Waiology • Apr 08, 2014 •
By Maree Clark and Kati Doehring The launch of LAWA (Land, Air, Water Aotearoa) last month is a significant milestone for our country’s environmental reporting. A web-based platform, LAWA displays state and trend information for more than 1100 freshwater monitoring sites throughout New Zealand in one place, and in an easy to understand format. It’s … Read More
Waiology • Dec 20, 2013 •
By Daniel Collins After 10 weeks and 26 articles, Waiology’s series on water quality draws to a close. We have heard from 26 different contributors from 10 different organisations. Articles spanned topics from states and trends in observational data to diverse management solutions. There were some glaring omissions, for which I apologise, but not all requests translated into articles … Read More
Waiology • Dec 18, 2013 •
By Jenny Webster-Brown If we cannot stop ongoing water quality degradation, and effectively restore degraded water environments, we stand to lose much that we value about New Zealand and our way of life. We will lose recreational opportunities, fisheries and our reputation for primary produce from a “clean” environment. We will lose functioning ecosystems, the ecosystem services they provide … Read More
Waiology • Dec 17, 2013 •
By Daniel Collins On 21 November the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, released her second report on water quality. It warned that business-as-usual dairy expansion by 2020 would leave our lakes and rivers more degraded than they are now, even with improved mitigation. I’d now like to re-cap what the report concluded, how it got there, … Read More
Waiology • Dec 16, 2013 •
By Daniel Collins Climate change goes beyond warmer weather and more extreme floods and droughts. Effects are expected to include changes to the water quality of our rivers and lakes as well. This has implications for the vulnerability and sensitivity of freshwater ecosystems, as well as water quality limit-setting and catchment nutrient management. These issues, and more, were discussed … Read More
Waiology • Dec 09, 2013 •
By Mike Scarsbrook You’ll have heard this saying before. You may have even used it as an excuse when talking to your boss at the end of the year. It is equally valid in managing our water resources. If we cannot provide clarity on what we are trying to achieve, how can we expect anyone to make effective decisions … Read More
Waiology • Dec 05, 2013 •
By Bob Wilcock About 40% of the land area of New Zealand is in some form of agriculture. Sheep and beef farming are the most extensive (33%) followed by dairy farming at 6%, and the remainder being horticulture and cropping. Based on a large number of comparative land use studies we have a good understanding of how agriculture affects … Read More
Waiology • Dec 04, 2013 •
By Lesley Bolton-Ritchie The quality of the water in an estuary influences the health, abundance and survival of the plants and animals that live in or pass through it and the suitability of estuary water for contact recreation. For the plants and animals it is the concentration of toxicants and oxygen in the water that can affect the survival … Read More
Waiology • Dec 02, 2013 •
By Sandy Elliott Water quality models are making their way to a farm or catchment near you – so what are they, and how good are they? Models are being used in New Zealand to address water quality impacts of land use from national to farm scales. At national scale, the CLUES model was recently linked to a … Read More
Waiology • Nov 29, 2013 •
By Sally Gaw Emerging organic contaminants are a burgeoning and extremely diverse class of contaminants that are not routinely monitored and that have the potential to have adverse ecological and human health effects. Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) include both naturally occurring and synthetic chemicals. Many of these contaminants may have been present in the environment for a long time … Read More