Coasts

NIWA research vessel Tangaroa, down in Antarctic waters, received some welcome visitors yesterday

NIWA scientists aboard RV Tangaroa have been trawling the central Ross Sea calculating the abundance of the prey species.

The region around the Balleny Islands is a known foraging area for humpback whales. Objective one of the Antarctica voyage aimed to determine why the Islands are such a popular spot for humpback whales.

Antarctic blue whales were severely depleted during the industrial whaling era, when the population declined to only a few hundred individuals. Scientists believe the Antarctic blue whale population has been recovering, albeit very slowly, since the 1960s.

The deepsea squid Bathyteuthis abyssicola Hoyle, 1885 has a circumpolar oceanic distribution, which means that it is commonly found right around the Southern Ocean, and in depths from 100-4200 m deep.

NIWA marine geologist Dr Geoffroy Lamarche was made a Knight of the National Order of Merit by French Ambassador H.E. M. Laurent Contini, at a special ceremony at the Embassy of France in Wellington on 13 February.

A new foraminiferan has been discovered in moderately deep water (110 metres) northwest of the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.

This hot pink gem is Epimeria larsi Lörz, 2009 described by our very own amphipod expert Anne-Nina Lörz and named after her husband Lars!

If you are a fan of crinoids (and who isn’t) you might enjoy this short documentary (27mins), Living Fossils, which features our friend Charles Messing from Nova Southeastern University.

Astrotoma agassizii is commonly found in the Ross Sea at the Balleny Islands, Victoria Land and Terra Nova Bay.

Read about the science that will be undertaken during the voyage.

Read details about the aims of the voyage and find information about the scientists and crew on board.