Atmospheric analysis

NIWA has been using advanced scientific instruments to measure atmospheric trace gases and isotopes for over 50 years.

  • Critter of the Week: the beautiful group of marine snails - Calliostomatidae

    New Zealand marine molluscs are incredibly diverse, with nearly 3,600 species described or known undescribed (Gordon, 2009).
  • NIWA ecologists catch on to a bug's life

    News article
    Kneeling in the mud under the cover of trees, covered in anoraks, sandflies and dedication, three scientists are looking out for the little guy.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch 12 December 2014

    Hotspot
    Weekly update to help media assess likelihood of extremely dry weather preceding a drought. Regions experiencing severely to extremely drier than normal soils conditions are deemed “hotspots”.
  • Critter of the Week: Meiofauna

    When we think about marine animals, we usually think about organisms that are relatively large, such as whales, sharks, fish, squid, or sea stars.
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    Early Christmas present for Antarctic researchers

    News article
    In a small green laboratory perched on the rocky volcanic southern peninsula of Ross Island, Antarctica, there’s a space waiting for a new shiny, hi-tech Christmas present.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch 5 December 2014

    Hotspot
    Weekly update to help media assess likelihood of extremely dry weather preceding a drought. Regions experiencing severely to extremely drier than normal soils conditions are deemed “hotspots”.
  • Critter of the week: Spirula spirula

    The Ram’s Horn squid (Spirula spirula) is a mesopelagic species, meaning that it lives in the mid-water column. It typically lives in dark depths of 500-1000 m in the day and migrates up to the shallows of 300 m at night.
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    Scientist turns detective on NZ temperature records

    News article
    A NIWA climate scientist is awaiting a ruling from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on whether New Zealand’s coldest recorded temperature will be accepted as an official world weather extreme.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch 28 November 2014

    Hotspot
    Weekly update to help media assess likelihood of extremely dry weather preceding a drought.
  • Critter of the Week: the brightly coloured and aptly named clown nudibranch, Ceratosoma amoenum.

    This week’s critter, found from the northern part of New Zealand to southern Australia, is the brightly coloured and aptly named clown nudibranch, Ceratosoma amoenum.
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    Penguin census reveals drop in numbers

    News article
    The plight of the penguins of Penguin Bay has attracted the interest of scientists who are studying why there are fewer and fewer of them every year.
  • Scientists celebrate 60 years of radiocarbon measurements

    News article
    Scientists will next month celebrate the diamond anniversary of the world’s longest continuous record of atmospheric radiocarbon measurements.