On 1 July 2025, NIWA merged with GNS Science to become Earth Sciences New Zealand.

Grease ice forming

Sadie Mills, NIWA

The sea is so cold and calm today that ‘grease ice’ is forming when the ship stops to deploy gear, this is the milky-looking substance in the water near the edge of the vessel. It is the precursor to ‘plate ice’ when the sea starts to freeze.