Climate change

As climate change takes hold, regional council planning, sustainability and hazard managers are looking to NIWA for help to understand how their communities will be affected.

New Zealand’s glaciers have all retreated and lost volume since NIWA started surveying them in 1977.

Climate scientists and glaciologists are taking to the skies this week to find out how New Zealand’s glaciers are faring following this summer’s record-breaking warmth.

Ancient swamp kauri is being used by NIWA scientists to reveal the secrets of past climates.

Despite a sub-tropical storm and two ex-tropical cyclones, this summer is about to become the hottest in history.

21 February 2018John McGregor from NIWA checks on the instruments that measure atmospheric gases throughout our voyage.

A two-week expedition to tag blue whales in New Zealand waters for the first time, almost came up empty due to warmer sea temperatures causing the animals to change their behaviour.

Rapid warming of the ocean near Tasmania may provide a good indication of how the water around New Zealand will change as the planet warms, say NIWA scientists.

New Zealand winters are a month shorter than they were 80 years ago, NIWA scientists say.“This is a consequence of rising temperatures around the globe, and such trends in colder temperatures and frosts will influence the life cycle of plants and animals” - Dr Brett Mullan.

A dramatic change in sea ice this year is likely to hamper a NIWA-led research project aiming to better understand how ice shelves will melt as the ocean warms.