Image: Susie Wood

Susceptibility and diagnosis 

Aim

We are developing a new approach to help lake managers in diagnosing declining lake health, exploring extreme weather impacts and for predicting when change is about to occur.

Early warnings of change

By evaluating historical shifts in bacterial and other microbial communities and chemical parameters we are developing new tools to predict future change. 

Key communities present immediately before critical shifts will be identified and their ability to predict upcoming change assessed.

Image: Adam Forbes

Extreme climate events

The impacts of storms and droughts are being explored using sediment cores and high-frequency monitoring data. 

We will explore the impacts of severe storm events, like cyclones Bola and Gabrielle and study the impact on lake communities.

In-lake nutrient legacies

We are determining how likely a lake is to experience enrichment from nutrients in the sediment. 

We are analysing data from a large national database and undertaking experiments in selected lakes.

Sampling the top layers of lake sediment using a grab sampler.

Image: Mckayla Holloway

Diamond Lake

Glenorchy

Lake Selfe

Arthurs Pass

Lake Brunner / Kōtukuwhakaoka

Moana

Horseshoe Lake (Hawke’s Bay)

Elsthorpe

Lake Waiau

Patea

Lake Killarney

Takaka

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