Ocean research project has shed light on our changing oceans
Project members that attended the Annual Hui in Ōpōtiki, standing in front of the Ōpōtiki Harbour Development Project.
The Moana Project, a large five-year ocean research programme which concludes this month, has significantly advanced Aotearoa New Zealand’s ocean knowledge.
In a final hui held last week, project scientists and iwi partner Whakatōhea presented how the project supported several firsts for Aotearoa - including an iwi-led moana plan, a nation-wide fishing vessel-based coastal ocean temperature monitoring network, marine heatwave forecasts, and understanding of the ocean’s transportation of important aquaculture and fishery species.
Led by MetOcean Solutions and partnering with Whakatōhea iwi, the collaborative project brought together more than 50 experts from 15 national and international organisations to solve some of the salient problems relating to the seas around Aotearoa. To boost Aotearoa’s future ocean research capacity, the project included ten PhD students.
Science Lead Dr Joao de Souza from MetOcean Solutions explains the advancements made. “Aotearoa’s ocean area is one of the largest in the world in relation to its land mass; home to valuable ecosystems, fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism, our oceans support a blue economy worth billions of dollars. Despite this we had large gaps in knowledge of the sea. “
“The Moana Project set out to increase our understanding of the ocean and to support the blue economy into a future of climate change. We’ve done this with ground-breaking science and innovative technology, and we’re very proud of what has been achieved,” says Dr de Souza.
A case study focused on the eastern Bay of Plenty, provided information to support project partner Whakatōhea iwi. This resulted in the Whakatōhea Moana Plan and an indicator framework assessing the mauri of their moana, initiatives documenting Whakatōhea iwi values, interests and priorities for their rohe moana.
Whakatōhea Māori Trust Board Chair Robert Edwards explains that initiatives like this help produce science that is directly relevant to iwi.
“Te Whakatōhea has significant marine interests, including fisheries and aquaculture. By focussing research around our local area and species, the Moana Project provides useful information that helps further the interests of Whakatōhea and other coastal iwi.”
Dr de Souza explains the project approach. “One of the biggest unknowns was how water temperature below the sea surface are changing. Temperature drives ocean circulation, heat uptake, and significantly influences weather systems, like Cyclone Gabrielle. Despite its importance, New Zealand knew relatively little about ocean temperatures at depth, until the Moana Project partnered with the fishing industry and citizen scientists to crowd-source ocean temperature observations.
“Thanks to the partnership with commercial fishers, we now have more than 20 million temperature observations from our coastal seas – the exact area where most ocean-based economic activity occurs. Working with the fishing industry to crowd-source temperature measurements is hugely innovative and making waves internationally as well.”
The ocean sensor temperature programme is essential to understanding the changes in the seas surrounding us, according to Tim Pankhurst, former Seafood New Zealand chief executive, who represented the seafood sector on the Moana Project.
“Dramatic increases in sea temperature are now being widely recorded, from the Tasman Sea to Fiordland and in the Bay of Plenty on the east coast in particular. The warmer temperatures are already impacting species reproduction and distribution and that is likely to increase,” says Pankhurst. “This could have serious implications for seafood production and the supply of healthy protein to the domestic market, as well as the provision of export income that helps underpin our economy and standard of living.”
The huge amount of new temperature data has also helped to improve ocean forecast models, which amongst other things (including forecasting storm surge) are used to create Aotearoa’s first marine heatwave forecast.
Over the last three years, marine heatwaves have broken all records in New Zealand waters and have caused considerable damage to marine species including sponges, kelp, seabirds, and farmed salmon. By making marine heatwave data available, the Moana Project has helped marine managers plan around impacts on marine ecosystem from ocean warming.
The improved ocean models were also used to answer tricky questions around the larval transport of important taonga and commercial species. By combining ocean modelling with sophisticated genetics and microchemistry, the project confirmed where the parent populations are that supply the baby mussels used by Aotearoa’s mussel farming industry, and what the impacts of the Kaikōura earthquake was on local pāua populations.
MetOcean Solutions values the opportunities the Moana Project has brought about. General Manager Brett Beamsley, says, “We are very proud of the groundbreaking science achieved by this national-scale project and very grateful for the strong collaborations we’ve forged with iwi and the rest of Aotearoa’s ocean community.”
Ministry Business Innovation and Employment, Senior Investment Manager Melanie Tomintz says, “Over the last five years, this multi-disciplinary Endeavour Research Programme made important progress towards better understanding of the ocean circulation and its connectivity and risks from marine extremes to support a sustainable seafood sector. The outreach and community connections by the team were outstanding. We, at MBIE, are confident that this programme will have future positive impact down the line for New Zealand.”
| Number | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Individual collaborators | 70 | individuals including active project members and stakeholders |
| PhD students involved | 10 | |
| Ocean sensors deployed | 300 | individuals including active project members and stakeholders |
| Sensor used in | 5 oceans | of 7 major oceans |
| Countries using the sensor | 14 | NZ, Australia, UK, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Greenland, Canada, USA, Mexico, Ghana |
| Ocean temperature observations | 20 million | Since the project began |
| Monthly ocean temperature observations | 1 million | NZ, Australia, UK, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain, Greenland, Canada, USA, Mexico, Ghana |
| Average NZ coastal ocean warming 2020-2023 | 1.6 degrees Celcius | Compared to long-term average |
| Extreme marine heatwaves in NZ coastal waters | 6 | 2020-2023 |
| Industry bodies collaborated with | 8 | Deepwater Group, Fisheries Inshore NZ, Southern Inshore, Seafood NZ, NZ Rock Lobster Industry Council, Pāua Council, Aquaculture NZ, Marine Farming Association |
| Historical NZ Ocean observations made available via the Ocean Data Network | 16 million | |
| Number of published scientific papers to date | 24 |