Oceans

Recording old oceans centre tag.

Latest news

Scientists on an expedition to the underexplored Bounty Trough off New Zealand have discovered around 100 new and potentially new ocean species.
An expedition to discover new species in one of the most remote parts of the deep ocean is departing from Wellington today.
NIWA are studying the ocean off Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay to see how Cyclone Gabrielle has impacted the health of fisheries habitats and seabed ecosystems.
The 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption triggered the fastest underwater flow ever recorded.

Our work

Led by Ocean Census, NIWA and the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, a team of scientists are spending 21 days investigating the unexplored Bounty Trough ocean system off the coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

Latest videos

Tonga eruption and tsunami shock the world

Tsunamis and shockwaves hit continents on the other side of the Pacific. The Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha'apai (HT-HH) volcano was like a massive shotgun blast from the deep, generating the biggest atmospheric explosion recorded on Earth in more than 100 years. Funded by The Nippon Foundation, NIWA and SEA-KIT surveyed over 22,000km2 surrounding the volcano, including mapping 14,000km2 of previously unmapped seafloor as part of The Nippon Foundation GEBCO Seabed 2030 project. Find out more: https://niwa.co.nz/news/tonga-eruption-confirmed-as-largest-ever-recorded

Dive into the alien world of plankton in the Ross Sea

Plankton are the base of the oceans food web and are vital to our survival. But as our world changes will they be able to continue to play this essential role? Join us as we follow a group of NIWA scientists investigating various aspects of this question in the ocean around Antarctica.

Antarctic science onboard NIWA’s RV Tangaroa

Researchers are working their way through a wealth of new Antarctic marine data after RV Tangaroa successfully completed its five week scientific voyage to the Ross Sea. Voyage leader and principal fisheries scientist Dr Richard O’Driscoll outlines the team’s busy research schedule examining biodiversity and ocean dynamics in the world’s largest marine protected area.

Check out more stories from the 2021 Antarctic voyage

The instruments at work - In the volcano's wake

Our team onboard RV Tangaroa are equipped with all the tech and tools they need to explore the undersea changes caused by the devastating volcanic eruption in Tonga earlier this year. They’ve been using a range of nifty scientific instruments to sample all matters of the ocean from the seafloor through to the water column. The line-up includes the: - DTIS (deep-towed imaging system) - Multicorer - CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) - Glider Find out what each of them do in our video. The NIWA-Nippon Foundation Tonga Eruption Seabed Mapping Project (TESMaP) is funded by The Nippon Foundation and also supported by The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed2030 Project which aims to map the world’s ocean floor by 2030. Learn more on our website: https://niwa.co.nz/our-science/voyages/2022-tonga-post-eruption

Voyage updates from voyage leader Scott Nodder.

NIWA's research vessel Tangaroa was at sea 2-20 November 2011 for the TAN1116 voyage.

We need information on the food web structures of our marine ecosystems in order to manage the effects on the ecosystem of fishing, aquaculture and mining, as well as understanding the potential impacts of climate variability and change on our oceans. 

NIWA scientists have worked for many years on Antarctic atmospheric processes and aquatic ecosystems.

By using this site and the EcoConnect forecasts, you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions.

Weather - 2 Day Forecast


Ocean - 2 Day Forecast

In a world first, NIWA has designed a regional climate change ocean 'atlas' - for our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Craig Stevens on Antarctic Sea Ice

Principal Scientist Craig Stevens talks about what NIWA's sonar equipment can tell us about ocean turbulence, and what's in store for sea ice around Antarctica and the Arctic. 

Antarctic Whale Expedition 2010

After a successful six weeks in the Southern Ocean, the Australian led Antarctic whale expedition is due to arrive in Wellington, New Zealand, on 15 March 2010. 

Great white sharks - sighted, tagged and tracked

Scientists from DOC, NIWA, and the University of Auckland are building a unique picture of New Zealand's great white shark population. Data gathered from the tagging programme is improving our understanding of their habitat requirements, the size of the population, and migration patterns.

Dr Malcolm Francis talks about this project, which is jointly funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Department of Conservation. 

Kaikoura Canyon Seabed Life

The video represents a number of clips that have been spliced together to illustrate the abundant life associated with the muddy seabed sediments in Kaikoura Canyon at 1000m. The video was shot in 2006 using NIWA's Deep Towed Imaging System which was operated from the RV Tangaroa during the RENEWZ I voyage that was conducting an exploration of the chemosynthetic ecosystems of New Zealand. 

The Antarctic atmosphere is physically and chemically unique and influences all latitudes. The goal of this programme is to improve our understanding of the Antarctic atmosphere's role in global change and its response to that change.

Polar ecosystems face physical constraints that set them apart from their warmer counterparts. The greatest constraint is the impact of prolonged periods of winter darkness and sub-zero temperatures.

All aquatic ecosystems are strongly driven by physical processes, and nowhere is this more true than in Antarctica.

Short articles and related news.

All aquatic ecosystems are strongly driven by physical processes, and nowhere is this more true than in Antarctica.

The science team includes plant and animal ecologists with expertise in a range of fields.

Scientists completed a successful three-week field tagging trip in April 2011, where they tagged a record 27 great white sharks around the Titi (Muttonbird) Islands off the northeast coast of Stewart Island.

 

NIWA Chairman Chris Mace says New Zealand urgently needs a National Oceans Strategy, to sustainably manage and use its extensive marine resources to boost the economy. 

"There is huge untapped potential in our oceans and coastal waters, and the Government has clearly indicated their intention to increase the use of these resources. Under the current global economic environment, I think that is prudent. But without an integrated oceans strategy, our ability to sustainably manage those resources will clearly be compromised."

A team of international scientists, led by NIWA Oceanographer Dr Philip Boyd, departs from Auckland on 6 June and sails towards the waters South of New Caledonia this week. They are onboard Research Vessel Tangaroa, for the second leg of the GEOTRACES programme: a ten-year international study of trace elements in the marine environment.

Ground-breaking research by NIWA and The University of Auckland, investigating the annual movements of New Zealand seabirds migrating within the Pacific Ocean, has revealed that populations are genetically distinct, and have been for centuries as a result of their differing migration behavior.

This measures and records the Electrical Conductivity (EC) and temperature of water.

This analog output sensor provides accurate long-term measurements of water depth and temperature in bores, drains and rivers.

The 6542B can measure water depths of up to 20 m and comes in five standard ranges: 1, 2, 5, 10 or 20 metres of water.

It has an accuracy of better than +/-1% of full scale and water level and temperature outputs are available as two separate analogue voltage outputs for connection to a data logger.

This ultrasonic Doppler instrument is a compact, easy to use system for measuring water flow in rivers, channels and pipes.

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All staff working on this subject

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Principal Scientist - Marine Geology
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Marine Ecologist - Quantitative Modeller
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Marine Biogeochemistry Technician
Freshwater Fish Ecologist
Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
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Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) Numerical Modeller
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Marine Sedimentologist
Principal Scientist - Carbon Chemistry and Modelling
General Manager - Operations
Principal Scientist - Marine Geology
Principal Scientist - Marine Geology
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Marine Invertebrate Systematist
Coastal and Estuarine Physical Processes Scientist
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Marine Physics Modeller
Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
Chief Scientist - Coasts and Estuaries
Principal Scientist - Marine Physics
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Physical Oceanographer
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