News

A weekly update describing soil moisture patterns across the country to show where dry to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing significant soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.

What does science tell us about New Zealand cockles?

Aotearoa-New Zealand’s marine area covers 167,650 square kilometres presenting a staggering distribution of climates, from subtropical to subantarctic waters, to understand and manage.

Experts are warning Kiwis to be extra cautious this summer, with ultraviolet (UV) radiation levels averaging higher compared to 2021.

From the lowest depths to the highest reaches, our more than 700 staff work in the most beautiful environments on Earth. The urge to capture the moment is often irresistible, so each year we celebrate our staff’s best snaps in the NIWA photography competition.

Specialised monitoring equipment has been installed in Bay of Plenty estuaries to understand whether our coastal wetlands can survive the threat of inevitable sea-level rise.

NIWA is part of a multi-agency biosecurity response to an invasive seaweed discovered at Aotea Great Barrier Island and subsequently at Ahuahu Great Mercury Island.

New energy efficient streetlights are playing a major role in influencing insect behaviour, says NIWA.

For the first time, satellites have been used to track coastal water health around Aotearoa New Zealand.

NIWA meteorologists say last week’s atmospheric river (AR), which was responsible for widespread devastation in both the North and South Islands, was a record-breaker.

Smoke from the devastating Australian wildfires impacted the atmosphere in a way that’s never been seen before.

New Zealand’s weather is proving no exception to the record-breaking extremes occurring around the globe.