Climate & Weather

Understanding our variable and changing climate is critical for managing resources and reducing risks.

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    Scientists let the sun shine in at Lauder

    News article
    Scientists based at NIWA’s research station in Central Otago are undertaking a new set of experiments to determine how the atmosphere affects the performance of solar panels.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.
  • El Niño expected to produce severe tropical storms in the Southwest Pacific

    Media release
    Meteorological and climate analysis centres across the Southwest Pacific are indicating above average numbers of tropical cyclones (TC) for the 2015–16 season (November 2015 to April 2016).
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing these soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent.
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    The tempers and tantrums of spring

    Blog
    Just as we were ready to dust of our Jandals, you may be wondering why suddenly it feels as though we have been hit with a second winter!
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    NIWA science delves into ocean acidification

    Media release
    NIWA scientists are to undertake a major research project to determine how New Zealand’s marine ecosystems are faring under climate change.
  • World congress confirms Lauder’s expertise

    News article
    The World Meteorological Organisation Congress has confirmed NIWA's Lauder atmospheric research station as one of Earth's leading providers of upper-air data critical for measuring climate change.
  • NIWA Irrimet

    NIWA has developed new tools that can help farmers decide when to irrigate or fertilise.
  • Lauder technician rediscovers historic data

    Media release
    A climate scientist at NIWA’s Lauder Station research centre in Central Otago has stumbled across the oldest known mid-infrared spectra – scientific readings taken 30 years ago on 29 May 1985.