The resulting “urchin barrens,” as divers call them, can stretch hundreds of miles, with scientists reporting earlier this year that some Northern California kelp forests have suffered 95 percent loss since 2012.Kelp are key to much of the West Coast’s marine biodiversity.

The driest soils across the North Island, when compared to normal for this time of the year, are found in much of Northland, northern and western Waikato, and parts of the east coast.

Once again, significant rainfall occurred in the western North Island during the past week, with widespread amounts of greater than 50 mm from southern Waikato to Kapiti Coast.

Some soil moisture increases may be found in the West Coast and upper South Island during the next week, but additional decreases will be most likely in southern Canterbury and coastal Otago.

Significant soil moisture changes are not expected during the next week, although small increases may occur in the West Coast and lower South Island, with small decreases possible from central Canterbury to Marlborough.

Soil moisture increases will be possible in the next week along the West Coast, although minor to moderate decreases are likely in most other parts of the South Island.

Soil moisture increases will be likely in the next week along the West Coast and in parts of the upper South Island.

Across the South Island, substantial rainfall during the past week led to soil moisture increases along the lower West coast, Fiordland, parts of Otago, lower Canterbury along with northern Tasman and Marlborough.

Soil moisture levels are likely to increase along the West Coast and in parts of the lower South Island during the next week, while most other areas will see little change.

Which is why we recently brought the public and private sectors together through the World Bank’s West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA) to discuss how they can collaborate to fight coastal degradation, increase coastal resilience to climate change, and improve the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Soil moisture levels as of 13 February are below normal for the vast majority of the North Island, with the driest soil compared to normal for this time of year in the New Plymouth District, parts of western coastal Waikato and the Aupouri Peninsula.

The driest soils in the North Island compared to normal are currently found in the eastern Far North District, around New Plymouth, and coastal Horowhenua. Across the South Island, soil moisture levels generally increased in Southland and the lower West Coast and remained constant or slightly decreased elsewhere.

The driest soils across the North Island compared to normal for this time of year are found across the Far North and Kaipara Districts in Northland, western Auckland, around New Plymouth, in the Central Plateau, and along west coastal Manawatu-Whanganui.

The California-based aerospace company is flexing its ridesharing muscles in a carefully choreographed orbital ballet as its flagship rocket—the Falcon 9—prepares to launch 64 small satellites into orbit.The mission, dubbed SSO-A, is slated to lift off a little after 10:30 am PT from the company’s west coast launch site, the second flight within a few weeks for SpaceX.

Although flooding is likely in the West Coast due to the upcoming heavy rainfall, this will also mean significant increases in soil moisture levels across much of the South Island during the next week.

An area of low pressure south of the country will bring a threat for heavy rain to the West Coast on Friday evening and Saturday with rainfall of 50-100 mm possible.

Parts of Queenstown-Lakes District in Otago, the Grey and Buller Districts in the West Coast, northeastern Marlborough, and the Waimate District in southern Canterbury experience well below average rainfall for this time of year, while the rest of the island had near normal rainfall.

The ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the National Energy Board’s (NEB) approval permit of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project because First Nations had not been adequately consulted and because the implications of increased tanker traffic on the precarious orca whale populations on the West Coast had not been taken into account.