Greenhouse and trace gases

NIWA has been using advanced scientific instruments to measure atmospheric trace gases and isotopes for over 30 years.

New Zealand researchers have contributed to the first ever stocktake of global greenhouse gas emissions.

A research project co-led by Blue Carbon Services and NIWA will aim to provide New Zealand’s first national estimate of natural kelp-carbon sequestration in the marine environment.

New research suggests large-scale wildfires may be changing the chemical makeup of our atmosphere. Jessica Rowley explains.

For a small group of unassuming buildings nestled amongst the wide-open spaces of the Maniototo, the Lauder Atmospheric Research Station punches well above its weight.

A NIWA-led collaboration is seeing atmospheric measurements taken from Antarctica’s Ross Island added to a highly respected international climate data reference network.

NIWA researchers have helped unlock information trapped in ancient air samples from Greenland and Antarctica that shows the amount of methane humans are emitting into the atmosphere from fossil fuels has been vastly underestimated.

Daily CO2 measurements from NIWA’s atmospheric monitoring station at Baring Head.

Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher is looking to turn the internationally accepted science of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions upside down – and the rest of the world is watching closely.

Project updates

CarbonWatchNZ will address crucial carbon cycle questions in the three landscapes that are most important to New Zealand’s carbon balance: forest, grassland and urban environments.

CFCs have damaged the ozone layer and led to higher UV levels and increased health risks. Our role is to understand the causes and effects of ozone depletion, to inform the public of the risk.