Particulate matter (PM) comprises solid and liquid particles in the air. PM10 particles have a diameter less than 10 micrometres. Coarse particles (2.5–10 micrometres) can be inhaled – they generally deposit in the upper airways; fine particles (smaller than 2.5 micrometres) can deposit deep in the lungs where air-gas exchange occurs. Since PM10 is small...

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...

INDEX ONLY: These footprints are the index for the 'Sentinel2 2020 Chatham Islands' mosaic. It has been provided to enable users to explore coverage and capture dates of the component imagery. To enquire about ordering the imagery itself, please e-mail lucas[at]mfe.govt.nz. The imagery represented is a 10m, ten-band multispectral, cloud-minimised mosaic...

"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 glacier is a body of slow-moving ice, at least one hectare in area that has persisted for two decades or longer. Glacier volume is strongly influenced by climate factors, such as temperature and precipitation. Changes in glacier ice volumes give some indication of changing climate conditions in New Zealand. This dataset relates to the "Change in glacier...

Bacteria and parasites like campylobacter, salmonella, and cryptosporidium can contaminate our food and water, leading to serious illness. Campylobacter, salmonella, and cryptosporidium are influenced by temperature and other climate variables, and incidence rates may increase as climate change causes temperatures to rise. Monitoring the incidence rates...

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,...

"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,...

"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,...

"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,...

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 is of particular concern because of high concentrations in some areas. It can also damage health, with associated effects ranging from respiratory irritation to cancer. 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,...

Along with sea lions, fur seals, and dolphins, seabirds are the protected species most directly affected by fisheries in New Zealand waters. Reporting on the risk of threatened and at-risk seabirds dying as a result of fishing activities each year is one way of assessing the pressure some seabird species face from current fishing practices. This dataset...

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...

Benthic macroinvertebrates are small animals without backbones (eg insects and worms). They live on and under submerged logs, rocks, and aquatic plants on the beds of rivers and streams during some part of their life cycle. Macroinvertebrates play a central role in stream ecosystems by feeding on periphyton (algae), macrophytes (aquatic plants), dead...

The number of frost and warm days changes from year to year in response to climate variation, such as the warming pattern induced by El Niño. Climate models project we may experience fewer cold and more warm extremes in the future. Changes in the number of frost and warm days can affect agriculture, recreation, and our behaviour, for example, what we do...

"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,...

New Zealand has 92 seabird and 14 shorebird species and subspecies (taxa). Seabirds and shorebirds tend to be at or near the top of the food chain, and thrive only if the marine ecosystem is healthy. Decreasing bird populations can signal that the ecosystem is degrading. This dataset relates to the "Conservation status of seabirds and shorebirds" measure...

River water quality is valued for many reasons including recreational value. Escherichia coli (E.coli) can indicate the presence of pathogens (disease-causing organisms) from animal or human faeces, which can cause illness. File contains the model outputs for E.coli concentrations as four different statistics for each river segment in New Zealand’s...

"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,...