"Small amounts of nitrogen are a natural component of healthy rivers. Nitrogen in rivers can vary due to differences in land use, climate, elevation, and geology. Nitrogen is transferred from land to water and is cycled through different forms, which can have different effects. Moderate concentrations of nitrate can cause weeds and algae to grow too fast....

"This dataset shows estimated annual emissions for different pollutants (tonnes per square kilometre): Particulate matter 10 micrometres or less in diameter (PM10); Particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter (PM2.5); Sulphur dioxide; Sulphur Oxides (SOx); Carbon Monoxide (CO), and; Nitrogen Oxides (NOx). Measures of: - PM10 and PM2.5 are from...

Freshwater fish are an important component of freshwater ecosystems, have intrinsic biodiversity values and are a valued resource for Māori, recreational and commercial fishers. The presence or absence of a fish species can be affected by changes in catchment land cover and land use, in-stream habitat, fish passages (routes for moving up and down...

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 most reliable data on solar UV irradiance in New Zealand are from spectroradiometers developed and...

The REC groups rivers and parts of river networks that share similar ecological characteristics, including physical and biological. Rivers that share the same class can be treated as similar to one another and different to rivers in other classes. The REC classification system groups rivers according to several environmental factors that strongly...

"Freshwater plant and animal pests can have significant negative impacts on ecosystem health by reducing indigenous biodiversity through predation and competition, and destabilising aquatic habitats. Freshwater plant pests can cause economic losses through blocking water intakes for hydroelectricity generation, impeded drainage or irrigation. In addition,...

A spatial dataset identifying a set of environmental conditions that have potential to inhibit growth of newly-established woody vegetation such that it might not reach a ‘forest’ status (defined as greater than 30% cover of trees of 5 m height) within a 30-40 year timeframe. Inclusions: temperature, moisture availability, edaphic conditions, coastal...

The location and extent of seamount closures designated in the exclusive economic zone.

Note: Metadata relates to the mosaicked imagery. This layer has been provided to enable users to explore coverage and capture dates of the imagery. To enquire about ordering the imagery, please e-mail lucas[at]mfe.govt.nz. This imagery is 15m, six-band multispectral, cloud-minimised mosaics of Landsat 4 satellite scenes over mainland New Zealand captured...

"Annual rainfall is the total accumulated rain over one year. Rain is vital for life, including plant growth, drinking water, river ecosystem health, and sanitation. Floods and droughts affect our environment, economy, and recreational opportunities. This dataset shows annual average rainfall across New Zealand for 2009 as part of the data series for...

E.coli is a type of bacteria commonly found in the intestines of warm–blooded animals (including people). When found in freshwater, it can indicate the presence of pathogens associated with faecal contamination, from sources such as waste from humans and farmed animals such as sheep and cows. E.coli concentrations can vary due to differences in land use,...

"The pressure from animal and plant pests is one of the biggest threats to biodiversity in the land environment. Pest predators (such as stoats and possums) eat eggs, birds, lizards, insects, and snails. Other animal pests (such as deer and goats) damage and kill trees and other plants and can compete with indigenous animals for the plants’ fruit and...

Lightning is the discharge of electricity, from thunderstorms, that equalises areas of positive and negative charge, for example, between a storm cloud and the ground. Thunderstorms form as a result of rapidly rising air with a high moisture content (humidity). On average, 1 in 10 lightning discharges strikes the ground (or sea) (Metservice, 2015)....

The Marine Environment Classification (MEC), a GIS-based environmental classification of the marine environment of the New Zealand region, is an ecosystem-based spatial framework designed for marine management purposes. Several spatially-explicit data layers describing the physical environment define the MEC. A physically-based classification was chosen...

"Annual rainfall is the total accumulated rain over one year. Rain is vital for life, including plant growth, drinking water, river ecosystem health, and sanitation. Floods and droughts affect our environment, economy, and recreational opportunities. This dataset shows annual average rainfall across New Zealand for 2013 as part of the data series for...

Small amounts of nitrogen are a natural component of healthy rivers. Nitrogen is transferred from land to water and is cycled through different forms, which can have different effects. Moderate concentrations of nitrate can cause weeds and algae to grow too fast. High concentrations of ammoniacal and nitrate nitrogen can be toxic to fish and other aquatic...

The status of our bird communities is an important indicator of the condition of our ecosystems. Many indigenous birds play key ecological roles, including dispersing seeds and pollinating flowers. In some situations, exotic (not indigenous to New Zealand) bird species can partially fulfil these roles. Measuring the composition of bird communities across...

The number of indigenous animal and plant species with a change in conservation status is reported as an impact of changes in the state of our fresh water, land, and marine environments. A change in a species’ conservation status reflects a change in their risk of extinction. This dataset relates to the "Changes in the conservation status of indigenous...

"Sunshine is important for our health and recreation, and for the environment. It is also important for our agriculture-based economy, for example, for plant growth. This dataset shows average annual sunshine hours across New Zealand for years 1972 to 2013. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) mapped mean annual sunshine hours...

Lightning is the discharge of electricity from thunderstorms. Ground strikes can cause significant damage to property and infrastructure, and injure or kill people and livestock. Lightning is often associated with other severe weather events, such as strong wind gusts. Thunderstorms may increase in frequency and intensity with climate change. This dataset...