Summer Series 2020

This is a special series of stories put out to the media over the 2020/2021 summer.

  • Scientists on the trail of elusive sperm whales

    Feature story
    Acoustic monitoring of sperm whales
  • Valuable work of weather volunteers

    Feature story
    A vital network of rainfall and climate station volunteers across Aotearoa send their weather measurements to NIWA every month where they are used by scientists researching New Zealand’s climate.
  • Watch out for jellyfish blooms

    Feature story
    Jellyfish blooms are likely to be a common sight this summer with rising ocean temperatures one of the main causes of substantial population growths.
  • Scientists unite across world for decade of ocean research

    Feature story
    In 1872 the HMS Challenger left Portsmouth in the UK on a four-year circumnavigation of the globe to explore the deepsea.
  • NIWA science divers finish mud marathon

    Feature story
    Where there’s mud, there’s scientists. NIWA divers recently got down and dirty while completing a harbour-wide dive survey in the Wellington area.
  • Scientist spots shark sperm storage strategy

    Feature story
    A NIWA researcher has found the first evidence that female deep sea sharks store sperm as a strategy to preserve the species and possibly avoid aggressive mating encounters.
  • NIWA drones going where people can’t on the West Coast

    Feature story
    A team of scientists have been exploring some of New Zealand’s most remote and rugged coastal zones.
  • How does a fish climb a ramp? Very, very cleverly…

    Feature story
    New Zealand’s native fish are doing their best to climb up ramps in a NIWA laboratory so scientists can learn how to better help them navigate our tricky waterways.