Vol.16 No.4 - December 2008

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Juvenile snapper and a chunk of biogenic habitat formed mainly of ‘dead man’s fingers’ (soft corals) attached to a horse mussel. (Photo: Kerry Webster)
Tracking snapper origins Recent research on snapper stock on the North Island west coast demonstrates the central importance of Kaipara Harbour, and the biogenic habitat fish nurseries within it, to the wider west coast ecosystem. In 2003 we collected juvenile snapper from the seven main estuaries on this coast, and chemically analysed their otoliths (ear bones).

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Seagrass in Tauranga Harbour. (Photo: Virginie Dos Santos, NIWA / University of Toulouse)
The inflorescence in a shoot of Zostera muelleri includes an arrangement of male and female flowers. (Photos: Fleur Matheson)
Seagrass in bloom Scientists from NIWA, in collaboration with researchers at the universities of Waikato and Toulouse (France), have discovered seagrass flowering in Tauranga Harbour.

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Dr Tumu Te Heuheu opening the Vth APPF. (Photo: Les Maiden, VUW)
The bull kelp Durvillaea antarctica, a brown alga. In Chilean cuisine, this plant is used in salads and stews. (Photo: Erasmo Marcaya, VUW)
Phycologists flock to Wellington Every second breath we take has been provided by the algae we share this planet with, so it’s not surprising that a conference focusing on algae in all their manifest diversity drew a wide range of people.

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Dr Sandy Scott at work in the lab. (Photo: Bruce Davision)
Dr Oliver Coleman using a digitizer board for electronic illustration. (Photo: Anne-Nina Lörz)
Holding an all-sky camera, Prof Seckmeyer stands in front of the UV Index display meter at Lauder. (Photo: Richard McKenzie)
Visiting scientists Dr Alexander Scott In September, fisheries scientists at NIWA in Hamilton hosted Dr Alexander (Sandy) Scott from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) in Weymouth, UK.

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Using GIS for spatial analysis of census data. (Photo: Len Doel, NZSMT Teacher Fellow)
New Zealand Science, Mathematics and Technology Teacher Fellows Carolyn Leersnyder: ‘Adaptation to climate change in a coastal community’ She will always remember 2008 as the year she moved out of the classroom and into the world of a NIWA scientist.

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Divers gather on the shore of Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) as instructor Steve Mercer (centre) gives them their next assignment. (Photo: Julie Steele)
NIWA scientific dive course One of NIWA’s most popular training courses is Scientific Diving. The course is designed to assess individuals as suitable scientific divers and to provide adequate training to meet NIWA’s minimum standards for dive safety and scientific diving.