Hazards

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters have been recorded by a NIWA scientist in a pioneering underwater sound project.

A new tool to monitor drought conditions across New Zealand has been launched today by NIWA.

Huge mudslides from November’s earthquakes have wiped out all organisms living in the seabed of the Kaikōura Canyon.

NIWA scientists on board RV Ikatere have been surveying the coastal area around Kaikoura for the first time since November's magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

NIWA scientists scan Lake Tekapo with the aim of finding out if submarine landslides can create a tsunami hazard for the Lake Tekapo township and hydropower infrastructure.

There was a common factor in the floods that hit swathes of New Zealand midway through this year – they were all forecastable.

Rob Bell is happiest occupying the high ground. With a 35-year career in researching, modeling and monitoring natural hazards, such as king tides, coastal inundation, storms and tsunami, he knows that elevation from coastal margins is the only true protection from a potentially turbulent future.

Cyclone Pam’s furious flight path across the South Pacific in March this year illustrated the danger natural hazards pose to life, livelihoods and infrastructural development in the region.

We are using modern techniques to map seafloor surrounding Kapiti Island, an area of significant cultural and environmental value to New Zealand.

New Zealanders have just experienced one of the driest summers on record – great for beachgoers and cricket lovers, but far from ideal for farmers and orchardists relying on rain to maintain productivity.