Atmospheric analysis

The main breeding population of New Zealand sea lions at the Auckland Islands has halved in size since the late-1990s; NIWA scientists are working with the government and experts from around New Zealand and overseas to understand why.

The prickly king crab, Paralomis zealandica, is a member of the family Lithodidae, a mainly deepwater crustacean group that is probably better known by many people for its tasty leg meat.

NIWA atmospheric scientists in Central Otago are turning plane spotters next week as they eagerly await the flyover of a NASA research plane.

NIWA scientists and field teams will be heading outdoors for the first snow mobilisation of winter later this week to make the most of what is expected to be the largest and longest wintry blast of the year.

Snowfall is not routinely measured in New Zealand, but is an important part both of our natural hazards and our water resources.

NIWA Forecaster Chris Brandolino explains what New Zealand can expect in the way of rainfall and temperature over the next three months.

Details about the post-conference field trip that made a loop around Northland

The Quota Management System, which some say saved New Zealand fisheries, is 30 years old today. The system is founded on science that studies fish biology, abundance and distribution, and estimates how many can be caught and still keep the population healthy.

A number of temperature records toppled across New Zealand over the weekend as tropical winds from New Caledonia and Vanuatu streamed over the country.

A sea hare is a type of opisthobranch or sea slug in the phylum Mollusca, with soft bodies, a reduced internal shell and two tall rhinophores coming out of their heads that resemble the ears of a hare.

While Tangaroa might be considered its flagship, NIWA’s extensive range of maritime work could not be completed without the support vessels Kaharoa and Ikatere.

Many of our iconic native fish species, such as whitebait and eels, rely on river flows to cue key life-cycle stages, including migration and reproduction. As pressures on water resources increase, the risk of disrupting these flow cues, and therefore impacting fish populations, becomes greater.