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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Atmosphere

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Facilities & measurement

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    Mass Spectrometry techniques and measurements

    A wide range of mass spectrometry techniques and measurements are available for air, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, water, carbonates, organics, and other specific isotopes.
    Air quality

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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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    Publicly available data and publications

    Facility
    NIWA makes available and regularly updates results from several greenhouse gas measurement projects.
    Greenhouse and trace gases

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    Methane

    Facility
    Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas after CO2 that is produced by human activities.
    Greenhouse and trace gases

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    Reports

    Reports produced by NIWA’s air quality research.

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    Estimating design wind speeds in complex terrain

    Research Project
    The current method for calculating wind speed-up is inadequate, and can grossly under-predict correct design wind speeds in NZ's complex terrain.
    Atmosphere
    Hazards

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    Lauder Atmospheric Research Station

    UVI forecast for Specific Sites

    Check out UV index forecasts for locations in New Zealand (including ski fields), Australia, the Pacific and Antarctica.
    UV and ozone
    Weather forecasting