Investigating Earth's History: An Oceanographic Expedition in New Zealand

Interview with Matt Wood posted by Denise on 07 Feb 2005

Denise: Tell me where you are from originally.
Matt: Well I was born in the UK, but I came over to New Zealand when I was about six, Kapiti Coast, located about an hours drive north of Wellington on the North Island, high school up in Napier and no my parents live down south near Timaru, so a lot of moving.
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When the Unexpected Happens posted by Denise on 07 Feb 2005

I awoke this morning to some bad news. It turns out that last night one of the crew fell down a set of stairs. I understand he is conscious and able to walk, but to make sure his injuries are handled appropriately, it was decided that the best thing to do was to pull the equipment out of the water and return to port....
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View from space of ocean floor around New Zealand.
The turquoise area is a narrow strip of shallow (<2000 m) ocean also known as the continental margin.
Although viewed by most as remote, removed, and perilous, the oceans are home to a world of deep beauty and are a great source of food and other natural resources (e.g., oil). In addition, they are a fascinating place to recreate and explore. Exploration and examination of the oceans is critical to finding new resources and learning about Earth history (and possibly the future). Furthermore, the oceans, which cover over two-thirds of the planet’s surface, are a processing factory for materials draining from land.
Ocean study is needed to understand how activities and events on land are processed and recorded in the sea, and this is the primary focus of our research in New Zealand. This research is funded by the Source to Sink - MARGINS program of the National Science Foundation.

Why the Waipaoa River in New Zealand?
Unlike the eastern coast of the United States (e.g., North Carolina) which has a broad coastal plain, many coastlines around the world have rugged mountains immediately next to the sea and lack bodies of water (e.g. Pamlico Sound) between rivers and the ocean. The northeast coast of New Zealand, where the Waipaoa River enters the sea, is one example. In these settings, materials from land can be rapidly transported to the ocean, and as a result sediments and dissolved material may quickly accumulate on the ocean floor and affect ocean ecosystems after river flooding. Also, the Waipaoa River discharges an incredible amount of sediment for a river its size. This is because of high rainfall in the area and its easily eroded landscape, which is made of sedimentary rocks. In fact, the Waipaoa River is more than 10 times smaller than the Potomac River but discharges 100 times more sediment!

 

Coordinating Institutions
ECU GSC Nicholas School National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Virginia Institute of Marine Science