NIWA

Climate, Freshwater & Ocean Science

Homepage revamp Nov 2018

Scientists study how to predict marine heatwaves

16 May 2019
Scientists have taken a step closer to predicting marine heatwaves with new NIWA-led research finding a link between their formation and the length of time sea temperatures are warmer than normal.
Climate change
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Scientists reach new understanding of main threats to Hector’s and Māui dolphins

13 May 2019
A new scientific assessment of Hector’s and Māui dolphins has led to a revised understanding of their biology, their distribution and their main threats.
Marine Mammals
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NIWA mapping Whakatipu lake floor

8 May 2019
NIWA researchers are out on Lake Whakatipu for the next week mapping the lake floor for the first time.
Acoustics
Lakes
Natural hazards
Tsunamis
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Popular services and publications

UV index
Tide forecaster
Cam-era
NiwaWeather
Seasonal Climate Outlook
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More top stories

27 May 2019
Media Release

Owha and her friends awarded citizenship

New Zealand’s newest citizens like the solitary life, have leopard-like markings, and can each weigh up to 600kg.
23 May 2019
Media Release

Thermal images reveal heat levels in New Zealand’s glaciers

Thermal images taken by a NIWA scientist during this year’s aerial survey of South Island glaciers have revealed in extraordinary detail how heat in the surrounding landscape is affecting the ice.
16 May 2019
Media Release

Scientists hoping to solve great eel mystery

NIWA freshwater scientists are pinning their hopes of solving an age-old mystery on 10 female longfin eels who are about to begin an epic journey to their spawning grounds somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
14 May 2019
Media Release

Emirates Team New Zealand seek NIWA’s technical edge

Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand, and NIWA CEO John Morgan recently signed an agreement that will see NIWA’s scientists working closely with Emirates Team New Zealand over the next few years.
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Climate change

Climate change effects are accelerating, driving the need for actions informed by sound climate knowledge.

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Ocean acidification—what is it?

18 February 2019

The on-going rise of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is not only changing our climate—it is also changing our oceans. Take a look at the work of the NIWA-led CARIM project into what these changes may mean for the delicate balance of marine life.

Features

Scientist collects rubbish to rid rivers of plastics

Scientist collects rubbish to rid rivers of plastics

16 January 2019
It may be rubbish to everyone else, but to Amanda Valois each little scrap of plastic on a river bank or in a waterway tells a valuable story.
Pollution
Rivers
Water Quality

The science of art or the art of science…

The science of art or the art of science…

11 January 2019
If you think science and art have nothing in common, think again. At environmental science institute NIWA, it’s all about one inspiring the other.

The eel earbone detective

The eel earbone detective

9 January 2019
As a young child growing up on an Irish farm, one of Eimear Egan’s chores was to regularly clean out the well from where her family drew its drinking water. In the well lived a large eel that, no matter how many times it was shifted, just kept coming back.
Fish