Issue 22, December 2013

In this issue

Editorial

This year the National Land Resource Centre (NLRC) has partnered with the Soil Horizons team to widen the scope and authorship to bring you soil, land, and water research from across the CRIs.

Figure 1. Groundwater Scientist Connie Tschritter uses her cellphone to access geological information directly beneath her feet in the Bay of Plenty.

Instant access to 3d geology and groundwater information

GNS Science have developed an interactive portal that provides instant access to information on groundwater systems and geology in three dimensions in the Bay of Plenty. Simply by entering a street address, map coordinates or a smart phone’s GPS, it is instantly possible to call up relevant information.

Soil mobile app displaying the Antarctica Soil Database.

Meeting the demand for quality soil information to underpin critical decision making

Data that characterise land resources are fundamental to improving both agricultural productivity and environmental quality. Knowing the spatial variability in how much water soils can store has a significant impact on the water-use efficiency of irrigation developments.

Map generated by the land visualisation tool with a land capability overlay that shows the general capability and versatility of the land.

Convenient access to Māori land information

Landcare Research has developed a Māori land visualisation tool online. The work began in mid-2009 and was funded by Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Development).

Figure 1. Proportion of papers relating to NZ soil orders. The size of each soil’s box reflects the number of papers in the literature database.

Where to now for nutrient management science?

In 2013 the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) commissioned scientists from the Soil and Land Use Alliance to review research on nutrient management science for the primary sector between 1998 and 2013. The aim was to identify the current state of scientific knowledge, the use and uptake of this knowledge in the sector, and the ‘knowledge frontiers’ and gaps that needed to be filled.

CIBR and local communities at hui in Kaikoura. Photo courtesy of the The Malborough Express.

The Centre for Integrated Biowaste Research (CIBR): Putting waste to work

In 2011, the two biosolids research programmes in New Zealand joined forces to create a more integrated and cohesive research effort – in April of this year the Centre for Integrated Biowaste Research (CIBR) was launched.

Sampling soils under a greywater application site onto a household lawn.

The greywater pipeline

Grey water is household water from kitchen sinks, dishwashers, washing machines, showers, baths, and basins. As such, it contains a complex mixture of chemicals used in household products, such as surfactants, detergents, bleaches, dyes, enzymes, fragrances, flavourings, preservatives, oils and greases, and antimicrobials.

Movement of E. coli through stony soils

Irrigation of dairy shed effluent (DSE) onto land is an integral part of New Zealand’s farming practice. The use of inappropriate soils can result in contamination of ground waters with microbes and nutrients.

To help protect the quality of groundwater flowing from wells, springs, small lakes and wetlands, guidelines are being developed to estimate where these features gather their water.

New guidelines for managing groundwater

Managing aquifers effectively requires sound understanding of capture zones – the area of land that feeds into the aquifer – as well as of the way land use can affect water quality.

Figure 1. Simulated respiration rates (o) using a one-pool model, as a function of time (a, c) or temperature (b, d) for recalcitrant (a, b) or labile organic matter (c, d), with turn-over times given in the Figure. The dashed lines in (a, c) show changes in relative pool sizes, and solid lines show relative temperature.

Soil organic matter decomposition depends on temperature, but interacts with seasonal variations in litter availability

Future biospheric carbon storage will respond to climatic changes, but different models diverge in their predictions of the biosphere’s response by a massive 200 GtC. This divergence is largely due to uncertainties of the strength of the feedback between temperature and SOM decomposition.

Figure 1. (Left) Soil carbon stock (0–30 cm layer), in tonnes/ha; (Right) Relative accuracy of the soil carbon stock estimate (standard error/mean).

A new spatial model for New Zealand soil carbon

Soil carbon is part of the life support system of the soil, and it is widely accepted that carbon content is a major factor in the overall health of soil.

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