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Weather and Clothing posted by Ben on 26 Jan 2005 |
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The weather has been near-perfect. The nights get a little cool, cool enough for a jumper (what New Zealanders refer to as a sweater/fleece) or long sleeve T, but the days are around 70-80F for the most part...a lot warmer than back on the (U.S.) east coast! It really hasn't rained much, maybe once or twice. For the most part, it's been partly cloudy, upper 60's to 80's. I wear shorts everyday, shoes while working on the deck, sandals in the cabin... |
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Late Sunday Night posted by Denise on 23 Jan 2005 |
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It is late on Sunday, January 23. We depart for New Zealand this coming Wednesday and as a result the weekend has been spent running last-minute errands, working on a press release for the trip, and making final edits on the web site. I’m looking forward to the research cruise, but there is much work to be done as we prepare for an extended time at sea. When people hear I will be going on a “cruise” it is often confused with a pleasure cruise such as a voyage on the Carnival cruise line.... |
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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!
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Coordinating Institutions
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