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...

Sea lions and fur seals are the protected species most directly affected by fisheries in New Zealand waters, along with seabirds and dolphins. Trawling poses a risk to both species. Fur seals can also be captured by other fishing gear, including long lines. Estimating the bycatch of sea lions and fur seals indicates the pressures they face from current...

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It is an important predictor of how tropical oceans and climate might influence New Zealand’s climate. Being able to predict the timing and intensity of an El Niño or La Niña climate phase is important in predicting and preparing for extreme climatic conditions, such as strong winds, heavy rain, or drought. Such...

Source: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research

Source: Regional councils of Northland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, Canterbury, West Coast, Otago, Southland; District councils of Marlborough and Tasman; Nelson City Council; Auckland Council

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 New Zealand River Environment Classification (REC) organises information about the physical characteristics of New Zealand's rivers. Individual river sections are mapped according to physical factors such as climate, source of flow for the river water, topography, and geology, and catchment land cover eg, forest, pasture or urban. Sections of river...

Temperature change is influenced by changes in atmospheric composition that result from greenhouse gas emissions. It is also linked to atmospheric circulation changes (eg the El Niño southern oscillation). It can have a significant effect on agriculture, energy demand, and recreation. The primary aim of the datasets is to provide a tool to show average...

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 a 15m, six-band multispectral, cloud-minimised mosaic of Landsat 8 satellite scenes over mainland New Zealand made...

Along with sea lions, fur seals, and dolphins, seabirds are the protected species most directly affected by fisheries in New Zealand waters (exclusive economic zone and territorial sea). Estimating seabird deaths from bycatch in commercial fishing is one way of assessing the pressure some seabird species face from current fishing practices. About one-...

PM10 concentrations are given in micrograms per cubic. Source: Regional councils of Northland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Wellington, Canterbury, West Coast, Otago, Southland; District councils of Marlborough and Tasman; City Council of Nelson; Auckland Council

Extreme wave indexes estimate the occurrence of extreme wave events in coastal and oceanic waters. Extreme wave indexes estimate the number of times a significant wave height exceeds one of three threshold values for at least 12 hours in 24 marine regions. The three wave-height thresholds are four metres, six metres, and eight metres. This indicator...

"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,...

Extreme wave indexes estimate the occurrence of extreme wave events in coastal and oceanic waters. Extreme wave indexes estimate the number of times a significant wave height exceeds one of three threshold values for at least 12 hours in 24 marine regions. The three wave-height thresholds are four metres, six metres, and eight metres. This indicator...

New Zealand has a diverse coastline, which spans 15,000 km. Reporting on our coastal seabed (benthic) habitats provides important contextual information on the state of the marine domain. This dataset relates to the "Coastal habitats" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

The climate can affect ski-field operations. Warm temperatures can result in less snow or shorter ski seasons. Extreme weather events such as storms can close fields. Monitoring the season length of ski fields and the percentage of days they are closed may indicate the extent of any effects of climate change. We assessed the season length and percentage...

El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It is an important predictor of how tropical oceans and climate might influence New Zealand’s climate. Being able to predict the timing and intensity of an El Niño or La Niña climate phase is important in predicting and preparing for extreme climatic conditions, such as strong winds, heavy rain, or drought. Such...

Many of New Zealand’s iconic freshwater fish species are diadromous, which means they need to migrate between fresh water and the ocean to complete their life cycles. Some man-made structures such as culverts, weirs, stormwater pump stations, tide gates, and dams can obstruct diadromous fish migrations and prevent fish from reaching critical habitats....

"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,...

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,...