Coasts

NIWA aims to provide the knowledge needed for the sound environmental management of our marine resources.

  • Marine heatwaves

    Research Project
    Temperatures around Aotearoa New Zealand are increasing, and not just on land. Amid a changing climate, significant marine heatwaves have impacted Aotearoa over the past decade and are expected to become more frequent and intense.
  • Seabed 2030

    Research Project
    NIWA is leading a New Zealand partnership to map the South and West Pacific Ocean's seabed as part of a worldwide initiative to map the entire globe’s seafloor.
  • Restoration of aquatic ecosystems

    Research Project
    This project aims to increase our knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and their restoration, and apply this to degraded streams, rivers, lakes and estuaries.
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    The Bio-Acoustic Fish Fence

    Research Project
    Investigating the effectiveness of an acoustic bubble-screen in minimising the movement of pest fish
  • Athenree Estuary mangrove forest

    Future Coasts Aotearoa

    Transforming coastal lowland systems threatened by sea-level rise into prosperous communities
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    Research aim 2: Consequences

    Research Project
    Consequences, threats, and opportunities from sea-level rise
  • Pacific atoll mangrove forests losing ground to sea-level rise

    Research Project
    Mangrove systems on oceanic atolls may lose the race to keep pace with sea-level rise.
  • Identifying rip currents using artificial intelligence

    Research Project
    NIWA and Surf Life Saving New Zealand are working together to develop a state-of-the-art, rip current identification tool underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technologies.
  • Tsunami generated by underwater volcanoes

    Research Project
    Marsden-funded research investigating how erupting volcanoes can cause deadly and damaging tsunamis.
  • NIWA’s Estuarine Trophic Index

    Research Project
    Constructed wetlands, detention bunds, woodchip denitrification filters and planted riparian buffers are examples of a growing suite of edge-of-field and farm-scale mitigation systems that are being trialled across rural New Zealand to reduce the impact of diffuse pollution on freshwater quality
  • Maniapoto Cultural Assessment Framework

    Research Project
    Te Nehenehenui (previously Maniapoto Māori Trust board) and NIWA are working collaboratively to support Ngāti Maniapoto whānau to reconnect with and participate in the assessment of their freshwater according to their values.
  • Suspended sediment dynamics in New Zealand Rivers: Impacts of catchment characteristics on the timing of sediment delivery during runoff events

    Research Project
    Fine sediment is the most pervasive and significant contaminant in New Zealand’s rivers, estuaries, and coastal areas.