Water quality in New Zealand rivers: current state and trends

River water quality, particularly in lowland catchments, is a matter of concern to the New Zealand public. We assessed river water quality and biological state and trends using data from more than 900 monitoring sites. Parallel state and trend analyses were carried out using all sites and a subset of lowland river sites. Median water-quality state in urban and pastoral land-cover classes was poorer than in exotic forest and natural land-cover classes, and lowland sites in the urban and pastoral classes had the poorest water quality. Nutrient and Escherichia coli concentrations increased and visual clarity and Macroinvertebrate Community Index scores decreased as proportions of catchments in high-intensity agricultural and urban land cover increased. Ten-year trends (2004–2013) indicated recent improvements in ammoniacal nitrogen, dissolved reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus in the pastoral and urban classes, possibly reflecting improved land management. In contrast, trends in nitrate-nitrogen in the exotic forest and cool-dry/pastoral classes indicated worsening conditions.     

Summer and winter differences in zooplankton biomass,distribution and size composition in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa

Zooplankton biomass and distribution in the KwaZulu-Natal Bight were investigated in relation to environmental parameters during summer (January–February 2010) and winter (July–August 2010). Mean zooplankton biomass was significantly higher in winter (17.1 mg dry weight [DW] m^–3) than in summer (9.5 mg DW m^?3). In summer, total biomass was evenly distributed within the central bight, low off the Thukela River mouth and peaked near Durban. In winter, highest biomass was found offshore between Richards Bay and Cape St Lucia. Zooplankton biomass in each size class was significantly, negatively related to sea surface temperature and integrated nitrate, but positively related to surface chlorophyll a and dissolved oxygen. Zooplankton biomass was significantly related to bottom depth, with greatest total biomass located inshore (<50 m). Distribution across the shelf varied with zooplankton size. Seasonal differences in copepod size composition suggest that a smaller, younger community occupied the cool, chlorophyll-rich waters offshore from the St Lucia upwelling cell in winter, and a larger, older community occurred within the relatively warm and chlorophyll-poor central bight in summer. Nutrient enrichment from quasi-permanent upwelling off Durban and Richards Bay appears to have a greater influence on zooplankton biomass and distribution in the bight than the strongly seasonal nutrient input from the Thukela River.     

A system-level modelling perspective of the KwaZulu-Natal Bight ecosystem,eastern South Africa

The KwaZulu-Natal Bight comprises the only sizeable shelf region on the eastern coast of South Africa, and is influenced by both the Agulhas Current on its seaward side and rivers and estuaries on its landward side. Established knowledge of the effect of the Agulhas Current includes the influence on nutrient concentrations in the bight of a semi-permanent upwelling cell at its northern border (St Lucia) and, to a much lesser extent, of a semi-permanent eddy feature at its southern extremity. Current modelling efforts, however, point to a very important role of land-derived nutrients, which supplement the productivity of food webs of the bight. This connectivity of the bight to its adjacent ecosystems has various implications. First, its productivity has traditionally been viewed via phytoplankton growth, whereas ecosystem modelling efforts point to a very high reliance on imported detritus (mainly land-derived) in order to sustain especially the rich benthic food web. The benthos in the bight dominates the food web, and is in marked contrast to the upwelling system of the west coast of South Africa (Atlantic Ocean) where water-column productivity dominates. Second, the importance of the connectivity of the Thukela Bank prawn-trawling ground to estuarine nursery areas, which has been modelled quantitatively, highlights the significance of this particular ecosystem connectivity for fisheries and also for the Thukela Bank food web. Heterogeneity across the bight is apparent for nutrient turnover rates (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus), CNP content and stoichiometry, whereas nitrogen is a limiting nutrient across the entire bight. The food web near the Thukela River is richer in nutrient content and more active (higher turnover rates) compared to the northern and southern parts of the bight. This environmental heterogeneity was also apparent from the CNP content and stoichiometry of the various species and species groups in the bight. Requirements to take the hydrodynamic, biogeochemical and first ecosystem modelling efforts towards a meaningful predictive capability are discussed. The importance of adopting a system-level view of the bight and its connected systems for realistic exploration of global change scenarios is highlighted.     

Observations and mechanisms of upwelling in the northern KwaZulu-Natal Bight,South Africa

New in situ time-series data were acquired by two ADCP moorings placed on the shelf off Richards Bay on the east coast of South Africa at depths of 25 m and 582 m between October 2009 and August 2010. The 11-month inshore bottom-temperature record revealed five substantial upwelling events lasting 5–10 days each where temperatures decreased by about 7 °C to 17–18 °C. Satellite sea surface temperature data showed these events to coincide with cold-water plumes occupying the northern wedge of the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Bight. Numerous shorter duration (1–2 days) upwelling events with less vivid surface expressions were also observed throughout the entire record where bottom temperature dropped by 2–3 °C. The last four months of the record were characterised by a protracted cool period lacking a seasonal trend but punctuated with oscillations of warm and cooler bottom water. In contrast to earlier studies that suggested upwelling was topographically and dynamically driven by the juxtaposition of the Cape St Lucia offset and the Agulhas Current (a solitary mechanism), our analysis showed almost all major and minor cold-water intrusions to coincide with upwelling-favourable north-easterly winds that simultaneously force a south-westerly coastal current. Ekman veering in the bottom boundary layer of the Agulhas Current, and the concomitant movement of cold water up the slope, was found to coexist at times with coastal upwelling, but its absence did not impede inshore cold-water intrusions, calling into question its role as a primary driver of upwelling. Both major and minor upwelling events were observed to promote phytoplankton blooms in the northern KZN Bight which commonly extended to the Thukela River. Wind-driven upwelling was also observed in the inner bight between Richards Bay and Port Durnford, explaining the ribbon of coastal chlorophyll continuously observed on ocean colour images between Cape St Lucia and the Thukela River. Similarities in upwelling character and mechanisms are observed between the northern KZN Bight and the Florida Current shelf systems.     

Zoogeography of marine Bryozoa around South Africa

The zoogeography of marine Bryozoa around South Africa was investigated using published distribution records, museum catalogues, and an examination of previously unworked bryozoan material in (mostly) museum collections. Although a total of 276 valid species are recognised, it was not possible to unambiguously assess geographic patterns of diversity. At all depth zones examined (shore and inner-shelf, 0–30 m; mid- and outer-shelf, 31–350 m; bathyal, >500 m), there was a clear geographic structure to communities that mirrored established regional patterns of biogeography. Too few samples were collected from the shelf edge (351–500 m) and they were consequently excluded from zoogeographic analysis. Communities on the shore and inner-shelf and on the mid- and outer-shelf were more similar to each other than they were to bathyal communities, and the pronounced structure in bathyal communities suggests heterogeneity in the deep sea around South Africa.     

Scale considerations in using diatoms as indicators of sea‐level change: lessons from Alaska

This paper assesses variations in quantitative reconstructions of late Holocene relative sea‐level (RSL) change arising from using modern diatom datasets from different spatial scales, applied to case studies from Alaska. We investigate the implications of model choice in transfer functions using local‐, sub‐regional‐ and regional‐scale modern training sets, and produce recommendations on the creation and selection of modern datasets for reconstructing RSL change over Holocene timescales in tidal marsh environments comparable with those in Alaska. We show that regional modern training sets perform best in terms of providing fossil samples with good modern analogues, and in producing reconstructions that most closely match observations, where these are available. Local training sets are frequently insufficient to provide fossil samples with good modern analogues and may over‐estimate the precision of RSL reconstructions. This is particularly apparent when reconstructing RSL change for periods beyond the last century. For reconstructing RSL change we recommend using regional modern training sets enhanced by local samples. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental influence on phytoplankton production during summer on the KwaZulu-Natal shelf of the Agulhas ecosystem

During February 2010, studies of primary production (PP) and physiology were conducted at five selected sites in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Bight of the Agulhas ecosystem as part of a programme to elucidate the influence of major physical driving forces and nutrient inputs on the structure and functioning of biological communities. These sites were located in the vicinity of the Durban lee eddy, in the midshelf region of the central part of the bight, off the Thukela Mouth, and to the north and south of Richards Bay. At four of the sites, chlorophyll a ranged from 0.10 to 1.44?mg m–3 and integrated PP ranged between 0.35 and 2.58?g C m–² d–1. The highest biomass and PP, which were comparable to those observed in a wind-driven upwelling system, were associated with a diatom community observed at the midshelf site, and varied between 0.26 and 4.27?mg m–³ and 7.22 and 9.89?g C m–² d–1, respectively. Environmental conditions at each of the sites differed substantially and appeared to be influential in initiating and controlling the development and distribution of phytoplankton biomass and production. Phytoplankton adaptation to variable environmental conditions was characterised by a decreased light-limited slope (αB) and increased rate of photosynthesis (P_m ) and light saturation (Ek) with elevated temperatures. The converse (increased α^B and decreased P_m and Ek) was observed as irradiance levels declined. Generalised additive models indicated that irradiance, temperature and biomass were important variables influencing photosynthetic parameters and photosynthetic rates.     

Sea level rise and tigers: predicted impacts to Bangladesh’s Sundarbans mangroves

The Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem, shared by India and Bangladesh, is recognized as a global priority for biodiversity conservation. Sea level rise, due to climate change, threatens the long term persistence of the Sundarbans forests and its biodiversity. Among the forests’ biota is the only tiger (Panthera tigris) population in the world adapted for life in mangrove forests. Prior predictions on the impacts of sea level rise on the Sundarbans have been hampered by coarse elevation data in this low-lying region, where every centimeter counts. Using high resolution elevation data, we estimate that with a 28 cm rise above 2000 sea levels, remaining tiger habitat in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans would decline by 96% and the number of breeding individuals would be reduced to less than 20. Assuming current sea level rise predictions and local conditions do not change, a 28 cm sea level rise is likely to occur in the next 50–90 years. If actions to both limit green house gas emissions and increase resilience of the Sundarbans are not initiated soon, the tigers of the Sundarbans may join the Arctic’s polar bears (Ursus maritimus) as early victims of climate change-induced habitat loss.     

A Wind Tunnel Model for Quantifying Fluxes in the Urban Boundary Layer

Transport of pollution and heatout of streets into the boundary layer above is not currently understood and so fluxes cannot be quantified. Scalar concentration within the street is determined by the flux out of it and so quantifying fluxes for turbulent flow over a rough urban surface is essential. We have developed a naphthalene sublimation technique to measure transfer from a two-dimensional street canyon in a wind tunnel for the case of flow perpendicular to the street. The street was coated with naphthalene, which sublimes at room temperature, so that the vapour represented the scalar source. The transfer velocity w_T relates the flux out of the canyon to the concentration within it and is shown to be linearly related to windspeed above the street. The dimensionless transfer coefficient w_T/U represents the ventilation efficiency of the canyon (here, w_T is a transfer velocity,U is the wind speed at the boundary-layer top). Observed values are between 1.5 and 2.7 ×10^-3 and, for the case where H/W0 (ratio of buildingheight to street width), values are in the same range as estimates of transfer from a flat plate, giving confidence that the technique yields accurate values for street canyon scalar transfer. w_T/U varies with aspect ratio (H/W), reaching a maximum in the wake interference regime (0.3 < H/W < 0.65). However, when upstream roughness is increased, the maximum in w_T/U reduces, suggesting that street ventilation is less sensitive to H/W when the flow is in equilibrium with the urban surface. The results suggest that using naphthalene sublimation with wind-tunnel models of urban surfaces can provide a direct measure of area-averaged scalar fluxes.