Science Centres: Energy
A surprising source of methane
Hydro lakes: situation improves
Climate-energy workshop attracts attention
Nitrous oxide in the paddock
Smart rainfall model varies season length
Hydro lakes: situation improves
Lake Pupuke
New Zealand’s hydroelectric lake storage received a very timely boost during the first two weeks of January. This is shown clearly in M-co updates and NIWA monitoring. Without normal winter snow volumes to melt, the source of the water was heavy northwesterly rainfall in the Southern Alps. Thanks to the rain, total storage was boosted from a low 60% of normal to 90% by mid-January. Storage was 85% of normal at the end of the month. This will be very welcome in readiness for the winter electricity demand.
Smart rainfall model varies season length
As part of the Climate-related Risks for Energy Supply and Demand research programme, NIWA is developing a tool to generate realistic synthetic rainfall time series. We all know that rainfall varies seasonally, and that the seasons don't align with an artificial pattern of three months per season per year.
Nitrous oxide in the paddock
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas accounting for about 20% of New Zealand’s current inventory of 'Kyoto emissions'.
Roughly half of New Zealand’s N2O emissions come from the breakdown of cattle excreta and another 15% from nitrogen fertiliser. The emissions have increased by about 30% between 1990 and 2003.
A surprising source of methane
Last month, the prestigious science journal Nature published the remarkable discovery that terrestrial plants emit methane. The results came from a series of carefully controlled experiments by European researchers led by Dr Frank Keppler of Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics.
Nature asked NIWA atmospheric chemist Dr David Lowe to provide expert commentary. Here Dave does the same for us.
How significant is this finding?
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. It traps more than 20 times as much heat per molecule as carbon dioxide.
Climate-energy workshop attracts attention
Workshop participants: (left to right) Dennis Jamieson, Doug Goodwin, Dr Michael Uddstrom, Dr Jim Renwick.
Dennis Jamieson (leader, National Centre for Climate-Energy Solutions), Doug Goodwin (System Operator Development Manager, Transpower), Dr Michael Uddstrom (NIWA principal scientist), Dr Jim Renwick (NIWA principal scientist & leader of this research programme), at NIWA’s 3rd technical workshop on climate-related risks for energy supply and demand.
The workshop was held under the auspices of NIWA’s Climate-related Risks for E
