title: Oscillating peat surface levels in a restiad peatland, New Zealand-magnitude and spatiotemporal variability

authors: Fritz, Christian

subjects: peatland

abstract: Hydrology, particularly the water table position below the surface (relative water level, RWL), is an important control on biogeochemical and ecological processes in peatlands. The surface elevation (SE) in a peatland oscillates in response to changes in effective stress on the peat matrix mainly caused by water level fluctuations. This phenomenon is called peatland surface oscillation (PSO). To investigate the spatiotemporal variability of PSO, surface elevation and the water level above sea level (AWL) were measured monthly (23 sites) over one year in a warm-temperate restiad peatland, New Zealand. At one site peat surface elevation was measured indirectly by monitoring AWL and RWL continuously with pressure transducers. Annual PSO (the difference between maximum and minimum surface elevation) ranged from 3•2 to 28 cm (mean = 14•9 cm). Surface elevation changes were caused by AWL fluctuations. Spatially homogenous AWL fluctuations (mean 40 cm among sites) translated into RWL fluctuations reduced 27–56% by PSO except for three sites with shallow and dense peat at the peatland margin (7–17%). The SE-AWL relationship was linear for 15 sites. However, eight sites showed significantly higher rates of surface elevation changes during the wet season and thus a non-linear behaviour. We suggest flotation of upper peat layers during the wet season causing this non-linear behaviour. Surprisingly, PSO was subjected to hysteresis: the positive SE-AWL relationship reversed after rainfall when the surface slowly rose despite rapidly receding AWL. Hysteresis was more prominent during the dry season than during the wet season. Total peat thickness and bulk density together could only explain 50% of the spatial variability of PSO based on manual measurements. However, we found three broad types of SE-AWL relationships differing in shape and slope of SE-AWL curves. These oscillation types reflected patterns in vegetation and flooding.

text: Oscillating peat surface levels in a restiad peatland, New Zealand-magnitude and spatiotemporal variability Hydrology, particularly the water table position below the surface (relative water level, RWL), is an important control on biogeochemical and ecological processes in peatlands. The surface elevation (SE) in a peatland oscillates in response to changes in effective stress on the peat matrix mainly caused by water level fluctuations. This phenomenon is called peatland surface oscillation (PSO). To investigate the spatiotemporal variability of PSO, surface elevation and the water level above sea level (AWL) were measured monthly (23 sites) over one year in a warm-temperate restiad peatland, New Zealand. At one site peat surface elevation was measured indirectly by monitoring AWL and RWL continuously with pressure transducers. Annual PSO (the difference between maximum and minimum surface elevation) ranged from 3•2 to 28 cm (mean = 14•9 cm). Surface elevation changes were caused by AWL fluctuations. Spatially homogenous AWL fluctuations (mean 40 cm among sites) translated into RWL fluctuations reduced 27–56% by PSO except for three sites with shallow and dense peat at the peatland margin (7–17%). The SE-AWL relationship was linear for 15 sites. However, eight sites showed significantly higher rates of surface elevation changes during the wet season and thus a non-linear behaviour. We suggest flotation of upper peat layers during the wet season causing this non-linear behaviour. Surprisingly, PSO was subjected to hysteresis: the positive SE-AWL relationship reversed after rainfall when the surface slowly rose despite rapidly receding AWL. Hysteresis was more prominent during the dry season than during the wet season. Total peat thickness and bulk density together could only explain 50% of the spatial variability of PSO based on manual measurements. However, we found three broad types of SE-AWL relationships differing in shape and slope of SE-AWL curves. These oscillation types reflected patterns in vegetation and flooding.

year: 2008

title: Teacher Professional Development: Who is the learner?

authors: Petrie, Kirsten Culhane

subjects: professional development

abstract: One of the challenges in in-service teacher education is how teachers can be given professional development (PD) that enables them to respond to national curriculum and policy change. In recent years primary teachers in New Zealand have been inundated with Ministry of Education-funded professional development programmes to help them implement a plethora of curriculum policy and reform initiatives. This paper explores how the design and delivery of one PD programme, the Physical Activity Initiative (PAI), positioned and supported teachers as learners. An evaluation of the programme sought data from 25 teachers and 14 advisers to schools. The focus was the impact of the PD on how and what teachers learnt about teaching physical education and how their learning impacted upon their classroom practices. The data highlight the difficulty of accommodating the teacher as a learner, within a “one size fits all” PD model. Little attention was paid to the learning differences among the teachers. It is argued that providers of PD need to understand the unique complex web of contextual factors that impacted upon each teacher, and that each teacher’s learning needs and learning approaches vary and this needs to be accounted for in the design and the delivery of PD.

text: Teacher Professional Development: Who is the learner? One of the challenges in in-service teacher education is how teachers can be given professional development (PD) that enables them to respond to national curriculum and policy change. In recent years primary teachers in New Zealand have been inundated with Ministry of Education-funded professional development programmes to help them implement a plethora of curriculum policy and reform initiatives. This paper explores how the design and delivery of one PD programme, the Physical Activity Initiative (PAI), positioned and supported teachers as learners. An evaluation of the programme sought data from 25 teachers and 14 advisers to schools. The focus was the impact of the PD on how and what teachers learnt about teaching physical education and how their learning impacted upon their classroom practices. The data highlight the difficulty of accommodating the teacher as a learner, within a “one size fits all” PD model. Little attention was paid to the learning differences among the teachers. It is argued that providers of PD need to understand the unique complex web of contextual factors that impacted upon each teacher, and that each teacher’s learning needs and learning approaches vary and this needs to be accounted for in the design and the delivery of PD.

year: 2012

title: He tirohanga ki ngā iwi o Hauraki

authors: Ngāpō, Korohere

subjects: Kōrero nehe

abstract: Ahakoa kua kīia nei tekau mā rua ngā iwi o Hauraki i ēnei rangi, kua mōhiotia whānuitia e ngā tūnohunohu me ngā tohunga whakapapa o te kāinga e toru ngā tino nohonga tūturu ake o ngā iwi o Hauraki i mua i te tae putuputu mai o te iwi Pākehā. Ka mutu, he whakarāpopoto noa iho tēnei tuhinga ki ngā tūrangawaewae me ngā tapuwae o ngā iwi ki roto i ngā whaitua o Te Tara o Te Ika-a-Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga. Ehara i te mea kua ruku hōhonu ake ahau ki ngā āhuatanga katoa o ngā whakapapa o Hauraki engari he paku makamaka tirotiro noa iho nā te rarahi, nā te whānui rawa o tēnei kaupapa. Mehemea ka tōminamina te tangata kia mōhio ai ki ngā hītori o Hauraki mokori anō tana whana atu ki ngā wāhi tapu, ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a ngā mātanga whakapapa.

Mehemea e tōminamina ana te tangata kia mōhio ai ko wai mā ngā tūpuna o Hauraki i ngā wā o mua, me hoki whakamuri ki ngā iwi tuatahi tae noa mai ki ngā iwi 12 e noho atu ana ki ngā ripa tauārai o Hauraki ā mohoa nei.

text: He tirohanga ki ngā iwi o Hauraki Ahakoa kua kīia nei tekau mā rua ngā iwi o Hauraki i ēnei rangi, kua mōhiotia whānuitia e ngā tūnohunohu me ngā tohunga whakapapa o te kāinga e toru ngā tino nohonga tūturu ake o ngā iwi o Hauraki i mua i te tae putuputu mai o te iwi Pākehā. Ka mutu, he whakarāpopoto noa iho tēnei tuhinga ki ngā tūrangawaewae me ngā tapuwae o ngā iwi ki roto i ngā whaitua o Te Tara o Te Ika-a-Māui-tikitiki-a-Taranga. Ehara i te mea kua ruku hōhonu ake ahau ki ngā āhuatanga katoa o ngā whakapapa o Hauraki engari he paku makamaka tirotiro noa iho nā te rarahi, nā te whānui rawa o tēnei kaupapa. Mehemea ka tōminamina te tangata kia mōhio ai ki ngā hītori o Hauraki mokori anō tana whana atu ki ngā wāhi tapu, ki ngā kōrero tuku iho a ngā mātanga whakapapa.

Mehemea e tōminamina ana te tangata kia mōhio ai ko wai mā ngā tūpuna o Hauraki i ngā wā o mua, me hoki whakamuri ki ngā iwi tuatahi tae noa mai ki ngā iwi 12 e noho atu ana ki ngā ripa tauārai o Hauraki ā mohoa nei.

year: 2016