Data - Page 2

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.

Daily rainfall values for 30 representative sites from 1960–2016.
Rain is vital for life – it supplies the water we need to drink and to grow our food, keeps our ecosystems healthy, and supplies our electricity. New Zealand’s mountainous terrain and location in the roaring forties mean rainfall varies across the country. Changes in rainfall amount or timing can significantly affect agriculture, energy, recreation, and the environment. For example, an increase or decrease of rainfall in spring can have marked effects on crops or fish populations.
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.

This dataset contains ten lake water quality variables based on measurements made at monitored lake sites: chlorophyll-a, nitrate-nitrogen, total nitrogen, ammoniacal nitrogen, dissolved reactive phosphorus, total phosphorus, Escherichia coli, water clarity, and lake trophic level index (TLI3 and TLI4). This dataset includes: - Median values for the period 2013 to 2017 - For selected indicators, how these values compare to the National Objectives Framework (NOF) (MfE, 2017) bands related to ecosystem health When nitrogen and phosphorus accumulate above certain concentrations in lakes (referred to as ‘nutrient enrichment’), they can stimulate excessive growth of algae and cyanobacteria. Chlorophyll-a is a measure of the phytoplankton (algae) biomass. The lake trophic level index (TLI) indicates the health of a lake based on concentrations of three variables:
· total nitrogen
· total phosphorus
· chlorophyll-a.

Water clarity is a measure of underwater visibility. Lakes with poor clarity and TLI are poor habitats for some species of animals and plants, and they may not be suitable for recreation. Ammoniacal nitrogen can be toxic to aquatic life if concentrations are high enough.

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.

Summary report available at: www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/fresh-water/water-qua...

New Zealand has a diverse range of marine mammal species and subspecies, including whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. Marine mammals are indicator species for the state of our marine environment. The conservation status of a species relates to its risk of extinction.
Many of these species are endemic (only found in) to New Zealand. They are apex species (near the top of the food chain) and can thrive only if their ecosystems are healthy. A decreasing population can indicate that the ecosystem is degrading. Marine mammals played an important part in New Zealand history; in the past whales and seals were hunted in great numbers. Now we have a rapidly-growing whale- and dolphin-watching industry.

Sea-level rise is a consequence of climate change. Increased global temperatures lead to rising sea-levels because warmer waters take up more space and glaciers and polar ice sheets melt into the ocean. Sea-level varies naturally from place to place due to local ocean circulation and temperatures and the movement of the land relative to the sea. For example, earthquakes can lift or drop the land.
Linear trends were provided by NIWA and Emeritus Professor John Hannah (previously University of Otago). Ideally, linear trends in sea level would be reported if there are at least 50 years of data to account for climate variability from climate oscillations such as the 20–30 year Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) and the shorter ENSO cycle. Such climate variability can be seen in the increase in annual mean sea level in 1999–2000, when the IPO across the entire Pacific Ocean changed to a negative phase. While the Moturiki data cover 43 years, it was considered appropriate to apply a linear trend to further extend the number of reported sites. Further detail on the data processing (including adjustments for historic datum changes) and methods used for the trend analysis can be found in Hannah (1990), Hannah (2004), and Hannah and Bell (2012).
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.

Particulate matter (PM) comprises solid and liquid particles in the air. PM2.5 particles have a diameter less than 2.5 micrometres. They can be inhaled and deposited deep in the lungs where air-gas exchange occurs.

Short- and long-term exposure to PM2.5, even at low levels, is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and increased risk of premature death, especially in vulnerable people (the young, the elderly, and people with respiratory illness). Emerging evidence points to possible links with cognitive function, neuro-development, and diabetes.

In New Zealand, most PM2.5 in the air results from combustion (for example, burning wood for home heating), and to a lesser extent, from reactions in the atmosphere (secondary PM), and from naturally occurring sea salt.

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.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the movement of warm equatorial water across the Pacific Ocean and the atmospheric response. It occurs every 2–7 years, typically lasting 6–18 months. ENSO has three phases: neutral, El Niño and La Niña. In New Zealand an El Niño phase in summer can bring increased westerly winds, more rain in the west, and drought in the east; in winter it can lead to more cool southerly winds. During a La Niña phase we may experience more north-easterly winds, wetter conditions in the north and east, and higher sea levels.
This dataset relates to monthly ENSO values.
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.

Interpolated PED values at 30 regionally representative sites.
Soil moisture is vital for plant growth. When plants cannot access the water they need, growth is reduced, affecting crops and food for livestock, and native biodiversity. Over a sustained period, a drought can have significant social and economic costs, particularly for rural communities.
Potential evapotranspiration deficit (PED) can be thought of as a drought index. It is the difference between how much water could potentially be lost from the soil through evapotranspiration and how much is actually available. When PED is high, plants do not have the full amount of water available they need for growth. PED is measured in growing seasons (the 12 months from 1 July to 30 June of the following year. Data covers each of the growing seasons from 1 July 1972, with the last growing season in the series ending on 30 June 2016. 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.

DATA SOURCE: Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research

[Technical report available at environment.govt.nz/publications/land-fragmentatio...]

Adapted by Ministry for the Environment and Statistics New Zealand to provide for environmental reporting transparency

Dataset used to develop the "Land fragmentation" indicator [available at www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/land-fragmentation]

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This indicator measures changes in total highly productive land (HPL) area and the distribution of this land area across different land parcel size classes, since 2002, with a particular interest in the fragmentation or subdivision of these land parcels. We define HPL by land use capability (LUC), and includes classes 1, 2, and 3 (land highly suitable for growing a range of crops). We assess this fragmentation against two potential impacts: land that cannot be used or is restricted from use as farmland because of its new residential or urban land use (‘land restricted from use as farmland’) and that which may still be able to be used for growing/production (‘land potentially available for use as farmland’).

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. The technical report for this dataset is available at environment.govt.nz/publications/land-fragmentatio...

Our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are small compared with those of other developed nations, but we have committed to being part of the global response to climate change. New Zealand's greenhouse gas inventory is an annual report on all of the country’s human-induced GHG emissions and removals of GHG emissions. The inventory is produced as part of our obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol.
Some GHG emissions are removed, primarily by forests. Net emissions represent the total amount of gas contributed to the atmosphere but gross emmissions are also provided for New Zealand.
This dataset relates to the "New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.