Oceanography

Latest news

Tangaroa heads back to sea – with social distancing

13 May 2020

NIWA’s flagship research vessel Tangaroa will sail out of Wellington Harbour on Sunday for the first scientific voyage since the lockdown.

Ambitious NIWA-led Antarctic Ocean project gets go-ahead

Media Release

18 June 2019

Understanding how the Antarctic oceans work is vital to predicting the world’s future climate and the implications of climate change for humankind and the planet.

Busy season for NIWA scientists in Antarctica

Media Release

24 September 2018

The new science season at Antarctica is just a few days away from opening and NIWA researchers are busy packing containers and shipping them to the ice where they will be reunited with them in the coming months.

NZ scientists launch their part in bold project to map seafloor

Media Release

20 June 2018

New Zealand’s contribution to an ambitious international project aiming to generate a definitive map of the entire ocean floor in less than 12 years, is being launched in Wellington tomorrow.

Our work

Plankton biodiversity in the Southern Ocean

NIWA is conducting a five–year study to map changes in the distribution of plankton species in surface waters between New Zealand and the Ross Sea.

Effects of ocean acidification on plankton in New Zealand waters

Our oceans are expected to become more acidic as carbon dioxide concentrations rise. This will likely have impacts on the plankton, which play a major role in ocean ecosystems and processes.

Latest videos

Exploring the deepsea

Despite many centuries of maritime exploration, only a fraction of our planet's seafloor has been observed. NIWA Deepsea Scientist Di Tracey tells us what it feels like to probe deep beneath the waves to see what's living on the ocean floor.

Shifting Sands

Dr Joshu Mountjoy discusses NIWA's work in assessing the tsunami hazard just south of Kaikoura.

Find out more about this research.

AWATEA - Aotearoa Wave and Tidal Energy Association

19 April 2012 to 20 April 2012

NIWA is sponsoring the AWATEA conference 'Blue Energy: From International Vision to Reality'.

Coasts Update 04, January 2012

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

Association of Women in the Sciences

28 July 2011 to 29 July 2011

NIWA is sponsoring the Association of Women in the Sciences (AWIS) conference being held in Auckland.

For more information about the conference see AWIS conference website

Shallow Survey 2012

30 August 2011 to 31 August 2011

Abstracts submission for the 6th internation Shallow Water survey conference are due on Wednesday 30th August. This conference will explore the latest developments in shallow water surveying.

Follow this link for more information and to submit abstracts.

Upgraded research vessel

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.

Scientists probe beneath Antarctic ice shelves

22 November 2010

NIWA looks below Antarctic ice shelves to investigate the polar ocean system with a new high-tech probe.

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.

Extreme Weather 2011

9 February 2011 to 11 February 2011

The conference will be held in Wellington, NZ and include six special sessions each with a keynote address:
Extreme weather in the Australasian region – from floods to droughts
Impact and meteorology of the main climate drivers (ENSO, SAM, Monsoon)
Using high resolution models to understand local meteorology
Oceanography of the Australasian region
Climate change in the Australasian region
Impacts of natural catastrophes in the Australasian region
However papers on any topic related to the Atmospheric Sciences (including composition) and Oceanography of the Australasian region will be co

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.

Spectacular oceanic bloom identified

9 November 2009

Scientists at NIWA have identified the source of the giant plankton bloom featuring in spectacular NASA satellite images.

Developing tools for sustainable aquaculture

New Zealand’s green credentials are a key selling point for aquaculture products in an increasingly discerning world market. With the aquaculture industry poised to expand, we need robust tools to manage potential environmental impacts, including those of new finfish species. NIWA’s sustainable aquaculture programme addresses this need.