Hydrology and flow

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Flood flows on the Buller River this month were the largest of any river in Aotearoa New Zealand in almost 100 years, NIWA measurements show.
A NIWA scientist is asking for the help of skiers, mountaineers and alpine professionals to collect snow for a new research project.
If you think science and art have nothing in common, think again. At environmental science institute NIWA, it’s all about one inspiring the other.
Now back on dry land, Voyage Leader Richard O'Driscoll reflects on the final days of RV Tangaroa's 2015 Antarctica expedition.

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Hydrology in the Waipori Gorge, Dunedin

For over 100 years Trustpower's Waipori power scheme has supplied Dunedin with hydroelectric power. Our field hydrology team visit the site every three months to take essential measurements of the river flow. We headed out with NIWA environmental technician Elliot Bowie to learn more...

Hydrology Sounds Interesting 2011

The December 2018 New Zealand combined Hydrological and Meteorological Society conference called for a new category of presentation that was short, interesting and artistic. Dr Graeme Smart (NIWA Principal Scientist - Natural Hazards and Hydrodynamics) - took time series of Canterbury hydrologic variables during February 2011 and played these as an orchestral score.

Our highest elevation site at 2128 m, Mt Potts is also one our sites very exposed to wind.
The Upper Rakaia SIN site is located at 1752 m on a north facing slope in the Jollie Range. Records start in 2010.
The Albert Burn SIN site is located at 1280 m in the upper Albert Burn valley, east of Mt Aspiring/Tititea. Records start in 2012.
The Ivory Glacier SIN site is located at 1390 m next to Ivory Lake, west of the main divide of the Southern Alps/ Kā Tiritiri Te Moana.
Flood flows on the Buller River this month were the largest of any river in Aotearoa New Zealand in almost 100 years, NIWA measurements show.
The Murchison mountains SIN station is located at 1140 m elevation in Fiordland National Park. Because of the low elevation, snow often comes and goes throughout the winter season. Snow records start in 2012.
Castle Mount electronic weather station is at 2000 m elevation on an exposed site above the Milford Track. Records here begin in 2012. Strong winds limit snow accumulation during the winter.
The Mount Larkins electronic weather station is located east of the main divide near Glenorchy and Lake Wakatipu at 1900m elevation.
Mueller Hut electronic weather station is at 1818m elevation and located in Mount Cook/Aoraki National Park. This site also measures solic precipitation and solar radiation. This is the deepest (~3m) of all the snow and ice network sites and records at this site start from 2010.
The Mount Philistine site is located at 1655m elevation on the Main Divide near Arthurs Pass and Rolleston Glacier. It is a high precipitation area and snow records here start in 2010.
Mahanga electronic weather station (EWS) is on Mount Mahanga in Tasman. It is at 1940 m elevation near the Nelson Lakes. It's our most northerly South Island site and our snow records here date back to 2009.
Hydrology in the Waipori Gorge, Dunedin

For over 100 years Trustpower's Waipori power scheme has supplied Dunedin with hydroelectric power. Our field hydrology team visit the site every three months to take essential measurements of the river flow. We headed out with NIWA environmental technician Elliot Bowie to learn more...

A NIWA scientist is asking for the help of skiers, mountaineers and alpine professionals to collect snow for a new research project.
The purpose of the water-age model is to represent water exchange between land, surface-water bodies and aquifers, by coupling the surface water and groundwater models.
This task aims to improve and enhance the accuracy of surface hydrological model discharge predictions, at both catchment and regional scales.
The role of the NZWaM groundwater model is to improve surface water model simulations, by estimating groundwater storages and groundwater fluxes.
The purpose of the Hydro-Geofabric task is to gather, harmonise and augment existing multi-source spatial datasets to form a framework tailored for hydrological modelling.
The purpose of the benchmarking task is to develop and implement a state-of-the-art operational method (that can be applied at national scale) to test hydrological models in New Zealand
NIWA has established a network of high elevation electronic weather stations to provide a solid basis to understand seasonal patterns and long-term changes to seasonal snow and ice in alpine regions of New Zealand.

Freshwater Update 80 brings you the latest information from our Freshwater & Estuaries Centre, with articles that cross a broad spectrum of freshwater research. This edition has articles about the sources of plastics in our waterways, the discovery of long-lost lake plant species and a breakthrough in research about freshwater mussels/kākahi.

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