On 1 July 2025, NIWA merged with GNS Science to become Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Atmosphere

World class research contributing to our understanding of greenhouse gases, ozone depletion, and urban air pollution.

MethaneSAT

Detecting and quantifying methane emissions by satellite. The core mission of this unique satellite is to support reductions in methane emissions around the world, primarily by reducing leaks from oil and gas production. NIWA's Dr Sara Mikaloff Fletcher is leading a science programme to develop capability to map agricultural emissions and determine the best places for the satellite to look for methane emissions around the world.

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    Blog: Plankton blooms and clouds - what's the link? - 11 March

    11 March 2018 Today we found NIWA’s Andrew Marriner hard at work in the Ocean-Atmosphere Container Lab and asked him to explain his work onboard.
    Antarctica
    Atmosphere
    Plankton

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    Blog: atmospheric research - 5 March

    5 March 2018Sean Hartery, a PhD student from Canterbury University based at NIWA, is collecting samples and data for two main areas of atmospheric research while he is out here in the Ross Sea: ice nuclei and aerosols.
    Air quality
    Antarctica

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    Blog: atmospheric gas measurements - 21 February

    21 February 2018John McGregor from NIWA checks on the instruments that measure atmospheric gases throughout our voyage.
    Air quality
    Antarctica
    Climate change

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    Monitoring air quality in your neighbourhood

    Air quality

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    Profile: Wills Dobson - small town, huge horizons

    Feature story
    05 October 2017
    If it wasn't for a damaged shoulder, Wills Dobson wouldn't be launching weather balloons or fixing high-precision atmospheric measuring instruments.
    Air quality
    Atmosphere

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    Tiny air bubbles reveal new information about greenhouse gas emissions

    Media release
    24 August 2017
    Sitting at the surface of Taylor Glacier in Antarctica, are layers of ice more than 10,000 years old. And trapped inside those layers are bubbles of ancient air – like tiny time capsules - able to tell scientists a story about what the world used to be like and how humans have changed it.
    Atmosphere
    Climate change

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    UV Index at Leigh - 16 October 2023

    Yesterday's UV Index

    Plots of UV levels throughout the day at different locations.
    UV and ozone

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    Common hydrological terms

    Education Resource
    Descriptions of the common terms that explain the processes that occur in hydrology.
    River flow forecasting

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    Tonga volcano “afterglow” causes dazzling skies in Antarctica

    Media release
    06 June 2017
    Antarctica is experiencing stunning skyscapes like those recently seen in New Zealand, thanks to the afterglow effect from the Tongan volcano.
    Antarctica
    Atmosphere
    Climate and weather

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    Layers of the atmosphere

    Education Resource
    The atmosphere is comprised of layers based on temperature. These layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere.
    Atmosphere

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    Storms and cyclones

    Education Resource
    Common questions about storms and cyclones in New Zealand.
    Weather hazards
    Extreme weather

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    Climate change, global warming and greenhouse gases

    Climate data and common terms explaining the causes and effects of climate change.
    Atmosphere
    Climate change
    Greenhouse and trace gases