Inland basin frost anomalies and the Taieri Plain

[Richard]

Thanks, great doc. One of many interesting and relevant figures attached for speed.

Interesting alright, So this chart is land elevation including that that is covered by water, note the elevation where the Waipori leaves the Taieri , its 0-1m absl, again I dont understand how does water drain from those blue areas if its lower?

[Janos]

Waiau at the top and of the Amuri plains recorded -4.1, -4.1 and -2.4 over the last three mornings. Culverden -4, -4.8 and -2.
Wasnt to many years ago this area received colder frosts than the Canterbury plains, nowadays not so. The climate here was 20 years ago was closer to the likes of Alexander. When comparing the Taieri plains to the Amuri plains, both surrounded by hill ranges, the Taieri is closer to sea level and to the sea, yet had a -8 deg. Why has the Amuri warmed so much, has it anything to do with dairy farming?

There is always the question of how accurate are the temperature readings from the Taieri .
The Taieri Plains near Dunedin airport are 2 metres below sea level, the lowest point in NZ.

Some parts of NZ that have been marginal for frost occurrence in the past will be becoming frost free. No frost recorded here this Winter yet.

I work on the Taieri Plains and can absolutely confirm the extremely hard frosts and very low temperatures. We in fact record the temperatures and rainfall daily and on a couple of occasions last week experienced temperatures of -7. May 2021 we also recorded -8 which destroyed multiple plants etc. These very low temperatures recorded on the Taieri are definitely real.

[Janos]

Mods may want to split off into Off Topic

What I'm I missing here, parts of the land surface on the Taieri's are 2m below sea level, yet at times tide heights at the mouth can be 1.7m, could be wrong but I didn't think the Taieri/Waipori river was tidal up as far as the plains, I know they say it is but go look on google map street view from the bridges, all 15 photos from 4 different bridges all show the same river level, remarkable timing for the google car to pass over the bridge right at high tide.

It doesn't add up

Again working out on the Taieri I have seen the flow of the river going inland. Definitely tidal.

[Simon Culling]

Thanks for the Dunedin Airport average minimums, Nev. Those figures are lower than for most recording stations in southern and central England - for the winter months, the average minimums would be around 1-2°C. Only the very frost prone sites would see an average minimum close to 0°C.

The Tairei plain is an interesting place. What crops would be grown there?

[spwill]

Thanks, great doc. One of many interesting and relevant figures attached for speed.

Interesting alright, So this chart is land elevation including that that is covered by water, note the elevation where the Waipori leaves the Taieri , its 0-1m absl, again I dont understand how does water drain from those blue areas if its lower?

I think water is mostly pumped out and the waterways have stopbanks.

[Richard]

I think water is mostly pumped out and the waterways have stopbanks.

I cant see any pumping stations though, flood gate yes.

[spwill]

I think water is mostly pumped out and the waterways have stopbanks.

I cant see any pumping stations though, flood gate yes.

https://www.orc.govt.nz/news-and-events ... missioning

[Richard]

Well done thanks, that answers my question

[Nev]

The Tairei plain is an interesting place. What crops would be grown there?

Nowadays I think it's mostly pastoral land for sheep and dairy, although it looks to have also had a history of Chinese market gardens, growing staple vegetables like cabbages, cauliflower and lettuce.

'The days when produce was grown on Dunedin's doorstep' - NZ Herald

[spwill]

The Tairei plain is an interesting place. What crops would be grown there?

Nowadays I think it's mostly pastoral land for sheep and dairy, although it looks to have also had a history of Chinese market gardens, growing staple vegetables like cabbages, cauliflower and lettuce.

'The days when produce was grown on Dunedin's doorstep' - NZ Herald

The was quite a bit of berry growing around Outram at one stage.

This part of NZ has the climate that is most similar to the UK climate overall.

[Simon Culling]

Thanks Nev + spwill for your comments + links. I am guessing the soil must be good if there is plenty of river flooding with consequent silt deposition on the land. It looked like a hard living back in the nineteenth century when the farming started.