NIWA

Benthic habitats

Latest news

Kaikōura’s deep seabed is rapidly recovering, says NIWA

Media Release

19 June 2023

Areas of Kaikōura’s seabed show promising signs of recovery just four years after the 2016 earthquake, says NIWA.

Mussel farms may benefit the environment

Media Release

13 June 2023

A new study is doing a deep dive into whether mussel farms could help reduce nitrogen in New Zealand waters.

Reducing the impact on Hawke’s Bay’s marine environment

19 December 2022

A study investigating the level of change needed to improve the state of Hawke’s Bay’s marine environment highlights the magnitude and frequency of interventions required for the seafloor ecosystem to recover.

Anchors cause “extensive, persistent” damage to seafloor

Media Release

12 May 2022

High-resolution mapping has produced the first ever global estimates of coastal habitat damage caused by anchoring.

Latest videos

The science behind sediment cores

Sediment cores collected in the Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui will enable scientists to measure the impact humans are having on the shallow marine environment.

Samples collected near regions with high human influence (e.g., next to Picton port) will be compared to samples collected in areas with comparatively relatively low human influence (near marine reserves far from coastal development).

In collaboration with Marlborough District Council, scientists from the University of Auckland and NIWA will investigate variations in sediment accumulation over time across the Queen Charlotte Sound. They will focus on how human induced changes, including elevated sediment input, introduction of microplastics and changes in sediment composition, influence the flora and fauna that live on the seafloor.

This project is a part of a broader research initiative, Project EAST, which aims to understand the shallow marine environments around Aotearoa New Zealand. Project EAST uses a range techniques and integrates researchers from multidisciplinary scientific backgrounds to understand shallow marine Ecosystems, Anthropogenic impact, Sediment dynamics and Taiao (Māori perspectives on the natural environment).

Project EAST team:

Dr Marta Ribo - University of Auckland

Dr Lorna Strachan - University of Auckland

Dr Sally Watson - NIWA

Dr Sarah Seabrook - University of Auckland/NIWA

Dr Rachel Hale - NIWA

Ashley Rowden and Katie Bigham - Marine ecologists

Wire deployed corer floats being retrieved

Wire deployed corer floats being retrieved on board the RV Tangaroa. The corer sampled sediments at 9994 metre depths in the Kermadec Trench.

ST47 9990m landing

Wire deployed corer landing at 9994 metre depth in the Kermadec Trench. Deployment and retrieval on board the RV Tangaroa.

Aquaculture Activities

Shellfish gathering and farming take place in marine and freshwater environments.

Scientists explore deepest parts of the Kermadec Trench

Media Release

6 June 2017

Scientists exploring the Kermadec Trench believe they have retrieved the deepest ever sediment sample from the bottom of the ocean using a wire-deployed corer.

New discoveries on Marlborough seafloor

Media Release

6 June 2017

The findings of the most complex underwater coastal survey of the seafloor undertaken in New Zealand, including previously undiscovered natural features and sunken boats, are to be formally presented to the Marlborough community tomorrow.

Pollen from NZ may be altering remote deep-sea ecosystems

Media Release

20 April 2017

Pollen from New Zealand pine forests has been shown to travel more than 1500km through wind and ocean currents, and sink thousands of metres into the ocean to reach some of the world’s deepest ecosystems.

Massive mudslides in Kaikōura Canyon destroy seabed life

Media Release

27 February 2017

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

Geomorphology influences periphyton abundance

This research project investigated whether the mechanisms for periphyton removal in rivers relate more directly to hydraulic and geomorphic conditions than flow metrics.

Ecosystem effects of fishing

Find out about the role of toothfish in the ecosystem and the potential effects of fishing.

Voyage leader's final update

Blog

11 March 2015

Now back on dry land, Voyage Leader Richard O'Driscoll reflects on the final days of RV Tangaroa's 2015 Antarctica expedition.

Biodiversity in the Kermadecs

This amazing footage was captured at the Kermadec Ridge in 2011, by NIWA's Deep-Towed Imaging System (DTIS).

The laser dots are 20 cm apart, and allow us to judge the size or scale of the organisms and features we photograph.

For more information on our work in the Kermadecs, see http://niwa.co.nz/our-science/oceans/research-projects/all/deepsea-mining-of-the-kermadec-ridge---geophysical-prospectivity-and-environmental-impacts.

Coasts Update 04, January 2012

Welcome to this special edition of Coasts Update, highlighting the Shallow Survey 2012.

Where will the young fish play?

Seagrass meadows provide vital habitat for juvenile fish, but are disappearing at an alarming rate in many places. NIWA scientists are finding out more about the role seagrass plays in the life of young fish.

Coasts Update 03, April 2011

Welcome to the latest edition of Coasts Update. Here we bring you news of some of NIWA's latest research on aspects of coastal ecology, and the possible impacts of climate change on one of our coastal communities.

Kaikoura Canyon survey

New Zealand's Kaikoura Canyon is a 'biodiversity hotspot', containing far more life than seen before at such depths.

Upgraded research vessel

Feature story

12 December 2010

The return of the upgraded RV Tangaroa represents a huge advancement for New Zealand science and exploration

NIWA today welcomed home RV Tangaroa, New Zealand’s only deepwater research vessel, after a $20 million dollar upgrade to enhance its ocean science and survey capabilities.

New insights into life in the deepest places on Earth

15 October 2010

A feeding frenzy of cusk-eels where nothing was previously thought to live, an entirely new species of deep-sea fish, and large crustacean scavengers, are among the highlights of a recent research expedition that is shedding new light on the ecology of deepest places on Earth.

Bay of Islands Coastal Survey complete

The Bay of Islands coast is under increasing pressure from human activities, both land-based and marine. As part of the government’s Ocean Survey 20/20 programme, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) commissioned NIWA to carry out a comprehensive survey of the region’s seafloor habitats and biodiversity.

Benthic fauna thrives in fishing exclusion zone

Research has revealed key differences in seafloor communities and habitats inside and outside the Separation Point trawl fishing exclusion zone in Tasman Bay. These have important implications for valuable benthic fisheries in the area.

Plant Controls: Mangroves

In the past half century, mangroves have increased in extent in estuaries and tidal creeks throughout the upper half of the North Island.

Restoration of estuarine ecosystems

Estuarine restoration research is relatively new in New Zealand and has been largely instigated by community groups that have become increasingly concerned with the decline of plant and animal species.

New Zealand’s deep-sea research boosted by new partnership

4 February 2010

Two New Zealand research organisations will work closely with one of the world’s leading ocean research and engineering organisations to accelerate research and exploration in a wide range of oceanographic topics in the southwest Pacific region.

Seagrass restoration success in Whangarei

Beds of New Zealand seagrass (Zostera muelleri) provide important habitat for coastal species such as small fish, seahorses, and shellfish. Much of New Zealand’s seagrass habitat has been lost or degraded, mainly as a result of sedimentation. NIWA is leading a small-scale seagrass transplantation trial in Whangarei Harbour, with promising early results.

Restoration of seagrass beds in Whangarei Harbour

Seagrass beds form an important undersea habitat for small fish, seahorses and shellfish in New Zealand.

From the Edge of Darkness to the Black Abyss: New Zealand Marine Scientists contribute to Marine Life Census 17,500+ Species and Counting

20 November 2009

Researchers at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) have contributed their findings to a major news release by the Census of Marine Life charting an astonishing abundance, diversity, and distribution of deep-sea species.

Deepest fish in the southern hemisphere caught on film

13 November 2009

Scientists from the UK, Japan and New Zealand have successfully photographed the deepest fish in the southern hemisphere at 7561 metres deep in the Kermadec Trench, just northeast of New Zealand.

NIWA reveals seabed treasures

15 September 2009

Three new posters of the Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour seabed reveal for the first time a treasure trove of detailed information for the benefit of all New Zealanders.