Lakes of New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Surface area
Surface area is the measure of how much exposed area a solid object has, expressed in square units. Mathematical description of the surface area is considerably more involved than the definition of arc length of a curve. For polyhedra the surface area is the sum of the areas of its faces...
larger than one hectare. The lakes are of varying types and origins. Many of the lakes in the central North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
area are volcanic crater lake
Crater lake
A crater lake is a lake that forms in a volcanic crater or caldera, such as a maar; less commonly and with lower association to the term a lake may form in an impact crater caused by a meteorite. Sometimes lakes which form inside calderas are called caldera lakes, but often this distinction is not...
s, while the majority of the lakes near the Southern Alps
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...
were carved by glaciers. Hydroelectric reservoirs are common in South Canterbury, Central Otago
Central Otago
Central Otago is the inland part of the New Zealand region of Otago in the South Island. The area commonly known as Central Otago includes both the Central Otago District and the Queenstown-Lakes District to the west....
and along the Waikato River
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand. In the North Island, it runs for 425 kilometres from the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and emptying into Lake Taupo, New Zealand's largest lake. It drains Taupo at the lake's northeastern edge, creates the...
.
Statistics
- Largest lake: Lake TaupoLake TaupoLake Taupo is a lake situated in the North Island of New Zealand. With a surface area of , it is the largest lake by surface area in New Zealand, and the second largest freshwater lake by surface area in geopolitical Oceania after Lake Murray ....
– 616 km² (237.8 sq mi) - Deepest lake: Lake HaurokoLake HaurokoLake Hauroko is located in a mountain valley in Fiordland National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The long S-shaped lake is 30 kilometres in length and covers an area of 63 km². The surface is at an altitude of 150 metres above sea level, and the lake is 463 metres deep...
– 462 m
There are:
- 41 lakes with a surface area larger than 10 km² (1000 ha)
- 229 lakes greater than 0.5 km² (50 ha)
- 3820 lakes greater than 0.01 km² (1 ha)
Pollution
A trophic level indexTrophic level index
The trophic level index is used in New Zealand as a measure of nutrient status of lakes. It is similar to the trophic state index but was proposed as alternative that suited New Zealand.-See also:*Water pollution in New Zealand*Lakes of New Zealand...
is used as a measure of the pollution levels of lakes in New Zealand.
Based on the monitoring of 134 lakes it is estimated that one third of New Zealand lakes have high nutrient levels or have poor water quality.
See also
- Rivers of New ZealandRivers of New ZealandThe rivers of New Zealand are used for a variety of purposes and face a number of environmental issues. Many of the rivers in the South Island are braided rivers.-Statistics:...
- Water in New ZealandWater in New ZealandWater is relatively abundant in New Zealand due to the temperate climate and maritime weather patterns. In recent years water pollution and draw-down of aquifers have become important environmental issues.-Lakes:...
- List of reservoirs and dams in New Zealand
- Environment of New ZealandEnvironment of New ZealandThe environment of New Zealand is characterised by unique flora and fauna and a variety of landforms contained within a small island nation...