| Word / acronym / abbreviation / te reo Māori | Full description/translation |
|---|---|
| Aeolian lake | A lake that is often formed by wind-blown sand deposits and sand dunes. Aeolian lakes are also known as dune lakes. |
| Algae | Small, often microscopic plants. Freshwater algae grow in the water or on rocks on river beds and lake shores. Large quantities of algae are also called algal blooms. |
| Algal bloom | A rapid increase in the population of algae in an aquatic system. Blooms can reduce the amount of light and oxygen available to other aquatic life. Some types of algae may be toxic if ingested or can be an irritant to skin and eyes. |
| Allochthonous material | Material originating from outside the water body (e.g., soil particles, pollen grains from trees). |
| Ammoniacal nitrogen | Covers two forms of nitrogen: ammonia and ammonium. Animal waste (particularly from humans and farmed animals such as sheep and cows) is the major source of ammoniacal nitrogen in New Zealand waterways. If ammoniacal nitrogen reaches very high concentrations it can become toxic under certain temperature and pH conditions. |
| Amplicon Sequence Variant (ASV) | Amplicon Sequence Variant refers to clusters of uncultivated or unknown organisms, grouped by DNA sequence similarity of a specific taxonomic marker gene. |
| Anoxic | Describes a condition without any oxygen, opposed to aerobic condition. For example, fish and macroinvertebrates are not able to survive in water with anoxic conditions because they need oxygen to survive. |
| Autochthonous material | Material originating from within the water body (e.g., dead algal remains, chemical precipitates). |
| Bacteria | Micro-organisms, some of which can be harmful to humans, such as E. coli. |
| Bioturbation | The mixing of the sediments by benthic organisms. |
| Blue-green algae | See Cyanobacteria. |
| Catchment | The total area of land draining into a river, reservoir, or other body of water. |
| Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) | Chlorophyll a is the green pigment in plants that is used for photosynthesis. Chlorophyll a is a good indicator of the total amount of algae in a lake. Large amounts of algae in a lake can: decrease the clarity of the water; alter the colour of the water (making it greener); form surface scums; reduce dissolved oxygen; alter the pH of the water; produce unpleasant tastes and smells. |
| Chironomids | Chironomids are non-biting midges that have aquatic larvae. Chironomid fossils are preserved in lake sediments and can be used to determine changed in lake temperature and nutrients. |
| Cyanobacteria | A group of bacteria that can photosynthesise like true algae. Some species are benthic and grow on the beds of rivers and lakes while others live in the water column. Unlike freshwater algae, some species of cyanobacteria produce toxins and some are able to convert nitrogen gas to plant nutrients. |
| Dam | A lake that is formed by the addition of a barrier across a river valley. These lakes are also known as artificial lakes or reservoirs. Dams are often used for hydropower generation and water storage for irrigation. |
| Diatoms | Diatoms are single-celled algae. Diatoms are algae that live in houses made of glass. They are the only organism on the planet with cell walls composed of transparent, opaline silica. These silica cell walls are often left intact in sediment and can be identified. |
| Dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) | This is the sum of nitrite (NO2), nitrate (NO3) and ammonia (NH3) |
| Dissolved oxygen (DO) | The oxygen content of water. Dissolved oxygen is important for fish and other aquatic life to breathe. For example, water quality guidelines recommend that water should be more than 80 percent saturated with DO for aquatic plants and animals to be able to live in it. |
| Dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) | This is a measure of the dissolved (soluble) phosphorus compounds that are readily available for use by plants and algae. Dissolved reactive phosphorus concentrations are an indication of a waterbody’s ability to support nuisance algal or plant growths (algal blooms). |
| Ecosystem | All plants, animals, and micro-organisms in a particular area, interacting with all of that environment’s non-living physical factors. Ecosystems may be small and short-lived (for example, water-filled tree holes or logs rotting on a forest floor), or large and long-lived (such as forests or lakes) |
| Environmental DNA (eDNA) | DNA that is extracted from organisms or free in the environment. This DNA can be analysed using HTS to determine community composition, or the presence of a defined species, in an environmental sample. |
| Eutrophic | Term used to characterise a lake. This refers to a lake having an abundant accumulation of nutrients that support a dense growth of algae and other organisms, the decay of which depletes the shallow waters of oxygen in summer resulting in death of animal life. (Compare with Oligotrophic). |
| Eutrophication | The enrichment of water with nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Eutrophication can lead to growth and blooms of large masses of plant material such as phytoplankton and/or macrophytes. |
| Geomorphic lake type | The type of lake is described by how it has been formed and the surrounding geology. Common lake types are: Aeolian, Dam, Geothermal, Glacial, Landslide, Peat, Riverine, Shoreline, Tectonic and Volcanic. |
| Geothermal lake | A lake that is formed due to direct active geothermal influences in the immediate catchment or with the lake itself. |
| Glacial lake | A lake that is formed by a combination of different processes, including ice-excavated rock depressions, glacial moraine, and depressions created by melting ice blocks in retreating glaciers. |
| Groundwater | Water that is found beneath the land surface in pores and fissures in rock and soil. Permeable underground zones where groundwater accumulates are known as aquifers. |
| Hapū | A large kinship group and the primary political unit in traditional Māori society. It consists of a number of whānau sharing descent from a common ancestor, usually being named after the ancestor, but sometimes from an important event in the group's history. A number of related hapū usually shared adjacent territories forming a looser tribal federation (iwi). |
| High throughput sequencing (HTS) | This is a molecular method that can be used to generate large amounts of sequence data, which in the context of this project, is then used to characterise the composition of biological communities. |
| Hyperspectral scanning | Hyperspectral imaging offers a rapid and cost-effective way of generating records of sediment properties and composition at the micrometer-scale. Photopigments and clay minerals detected using this method can reflect temperature, precipitation or runoff and primary production in lake sediments. |
| Intermittently Closing and Opening Lakes and Lagoons (ICOLL) | Intermittently Closing and Opening Lakes and Lagoons describe a coastal lagoon or tidal lagoon with an intermittently closed and open direct connection to the sea. In their natural state, these lakes fill with freshwater until they breach a coastal barrier that results in a rapid loss of freshwater from the lagoon. |
| Indigenous land cover | Indigenous land cover refers to those land cover types or classes that predominantly contain indigenous (naturally occurring) plant species (e.g. indigenous forest or indigenous scrub/shrubland) or natural surface features (e.g. sand or gravel). |
| Introduced species | A species that is not indigenous to a given place, but has been transported there as a result of human activity. |
| Invasive species | Non-indigenous species of plants or animals that adversely affect the habitats they invade either economically, environmentally, or in any other way. For example, Didymo is an invasive species that spread quickly throughout the waterways of the South Island. |
| Groundwater | Water that is found beneath the land surface in pores and fissures in rock and soil. Permeable underground zones where groundwater accumulates are known as aquifers. |
| Iwi | Extended kinship group or Māori tribe descended from a common ancestor and associated with a distinct territory. |
| Kaitiaki | Tangata whenua who are vested with inalienable ancestral obligations to care for and protect the natural environment. |
| Kanohi ki te kanohi | Literally ‘face-to-face’ but we also use it in the sense of establishing a common agenda or being ‘on the same page’. |
| Lake Submerged Plant Indicators (Lake SPI) | Lake Submerged Plant Indicators (Lake SPI) is a method of characterizing the ecological health of lakes based on the amount of native and invasive plants growing in them. Higher Lake SPI scores are associated with the better ecological health. |
| Land cover | Land cover describes the types of vegetation, and built or natural features that cover the land’s surface. Land cover can be natural in origin (e.g. a remote indigenous forest or a lake), artificial – occurring as a direct result of human activities (e.g. a built-up area or roads), or somewhere in between (e.g. exotic grassland or exotic forest). |
| Landslide lake | A lake that is generally created in valleys that are blocked by rock falls or avalanches. These lakes are commonly found in seismically active areas. |
| LAWA (Land, Air, Water Aotearoa) | Land, Air, Water Aotearoa – a collaboration between a number of organisations to make water quality and other data publically available via a webpage www.lawa.co.nz. |
| Little Ice Age (LIA) | This is a period between roughly 1870 and 1300 CE during which much of the Northern Hemisphere experienced colder than modern temperatures. |
| Macrophytes | Large water plants and algae that live in freshwater and are visible to the naked eye, as opposed to the microscopic periphyton and phytoplankton. Macrophytes can be either submerged, floating or emergent. |
| Mahinga kai | Te reo Māori for indigenous freshwater species that have traditionally been used as food, tools, or other resources. |
| Mauri | Energy and vitality of a being or entity that binds and animates all things in the physical world. In the context of this proposal we use it to indicate the essential health and vitality of a lake ecosystem in relation to dependent peoples. |
| MCA | Medieval Climate Anomaly – a period between roughly 1250 and 950 CE during which the North Atlantic experienced warmer than modern temperatures. |
| Me hoki whakamuri kia haere whakamua | A whakataukī (proverb) central to tikanga (protocol) that conveys the universal principle that our current and future activity should always be guided by the lessons of the past: literally “we should go back to the past in order to move forward into the future.” |
| Mesotrophic | A trophic level of 3-4 meaning the water quality is average. The lake has moderate levels of nutrients and algae. |
| Microtrophic | A trophic level of less than 2 meaning the water quality is very good. The lake is clear and blue with very low levels of nutrients and algae. |
| National Policy Statement – Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) | National Policy Statement – Freshwater Management. The NPS for Freshwater Management (NPS-FM) 2014 (amended 2017) requires councils, in consultation with their communities, to set objectives for the state of fresh water bodies in their regions and to set limits on resource use to meet these objective |
| Oligotrophic | A term often used to describe the characteristic of a lake. Oligotrophic lakes are relatively poor in plant nutrients, leading to sparse growth of algae and other organisms, and have a high oxygen content owing to the low organic content (compare with euthrophic). |
| Paleolimnological | The study of the history of lakes using paleoecological techniques. |
| Palynology | The study of pollen grains and spore |
| Peat lake | A lake that is generally created as a result of the accumulation of peat. Some lakes that are created by other processes that have been modified by peat growth can also be considered peat lakes. |
| Photosynthesis | A biochemical process whereby green plants use energy from the sun, water and carbon dioxide to generate organic compounds and oxygen. |
| Phytoplankton | Microscopic algae and cyanobacteria that drift or float in the water column and are able to produce oxygen through photosynthesis. |
| Plankton | Community of tiny organisms, plants (phytoplankton) and animals (zooplankton) that are freely moving in the open water. |
| Polymictic | Lakes where the water column undergoes frequent periods of stratification and mixing during a single year. Most small, shallow lakes in New Zealand are polymictic. |
| Pollen analysis | Analysis of the type and frequency of the pollen in each layer of a sediment core is used to study changes in climate or land use using regional vegetation. |
| Riverine lake | A lake that commonly forms in water filled depressions on river floodplains as river channels move and diverge. |
| Rohe | Territory or boundaries of iwi/hapū. |
| Secchi disc depth | Lake clarity is measured using a Secchi disc attached to a tape measure. The disc is lowered into the water until it disappears; this depth is noted from the tape measure. The disc is lowered a little further and then slowly raised until it reappears, this depth is noted. The average of the two readings is the final Secchi depth visibility depth. |
| Sediment core | A sediment core is a tube of mud collected from the bottom of lakes. Scientists collect sediment cores like) and examine the materials trapped within to reconstruct past lake and catchment conditions. The varieties and concentration of certain microorganisms and minerals record past changes. |
| Shoreline lake | A lake that is formed by long-shore drift of a barrier bar or spit across a coastal embayment near the sea, and their water is commonly brackish. Shoreline lakes are also known as barrier-bar lakes. |
| Siliciclastic sediment | Clastic sediment composed of silicon-bearing minerals such as quartz, feldspars, and clay minerals. |
| State of the Environment (SOE) monitoring | Under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA), councils must undertake SOE monitoring in order to "effectively carry out their functions". Or simply put, to check if desired environmental results are being achieved, e.g. meeting an environmental standard or guideline. New Zealand's regional and unitary councils collect water quality data monthly, bimonthly, quarterly or annually as part of their SOE monitoring, and air quality data for a period relative to guidelines, e.g., daily for PM10. This SOE monitoring data is used to: 1) detect changes in environmental conditions and trends, including their significance; and 2), to detect changes in the state of the environment following the implementation of council plans and strategies. Council SOE monitoring is done to serve both council and national environmental reporting needs (see State of the Environment (SOE) reporting). |
| Stratified | Lakes in which the mixing of the water column occurs once a year. Monomictic is also a term to describe a Stratified mixing pattern. |
| Supertrophic | A trophic level greater than 5 meaning the water quality is very poor. The lake is fertile and saturated in phosphorus and nitrogen, often associated with poor water clarity. |
| Tangata whenua | Literally, ‘people of the land’, referring to Māori indigenous people of New Zealand. |
| Taonga | All things prized or treasured, tangible and intangible, treasured resource, possession or cultural item, including te reo, culturally significant species. |
| Tapu | A person, place or thing is dedicated to an atua (ancestor with continuing influence) and is thus removed from the sphere of the profane and put into the sphere of the sacred. It is untouchable, no longer to be put to common use. |
| Tectonic lake | A lake formed by the movement of land due to tectonic processes. |
| Total Nitrogen (TN) | Total Nitrogen is a measure of all organic and inorganic forms of nitrogen that are found in a sample. High total nitrogen can be a cause of eutrophication in lakes, estuaries and coastal waters and can cause algal blooms. |
| Total Phosphorus (TP) | Total phosphorus is a measure of all forms of phosphorus that are found in a sample, including dissolved and particulate, organic and inorganic. High levels of total phosphorus in water can come from either wastewater or run-off from agricultural land. Too much phosphorus can encourage the growth of nuisance plants such as algal blooms. |
| Trophic Lake Index (TLI) | Trophic Lake Index, used to measure lake health/condition; it is calculated from measurements of TP, TN, chl-a and Secchi depth. |
| Volcanic lake | A lake formed by volcanic activities. |
| Wetland | A wetland is a land area saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, such that it takes on the characteristics of its own ecosystem. What distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation that is adapted to its unique soil conditions which support aquatic plants. |
| X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) | An analytical technique that returns information about the elemental composition of a sample. |
| Zooplankton | The animal component of plankton. Like phytoplankton, zooplankton are vital components of food webs in large lakes and oceans. Individual zooplankton are usually too small to be seen with the naked eye although some, such as jellyfish, are large. |
