Waiology • Nov 27, 2012 •
By Daniel Collins Maps are helpful tools in communicating and understanding the potential implications of climate change. We have national maps of projected changes in temperature that show faster warming in the north, and in precipitation that show more rain in the south and west and less in the north and east. We also have national maps of … Read More
Waiology • Aug 17, 2012 •
By Daniel Collins It would have been hard to miss the deluge that washed over the country this past week. Otago and Canterbury were particularly affected, with flood damage in Waitaki District estimated at about $1 million. Minor flooding also occurred around Christchurch, with the lower reaches of the Avon, Heathcote and Styx Rivers overflowing their … Read More
Waiology • Jul 13, 2012 •
By Ross Woods Our knowledge of the water cycle is imperfect – for example we don’t have data for all rivers across the landscape, and yet so often we want river flow information for resource and hazard management purposes. In the absence of direct data, then, we turn to models and seek to make hydrological predictions in these ungauged … Read More
Waiology • Dec 02, 2011 •
By Daniel Collins For those with an interest in how decadal shifts in climate affect our rivers, as Ross wrote about previously about the IPO, NIWA has a press release on the same work: In 2000, the IPO changed back to the negative phase (as for 1945-77). ‘The whole of South Island is drier now. If you had … Read More
Waiology • Nov 17, 2011 •
By Ross Woods Within the Waterscape research programme, we’re doing some case studies on the potential effects of climate change on water resources, in water-limited parts of New Zealand, such as Canterbury and Hawkes Bay. In effect, we’re asking how these water resources might look in the future. In another post, I’ll look into the results of a … Read More
Waiology • Jun 22, 2011 •
By Daniel Collins Kaitaia’s main source of drinking water is the Awanui River. At the township, the mean annual river flow is about 6000 litres per second, most of which comes in winter and spring. February and March are typically the driest months, with a mean annual low flow (MALF) of 557 litres per second (PDF, Table … Read More