Data - Page 13

Particulate matter 10 micrometres or less in diameter (PM10) in the air comprises solid particles and liquid droplets from both natural and human-made sources. PM10 can be emitted from the combustion of fuels, such as wood and coal (eg from home heating and industry), and petrol and diesel (from vehicles). Natural sources of PM10 include sea salt, dust, pollen, smoke (from bush fires), and volcanic ash. Nationally, burning wood or coal for home heating is the main human-made source of PM10.

PM10 is of particular concern because it is found in high concentrations in some areas and can damage health. It is associated with effects ranging from respiratory irritation to some forms of cancer.

Column headings:
- Con_mcg_m3 = Concentration in micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3)

This dataset relates to the "Annual average PM10 concentrations in towns and cities" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

PM2.5 are particles 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter. PM2.5 is emitted from the combustion of fuels, such as wood and coal (eg from home heating and industry), and petrol and diesel (eg from vehicles). Natural sources have less influence on PM2.5 concentrations than PM10 concentrations. This means PM2.5 comes mainly from human activities. Nationally, burning wood or coal for home heating is the main source of PM2.5.

PM2.5 is a component of PM10 and is associated with similar health effects, ranging from respiratory irritation to some forms of cancer. However, the smaller PM2.5 particles are more closely associated with severe health problems.

Column headings:
- No_exceed - Number of exceedances
- Disp_graph - Displayed on graph (1= yes, 0 = no)

This dataset relates to the "PM2.5 concentrations" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Coastal sea-surface temperature is influenced by solar heating and cooling, latitude, and local geography. It is hard for some marine species to survive when the sea temperature changes. This can affect marine ecosystems and processes. It can also affect fish-farming industries based in our coastal areas.
This dataset relates to the "Coastal sea-surface temperature" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Ozone (O3) is a gas that is of interest in two regions of Earth’s atmosphere – at ground level and in the upper atmosphere (stratosphere). Stratospheric ozone absorbs ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and protects Earth from harmful levels of UV. Exposure to these UV rays has been linked to skin cancer. Monitoring variations in stratospheric ozone concentrations is important in New Zealand as we have high rates of skin cancers.
Ozone data for Lauder have been supplied in two forms: Measurements taken with Dobson spectrophotometer (number 72) and data assimilated from satellite measurements recalibrated against the global Dobson network. The Dobson spectrophotometer has been in operation at Lauder since January 1987. The timeseries for interpolated satellite data is available from 1978. Both timeseries are provided until 2013.
This dataset is the assimilated dataset which is available from 1978 to 2013. Measurements are in Dobson units (DU). One DU represents the amount of ozone molecules needed to produce a 0.01mm layer of pure ozone.
Further information can be found in:
Liley, B, Querel, B, & McKenzie, R (2014). Measurements of Ozone and UV for New Zealand. Prepared for the Ministry for the Environment, Wellington. Available at data.mfe.govt.nz/x/LoPyPo on the Ministry for the Environment dataservice (data.mfe.govt.nz/).
This dataset relates to the "Ozone concentrations" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Data on the economic performance of the agriculture industry describes agriculture’s contribution to the New Zealand economy. It provides supporting information for the land, atmosphere and climate, and freshwater domains.

This dataset relates to the "Economic performance of the agriculture industry" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

UPDATED 21/04/2017
(See "Land domain updates" page for details; www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/environment/env...)

Different land uses put pressure on the land environment and can result in changes to soil health. Healthy soil supports the productivity of agriculture and forestry, and filters water to help prevent waterways becoming contaminated. Soils are considered healthy if they fall within the target ranges for the indicators of acidity, fertility, organic reserves, and physical status.

This dataset relates to the "Soil health and land use" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

For raw data see "2015 land aotearoa soil health data for release.xlsx" at data.mfe.govt.nz/x/LTBnRL

Too much exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause skin cancer. Ozone absorbs some UV radiation, and UV levels can vary in relation to changes in atmospheric ozone. Monitoring UV levels can help us understand current skin cancer risk.
The Lauder spectroradiometer (UVM dataset) data are used to assure the reliability of broad-band erythermal UV (RB dataset) from five sites. Measurements supplied are daily peak, noon-time mean, and total daily dose of erythemal (skin-reddening) UV.
Further information can be found in:
Liley, B, Querel, B, & McKenzie, R (2014). Measurements of Ozone and UV for New Zealand. Prepared for the Ministry for the Environment, Wellington. Available at data.mfe.govt.nz/x/LoPyPo on the Ministry for the Environment dataservice (data.mfe.govt.nz/).
This dataset relates to the "UV intensity" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Active sand dunes are distinct coastal habitats that sit between the land and marine domains. Characterised by their moving sands, they support a unique group of plants and animals. These plant and animal communities are threatened by human efforts to stabilise dunes for their own use.

This dataset relates to the "Active sand dune extent" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Marine non-indigenous (exotic) species arrive in New Zealand waters on the hulls of international vessels (biofouling) or in discharged ballast waters. Some have little impact or cannot survive in New Zealand waters; others have a negative impact on our native habitats and species and become pests. They can compete with, and prey on, indigenous species, modify natural habitats, affect marine industries or can alter ecosystem processes. The potential impact of non-indigenous species on our native habitats and species means they could threaten our cultural and natural heritage, as well as economic activities such as commercial and recreational fishing, shellfish harvesting, and aquaculture.

Inhaling particulate matter (PM) containing heavy metals can cause serious health effects (World Health Organization (WHO), 2013). Airborne arsenic is linked to lung cancers (WHO, 2013), and heart, liver, kidney, and nerve damage (Caussy, 2003). Nickel and vanadium are linked to lung and nasal sinus cancers. Lead can impair cognitive function in children and affect an adult’s cardiovascular system, even at low blood levels (WHO, 2013).
Heavy metals are also toxic to other organisms, and can bioaccumulate in animals, especially in aquatic ecosystems (Rahman, Hasegawa, & Lim, 2012). We don’t know how much airborne heavy metal is deposited in New Zealand.
We report on the concentrations of arsenic, lead, and vanadium in PM10 (PM 10 micrometres or less in diameter) from 2007-16 at Henderson – Auckland which were measured using a method directly comparable to relevant guidelines. We also report on arsenic, nickel, lead, and vanadium concentrations at 5 Auckland sites from 2005–16 that were measured using a method which cannot be directly compared to relevant guidelines but provides information on concentrations.
Arsenic is emitted when burning wood treated with copper chromium arsenic preservative (eg building project offcuts). A 2012 Auckland study showed that 17 percent of households may burn such wood (Stones-Havas, 2014).
Lead is emitted from burning wood coated with lead-based paint, by removing lead-based paint from buildings without proper safety precautions, and from industrial discharges (eg at metal smelters). In New Zealand, airborne nickel and vanadium concentrations are highest near ports and are associated with combustion exhaust from ships (Davy & Trompetter, 2018). Monitoring for lead has been limited since the fall in ambient lead concentrations after New Zealand’s petrol became lead free in 1996.
More information on this dataset and how it relates to our environmental reporting indicators and topics can be found in the attached data quality pdf.