Coasts

A hot and steamy summer saw Kiwis heading down to rivers and lakes to cool off. But they weren’t the only ones enjoying the warmer weather – algae had a great time too.

In comparison to the vast span of geological time, the estuaries that we see today are very recent coastal features.

In this blog series, we feature a new critter from our expansive invertebrate collection including pictures of specimens in their unique habitat. The blogs also feature news, links and fun facts that showcase New Zealand’s fascinating marine fauna.

NIWA scientists have written a guide for managing mangroves, prompted by a desire for people to learn more about mangrove ecosystems, and what happens when they are removed.

Porirua at Mana Marina sea levels

Queens Wharf - Wellington sea levels

NIWA puts a lot of things in the ocean—instruments tied to moorings, floats that dive up and down measuring what’s going on in the water, and video cameras that monitor fish.

As New Zealand's "Mr Eel", Niwa's Dr Don Jellyman has heard every tall tale. And some of them may be true.

A number of individuals, organisations and hapū have contributed to the development of Ngā Waihotanga Iho.

Traditionally, tangata whenua have collected information about estuaries to monitor resources, such as kaimoana, and to make decisions about conservation measures, such as rähui. Increasingly, tangata whenua are using scientific tools to help monitor their natural resources and Ngä Waihotanga Iho provides a science perspective for talking about environmental issues and concerns related to estuaries.

Since the early 2000s, NIWA has been part of the international Argo programme. Argo floats take the pulse of the oceans, collecting and distributing temperature and salinity observations from a global network of more than 3700 underwater robots.