News

5 March 2020

Scientists know so little about how storms affect the delicate balance of lake ecosystems that we may be unable to protect them from the effects of climate change, says a NIWA scientist.

Scientists to check out ash on New Zealand glaciers

5 March 2020

Scientists undertaking the annual Southern Alps end-of-summer snowline survey this week will be using advanced photographic technology to help clarify obscure snowlines due to ash and dust from the Australian bushfires.

Hotspot Watch 27 February 2020

27 February 2020

Across the North Island, slight soil moisture increases were observed during the past week as a front brought much needed rain to drought affected areas. However, soil moisture levels continue to be well below normal across the vast majority of the island. Across the South Island, soil moisture levels generally increased in the north and decreased in the south during the past week.

Scientists say methane emitted by humans ‘vastly underestimated’

20 February 2020

NIWA researchers have helped unlock information trapped in ancient air samples from Greenland and Antarctica that shows the amount of methane humans are emitting into the atmosphere from fossil fuels has been vastly underestimated.

Hotspot Watch 19 February 2020

19 February 2020

Nearly all of the North Island has reached official hotspot status, with only a few isolated areas that have not quite reached hotspot criteria. Current hotspots in the South Island now include Nelson and nearby parts of Tasman, much of Marlborough, along with northern Canterbury, Banks Peninsula, and parts of Ashburton and Selwyn districts.

Giant squid and glow-in-the-dark sharks surprise scientists

17 February 2020

A giant squid and several glow-in-the-dark sharks were surprise finds for NIWA scientists last month on the Chatham Rise during a voyage to survey hoki, New Zealand’s most valuable commercial fish species.

Auckland set to break dry spell record

13 February 2020

Auckland is set to break a climate record on Saturday for the region’s longest dry spell, according to NIWA forecasters.

Hotspot Watch 12 February 2020

12 February 2020

Across the North Island, the past week once again featured little if any rainfall for most locations. Soil moisture levels in the lower South Island have improved markedly from last week.

Hotspot Watch 5 February 2020

5 February 2020

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.

Forecast shows Auckland region to stay dry

4 February 2020

Aucklanders should not expect any decent rain for more than 10 days, says NIWA principal scientist and forecaster Chris Brandolino.

Science of the high seas

1 February 2020

Ever wondered what fish is served in a Filet-o-Fish at MacDonald’s? It’s hoki. Fish fingers at the supermarket? Chances are, they’ll be hoki too.

Gone fishin'

1 February 2020

If you want a healthy fishing industry, you need to know how healthy your fish stocks are. Sam Fraser-Baxter talks to a scientist who went to sea to find out.

Scientists recreate the week it snowed everywhere

1 February 2020

NIWA has teamed up with Microsoft for a new project using artificial intelligence to combine historic weather records with breakthrough handwriting recognition tools.

The man of many pathways

1 February 2020

Dr Rob Bell worked out a long time ago that sea-level rise is much more than a scientific problem. No wonder then that people say his ability to listen is one of his best traits.

The Hill