runoff and groundwater recharge) on pallic soils, predominately on hillslopes, under spray irrigation.

Currently there are gaps in understanding of user decision making processes and public needs and requirements for river forecasting in New Zealand. This project aims to bridge NIWA river forecasting aspirations and capabilities with both the public and decision makers’ requirements.

The NZWaM – Hydro project is led by NIWA but all work is conducted in collaboration with our project partners.

NZWaM-Hydro is scalable, and the hydrological relationships in the model are transferable between locations.