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Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of people drawing at a table at the Pallet Pavilion during Supernova City, a drawing workshop led by Melbourne-based New Zealand artist and architect Byron Kinnaird. This event was part of FESTA 2013, and invited people to make new, imaginative drawings of Christchurch city.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a temporary installation titled Highlight in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a young child playing with a temporary sculpture titled Illuminate, on a vacant site on Worcester Street. The sculpture was created by students from Unitec's Architecture department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a temporary installation titled Highlight in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of people working at Agropolis before the public launch event during FESTA 2013. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food.

Research papers, University of Canterbury Library

Environmental stress and disturbance can affect the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems by altering their physical, chemical and biological features. In estuaries, benthic invertebrate communities play important roles in structuring sediments, influencing primary production and biogeochemical flux, and occupying key food web positions. Stress and disturbance can reduce species diversity, richness and abundance, with ecological theory predicting that biodiversity will be at its lowest soon after a disturbance with assemblages dominated by opportunistic species. The Avon-Heathcote Estuary in Christchurch New Zealand has provided a novel opportunity to examine the effects of stress, in the form of eutrophication, and disturbance, in the form of cataclysmic earthquake events, on the structure and functioning of an estuarine ecosystem. For more than 50 years, large quantities (up to 500,000m3/day) of treated wastewater were released into this estuary but in March 2010 this was diverted to an ocean outfall, thereby reducing the nutrient loading by around 90% to the estuary. This study was therefore initially focussed on the reversal of eutrophication and consequent effects on food web structure in the estuary as it responded to lower nutrients. In 2011, however, Christchurch was struck with a series of large earthquakes that greatly changed the estuary. Massive amounts of liquefied sediments, covering up to 65% of the estuary floor, were forced up from deep below the estuary, the estuary was tilted by up to a 50cm rise on one side and a corresponding drop on the other, and large quantities of raw sewage from broken wastewater infrastructure entered the estuary for up to nine months. This study was therefore a test of the potentially synergistic effects of nutrient reduction and earthquake disturbance on invertebrate communities, associated habitats and food web dynamics. Because there was considerable site-to-site heterogeneity in the estuary, the sites in this study were selected to represent a eutrophication gradient from relatively “clean” (where the influence of tidal flows was high) to highly impacted (near the historical discharge site). The study was structured around these sites, with components before the wastewater diversion, after the diversion but before the earthquakes, and after the earthquakes. The eutrophication gradient was reflected in the composition and isotopic chemistry of primary producer and invertebrate communities and the characteristics of sediments across the sample sites. Sites closest to the former wastewater discharge pipe were the most eutrophic and had cohesive organic -rich, fine sediments and relatively depauperate communities dominated by the opportunistic taxa Capitellidae. The less-impacted sites had coarser, sandier sediments with fewer pollutants and far less organic matter than at the eutrophic sites, relatively high diversity and lower abundances of micro- and macro-algae. Sewage-derived nitrogen had became incorporated into the estuarine food web at the eutrophic sites, starting at the base of the food chain with benthic microalgae (BMA), which were found to use mostly sediment-derived nitrogen. Stable isotopic analysis showed that δ13C and δ15N values of most food sources and consumers varied spatially, temporally and in relation to the diversion of wastewater, whereas the earthquakes did not appear to affect the overall estuarine food web structure. This was seen particularly at the most eutrophic site, where isotopic signatures became more similar to the cleaner sites over two-and-a-half years after the diversion. New sediments (liquefaction) produced by the earthquakes were found to be coarser, have lower concentrations of heavy metals and less organic matter than old (existing) sediments. They also had fewer macroinvertebrate inhabitants initially after the earthquakes but most areas recovered to pre-earthquake abundance and diversity within two years. Field experiments showed that there were higher amounts of primary production and lower amounts of nutrient efflux from new sediments at the eutrophic sites after the earthquakes. Primary production was highest in new sediments due to the increased photosynthetic efficiency of BMA resulting from the increased permeability of new sediments allowing increased light penetration, enhanced vertical migration of BMA and the enhanced transport of oxygen and nutrients. The reduced efflux of NH4-N in new sediments indicated that the capping of a large portion of eutrophic old sediments with new sediments had reduced the release of legacy nutrients (originating from the historical discharge) from the sediments to the overlying water. Laboratory experiments using an array of species and old and new sediments showed that invertebrates altered levels of primary production and nutrient flux but effects varied among species. The mud snail Amphibola crenata and mud crab Austrohelice crassa were found to reduce primary production and BMA biomass through the consumption of BMA (both species) and its burial from bioturbation and the construction of burrows (Austrohelice). In contrast, the cockle Austrovenus stutchburyi did not significantly affect primary production and BMA biomass. These results show that changes in the structure of invertebrate communities resulting from disturbances can also have consequences for the functioning of the system. The major conclusions of this study were that the wastewater diversion had a major effect on food web dynamics and that the large quantities of clean and unpolluted new sediments introduced to the estuary during the earthquakes altered the recovery trajectory of the estuary, accelerating it at least throughout the duration of this study. This was largely through the ‘capping’ effect of the new liquefied, coarser-grained sediments as they dissipated across the estuary and covered much of the old organic-rich eutrophic sediments. For all aspects of this study, the largest changes occurred at the most eutrophic sites; however, the surrounding habitats were important as they provided the context for recovery of the estuary, particularly because of the very strong influence of sediments, their biogeochemistry, microalgal and macroalgal dynamics. There have been few studies documenting system level responses to eutrophication amelioration and to the best on my knowledge there are no other published studies examining the impacts of large earthquakes on benthic communities in an estuarine ecosystem. This research gives valuable insight and advancements in the scientific understanding of the effects that eutrophication recovery and large-scale disturbances can have on the ecology of a soft-sediment ecosystem.

Other, National Library of New Zealand

The organisation was founded after the Canterbury earthquake to mobilise students to help with the clean up. A student based initiative at the University of Canterbury, that supports and contributes volunteer work to all spheres of the community through disaster relief and community projects. Includes history, events, information on projects, how to become involved and how one can support.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of young children at the public launch event for Agropolis, which was part of FESTA 2013. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a young child at the public launch event for Agropolis, which was part of FESTA 2013. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of people at Agropolis just before the public launch event, which was part of FESTA 2013. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of plants in a raised garden bed at Agropolis, an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. In the background, people are filling in the base of a shed with concrete. Agropolis was the venue for several events throughout FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of people standing in a pile of soil that has been placed on a white sheet, during a shed-building workshop at Agropolis. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Agropolis was the venue for several events throughout FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a woman holding compost at the launch event of Agropolis, which was part of FESTA 2013. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a young child at the public launch event for Agropolis, which was part of FESTA 2013. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of scaffolding being erected in the Re:START mall car park on Cashel Street, as the frame for a temporary installation titled Highlight. The installation was created by students from Unitec Architecture Department for Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Nick Sargent sitting at a table at the Pallet Pavilion during Supernova City, a drawing workshop led by Melbourne-based New Zealand artist and architect Byron Kinnaird. This event was part of FESTA 2013, and invited people to make new, imaginative drawings of Christchurch city.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the beginnings of a shed at Agropolis. Agropolis is an urban farm on the corner of High Street and Tuam Street. Organic waste from inner-city hospitality businesses is composted and used to grow food. Agropolis was the venue for several events throughout FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of performers on a temporary stage in Re:START mall during Under the Fale. Under the Fale was organised by Pacific Underground and took place as part of Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a performer suspended in a harness above the base of the Robert Falcon Scott statue, during a rehearsal for a performance titled Angel of History. The performance was part of Canterbury Tales - a carnivalesque procession which was the main event of FESTA 2013.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of Hugh Grant (right) drawing at a table at the Pallet Pavilion during Supernova City, a drawing workshop led by Melbourne-based New Zealand artist and architect Byron Kinnaird. This event was part of FESTA 2013, and invited people to make new, imaginative drawings of Christchurch city.

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a person drawing at a table at the Pallet Pavilion during Supernova City, a drawing workshop led by Melbourne-based New Zealand artist and architect Byron Kinnaird. This event was part of FESTA 2013, and invited people to make new, imaginative drawings of Christchurch city.