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New Zealand's Fourth National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Foreword

Executive summary

1 Background

2. National circumstances

3. Greenhouse gas inventory

4. Policies and measures

5. Projections and the total effect of policies and measures

6. Vulnerability assessment, climate change impacts, and adaptation measures

7. Financial resources and transfer of technology

8. Research and systematic observations

9. Education, training and public participation

Annex A: Summary of emissions and removals from New Zealand's 2003 national inventory

Annex B: Supplementary information on Projections Modelling methodology

Annex C: Reporting under Kyoto Protocol Article 7.2

Annex D: Summary of Policies and Measures

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations and acronyms

References

New Zealand's Report on the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)

New Zealand's Report on Demonstrable Progress under the Kyoto Protocol

1. Domestic measures

2. Trends in, and projections of, greenhouse gas emissions

3. How measures contribute to meeting commitments

4. Actions and programmes under Articles 10 and 11 (technology and other cooperation; financial resources)

New Zealand's Report on the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)

Introduction

New Zealand has built up an archive of systematic atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial observations of climate related parameters. Details of these observations are tabulated in this report made in accordance with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Reporting Guidelines on Global Climate Change Observing Systems.

Observing, data and monitoring system support for developing countries

The New Zealand Meteorological Service, under a New Zealand Government contract, provides general assistance to Kiribati, Tuvalu, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Niue and the Cook Islands in ensuring that weather and climate observing systems run smoothly and the quality of the observations is maintained. Targeted New Zealand overseas development aid programmes have covered training in technical maintenance and observing practices in the Cook Islands, Tuvalu and the Tokelaus. The Meteorological Service also administers the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) trust fund which supports upper air observations at Tuvalu, Kiribati and Penrhyn, and provides technical support regarding the operation of these stations. This support has now been extended under Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) funding and the Meteorological Service has been contracted to supply additional support to the south-west Pacific under the PI-GCOS Technical Support Project.

Progress since New Zealand's Third National Communication

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) also assists meteorological services undertaking climate observations in the south-west Pacific, through informal advice when requested, by backing up climate records from many of the islands in the New Zealand climate database, and by providing data from this database to them when requested. NIWA has run and partnered several training programmes supported by the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research. These have included training staff from Pacific Island developing states with recovering historical data records and defining and coding meta-data. In 2004, the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research supported a "training institute" at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji on "Extreme Weather Events". The training staff were drawn from NIWA, the East-West Centre in Hawaii, the United States and from the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. The training modules developed for the training institute will be taken to individual communities in Samoa and to Kiribati in 2005. With the support of the New Zealand Agency for International Development, NIWA scientists have worked with staff from various organisations in the Pacific Islands, Australia, United States, and France, to produce the monthly Island Climate Update, which summarises recent climatic conditions and provides climate outlooks for the next three months. The New Zealand Agency for International Development also supported in early 2005, the training of two staff from the Fijian Meteorological Service at NIWA's National Climate Centre on climate database management and quality control.

New Zealand has been very active in supporting GCOS initiatives in the Pacific region. APacific Island GCOS committee was formed in 2000 with Pacific Island and regional representatives and New Zealand has been an active participant since its inception. This committee developed a regional implementation plan with 36 discrete projects that will help the Pacific region contribute to the GCOS objectives. The development has involved a high degree of collaboration between the Pacific Island countries and donors and in particular New Zealand has supported initiatives to:

• restore and upgrade the regional upper-air networks
• produce a Pacific regional climate bulletin
• recover historical climate data
• assist with capacity building of Pacific Island hydrological and meteorological services.

Key New Zealand agencies involved in climate observing

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research makes dedicated atmospheric and hydrological climate observations as well as atmospheric constituent measurements with climate relevance. These data are archived in the National Climate Database and the National Water Resources Archive. NIWA also makes routine oceanic observations as well as maintaining a sea-level recording network around the coast of New Zealand

The Meteorological Service of New Zealand undertakes routine surface and upper air weather observations and these are also archived in the National Climate Database.

The New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries contracts out regular surveys of various fish species, in order to set maximum allowable catch limits and quotas. The resulting data sets are relevant for assessing climate change impacts on fisheries.

Landcare Research maintains the National Vegetation Survey Databank (NVS) and also maintains five New Zealand long-term ecological research and monitoring sites.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry maintains a planted forest cover database for New Zealand and keeps records of carbon absorbed in new planting and lost through logging, fires and vegetation clearance.

Atmospheric observing systems

Programmes

There are two prime sources of New Zealand atmospheric observations relevant to climate change: the routine surface and upper air weather observations undertaken by the Meteorological Service of New Zealand, and dedicated climate observations and atmospheric constituent measurements undertaken by NIWA. NIWA is assisted by many voluntary observers, especially for rainfall monitoring. The Meteorological Service forwards its weather observations to NIWA, where they are archived in the National Climate Database along with NIWA's own measurements. The Meteorological Service and NIWA both play particular attention to quality control. NIWA's climate monitoring and archiving programme carries ISO9002 certification, and the Meteorological Service has ISO9001 certification.

Support

Funding for the core weather observations is from a Ministry of Transport contract to the Meteorological Service, with some extra observations funded out of commercial revenue. Dedicated climate observations are funded by a contract to NIWA from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, which recognises the climate database as a database of national importance. Recent revision of the funding levels allocated by the foundation, combined with revenue from commercial applications of the data, provides for the database and recording network to be maintained at their current levels for another decade. Atmospheric constituent measurements are also funded by the foundation, as part of specific research programmes.

National plans

NIWA's plans for the national climate network include continuing with gradual automation as finances permit, and NIWA staff regularly review the network in the light of user requirements. Planning for climate and atmospheric constituent measurements takes place as part of the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology proposal and contracting process. Particular attention is paid to continuity of the 25-station reference climate network.

Availability and exchange

NIWA has developed user-friendly web access to the National Climate Database, which is available on request. The address is http://cliflo.niwa.co.nz/. Appropriate weather observations are forwarded to other countries by the Meteorological Service in real time, through World Meteorological Organization (WMO) networks. New Zealand provides climate and greenhouse gas monitoring data to international data centres under the WMO/ICSU (International Council of Scientific Unions) programmes which comprise the Global Climate Observing System.

Weather and climate observations:

New Zealand has nine stations providing data to international data centres as part of the Global Surface Network (GSN) of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), and four stations which report as part of the Global Upper Air Network (GUAN). A total of 208 stations [Of these 208 stations, 165 provide a sufficiently broad suite of climate measurements to be useful for national climate monitoring.] provide climate observations at 9 a.m. to the National Climate Database, and 118 of these are automatic stations which also provide information at other times of day. There are currently 654 stations providing daily rainfall data into the database. In addition, NIWA maintains satellite data archives for the New Zealand region of NOAA HRPT data (1992-present), Global Geostationary Meteorological Satellite data products (August 1998-present) and SeaStar SeaWiFS HRPT data (May 2000- present).

Key Atmospheric Constituent Climate Sites

Atmospheric constituents

New Zealand has three stations providing atmospheric constituent data to international data centres as part of the Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW). Concentrations and isotope ratios of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, as well as aerosol properties and non-methane hydrocarbons, are monitored at the Baring Head clean air monitoring station (41oS). Some of these gases are also monitored at two other sites, including one at Scott Base (78oS) in the Antarctic. Surface ozone is monitored at seven stations (including one in Antarctica), column-integrated ozone concentrations are measured at two stations (including one in Antarctica), and a regular balloon-borne sampling programme for vertical profiles of ozone and water vapour concentrations is operated at one station. New Zealand also uses ships of opportunity to collect air samples for the analysis of the principal greenhouse gases between Nelson, New Zealand and Osaka, Japan.

Recently, a new suite of in-situ trace gas measurements has been initiated at Lauder (45oS). These complement the measurements of a wide range of trace gases that has been undertaken there since the 1990s. The purpose of these measurements is to better understand New Zealand's contribution to global warming, and to contribute to global efforts to understand the distribution and variability of key greenhouse gases.

GCOS Table 1: Participation in the global atmospheric observing systems

Ocean observing systems

There are 11 open-coast sea level monitoring gauges operating around the New Zealand coast (as part of a network of 22 gauges, including the Chatham Islands and Scott Base in Antarctica). Sea surface temperature is measured at 13 coastal stations. In addition, 90-year tide gauge records are held for the ports of Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton and Dunedin, and short records from several other ports.

Since the 1980s, New Zealand has maintained a network of around seven drifting buoys in the Tasman Sea, and has yearly contributed and deployed two sub-surface floats under the Argo programme. Additionally New Zealand deployed 146 floats for other nations in 2004 and will deploy a further 179 in 2005. In collaboration with Australian and United States research institutions, NIWA maintains three high resolution XBT (Expendable Bathythermograph) sections in the Tasman/Coral Sea area to monitor ocean temperature changes in the upper 800 metres.

New Zealand, through the Government-sponsored NIWA-led research programmes maintains three long-term moorings in deep waters to the east and north-east of the country. One supports the acquisition of current temperature data in the subtropical inflow region of the East Auckland Current to the northeast of New Zealand and has been in place for six years. The second and third support the acquisition of long-term, time-series biophysical data - either side of the subtropical front along the Chatham Rise. Measurements have now been in progress for five years. In addition, time series are being collected in the Hauraki Gulf.

Ocean waves are routinely monitored at five sites around the New Zealand coast. Remote coastal video cameras have been installed for long-term monitoring of beach conditions and erosion at seven sites.

The Ministry of Fisheries contracts out regular surveys of various fish species, in order to set maximum allowable catch limits and quotas. The resulting data sets may also be relevant for assessing climate change impacts on fisheries.

GCOS Table 2: Participation in the global oceanographic observing systems

Notes:

1. See list of abbreviations and acronyms for explanation of acronyms
2. In addition to the VOS fleet, NIWA (New Zealand) in collaboration with CSIRO (Australia) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA) maintain 3 high resolution XBT sections in the Tasman/Coral Sea area.

Terrestrial observing systems

There are approximately 500 stream-flow gauges in operation around New Zealand, and around 300 groundwater monitoring sites. More than half of the stations are operated by NIWA, and the remainder are operated by regional and district councils. More than half of the NIWA stations are funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, in conjunction with the Climate Network above. The NIWA stream-flow monitoring stations and a river water quality network of over 70 river locations, and their databases, are known as the Water Resources Archive. As with the Climate Network and Climate Database, the Water Resources Archive received its first dollar increase from the foundation since 1994, when funding increased by 30 percent in 2005. This augurs well for the long-term commitment by New Zealand to climate and water resources monitoring at the same spatial levels as in the 1990s. Furthermore, a soil moisture monitoring network has been established (see GCOS Table 12, Note 6).

End-of-summer snowline elevations and photographic images of 50 glaciers from special aircraft flights are available annually since 1979, and the terminus positions of key glaciers in the Southern Alps are available from 1800 to the present.

To meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments, New Zealand is developing a carbon accounting system. This comprises a soil carbon monitoring system and the collection of natural forest, shrubland, and planted forest measurements from permanent plots. Carbon stock changes will be made from these time sequential measurements. The national Land Cover Database developed using SPOT satellite imagery in 1995/1996 was remapped in 2001/2002. The National Vegetation Survey Databank (NVS) maintained by Landcare Research holds records from approximately 45,000 vegetation survey plots around New Zealand, including 12,000 permanent plots. Landcare Research also maintains five New Zealand long-term ecological research and monitoring sites, and also monitors the presence or range of self-advective fungal and insect species.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry maintains a planted forest cover database, and keeps records of carbon absorbed in new planting and lost through logging, fires and vegetation clearance.

GCOS Table 3: Participation in the global terrestrial observing systems

Supplementary guidance to assist in preparation of detailed national reports on systematic observations

Meteorological and atmospheric composition observations

GCOS Table 4: National climate monitoring systems for land surface (meteorological) observations

View national climate monitoring systems for land surface (meteorological) observations (large table)

GCOS Table 5: Available homogeneous data sets for land surface (meteorological) observations.

GCOS Table 6: National climate monitoring systems for upper air observations (meteorological).

View national climate monitoring systems for upper air observations (meteorological) (large table)

GCOS Table 7: Available homogeneous data sets for upper air observations (meteorological)

GCOS Table 8: National climate monitoring systems for atmospheric constituents

View national climate monitoring systems for atmospheric constituents (large table)

GCOS Table 9: Available homogeneous data sets for atmospheric constituents

References:

Bodeker, G.E., J.C. Scott, K. Kreher, and R.L. McKenzie, "Global ozone trends in potential vorticity coordinates using TOMS and GOME intercompared against the Dobson network: 1978-1998", Journal of Geophysical Research, 106 (D19), 23029-23042, 2001.

Bodeker, G.E., H. Shiona, and H. Eskes, "Indicators of Antarctic ozone depletion", Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, submitted 2005.

Oceanographic observations

GCOS Table 10: National climate monitoring systems for oceanographic observations

View national climate monitoring systems for oceanographic observations (large table).

GCOS Table 11: Available homogeneous data sets for oceanographic observations

Terrestrial observations

GCOS Table 12: National climate monitoring systems for terrestrial observations

View the national climate monitoring systems for terrestrial observations (large table)

GCOS Table 13: National climate monitoring systems for ecological observations

View national climate monitoring systems for ecological observations (large table)

GCOS Table 14: Available homogeneous data sets for sustained terrestrial and ecological observations

Space-based observing programmes:

New Zealand researchers are actively involved with a range of climate change satellite projects with collaborators in the USA, Europe and Japan. Of particular importance is the role New Zealand plays in the validation, and on going calibration, of these satellite experiments through co-relative measurements made in New Zealand and Antarctica. Understanding the internal drift in satellite instrumentation is vital if satellite data are to be used for credible trend analysis.

In addition, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) holds three satellite data archives:

• NOAA HRPT data (in satellite data stream format) 1992-present, for NOAAs 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16.
• Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) data products (imagery), August 1998 to present (including those from the backup of GMS-5 by GEOS-9).
• SeaStar SeaWiFS HRPT data (in satellite data stream format) May 2000 to present [SeaStar SeaWiFS HRPT data decrypted until December 2004.] .

NIWA has developed a one kilometre resolution collocation archive of meteorological radar (three radars), Advanced Microwave Sounder Unit (AMSU) (20 spectral intervals), High Resolution InfraRed Sounder (HIRS) (20 spectral channels), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) (5/6 channels), SST, cloud mask and cloud-type, for all data derived from NOAA15 (from August 1998) NOAA16 (from April 2001 and NOAA17 (from November 2002). This is called the NIWA ATOVS Collocation Archive (NACA) and is being used to develop algorithms that may be used to monitor the hydrological cycle over area of radius 2000 km from Wellington (see Korpela, A.V., and Uddstrom, M.J., 2001: The use of ATOVS, AVHRR and radar data in the development and validation of rain-rate algorithms. In the Technical Proceedings of the Eleventh International ATOVS Study Conference, Budapest, Hungary, 20-26 September, 2000. 12 pp).

Further, NIWA has developed a cloud-type and amount algorithm that will be used during 2001/02 to derive a cloud climatology (at 1 km resolution) over a region of 4672 × 4976 km (centred on New Zealand) and for the period 1992 to the present (Uddstrom, M.J., J.A. McGregor, W.R. Gray and J.W. Kidson: 2001: A high resolution analysis of cloud amount and type over complex topography. Journal of Applied Meteorology 40, 16-33).

NOAA16 AVHRR data will be used to derive high resolution (1 km) daily and weekly snow-cover analyses for the New Zealand region (beginning from April 2001), using a Bayesian method based on the work of M. J. Uddstrom and W. R. Gray (Udstrom and Gray, 1996, "Satellite cloud classification and rain rate estimation using multi-spectral radiances and measures of spatial texture", Journal of Applied Meteorology, 35, 839-858).

Glaciers in the Southern Alps are also monitored as part of the international satellite project GLIMS (Global Land Ice Mapping from Space).