Oceans

Recording old oceans centre tag.

Latest news

Seabirds spend nearly 40% of their time on high seas, study finds

4 March 2021

A global effort by seabird researchers, including those from NIWA, has resulted in the first assessment of where the world’s most threatened seabirds spend their time.

Queen of the critters

Feature story

11 February 2021

Sadie Mills has come a long way from scaring the inhabitants of Scottish rock pools. Sarah Fraser explains.

Norse goddess reveals seabed secrets

Feature story

11 February 2021

A large, orange Scandinavian robot gives NIWA’s marine geologists an in-depth look at changes to the seafloor off Kaikōura.

A job for the buoys

Feature story

11 February 2021

New Zealanders and Pacific Island communities are on their way to having the most advanced tsunami monitoring system in the world.

Our work

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.

New Zealand Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NZOA-ON)

Ocean acidification conditions around the New Zealand coast are being measured to establish baseline conditions and to quantify future change.

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

Antarctic science onboard NIWA’s RV Tangaroa

Examining biodiversity and ocean dynamics in the world’s largest marine protected area

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.

NIWA's Sarah Searson and Jennie Mowatt

If you want to get accurate scientific readings from the icy depths of the Ross Sea, who do you turn to?

Ocean acidification - What does it mean for Shellfish?

This video has been produced to highlight ocean acidification as a potential issue affecting the NZ shellfish aquaculture industry

Echo, Echo: Scanning the Seafloor on R.V. Tangaroa

NIWA ocean geologist Dr Joshu Mountjoy explains how the R.V. Tangaroa's multibeam system is used for bathymetric (seabed) mapping, and some of the benefits which come out of this mapping.

Methane seep research bubbling along

Media Release

10 September 2019

A chance discovery off the Gisborne coast five years ago is prompting a NIWA scientist to find out more about the link between a field of methane seeps bubbling out of the sea floor and submarine landslides.

Stitching together a new view of the seafloor

Combining multibeam bathymetry, specialist GIS software and high-resolution camera footage, NIWA has produced startlingly vivid three-dimensional photo-mosaics of undersea habitats.

Tangaroa open day attracts hundreds of visitors

NIWA’s research vessel RV Tangaroa opened its gangway, decks and doors to an excited public in Dunedin last month.

Ambitious NIWA-led Antarctic Ocean project gets go-ahead

NIWA is to lead a new six-year project aimed at improving understanding of how the Antarctic oceans work.

Dive deep into NIWA ocean science

21 July 2019 to 9 February 2020

Dive deep into NIWA’s world of ocean science and discovery at Otago Museum’s Beautiful Science Gallery.

Our changing oceans

Feature story

13 June 2019

The on-going rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) that is fuelling climate change is also driving significant changes in the waters off our coasts.

Sea Surface Temperature Update - 13 February 2019

Following the Tasman Sea marine heatwave event of 2017-18, this report will help users understand the latest conditions in the ocean and their expected changes over the upcoming weeks.

Voyage Update 9: Protistan diversity

During the voyage, we collected planktonic protist cells for which DNA will be sequenced for taxonomic identification, but also to understand their physiology through the daily diurnal vertical migration (diel) cycle.

Seabed mapping in Marlborough uncovers 10 shipwrecks

31 August 2018

The most detailed seafloor mapping of a coastal region off New Zealand has been completed in Marlborough.

Scientists mark 10th anniversary of ocean acidification research

Media Release

9 October 2017

A decade of scientific research into how ocean acidification is affecting New Zealand waters has led to far greater understanding of the vulnerability of our marine ecosystems, according to a newly published review.

Investigating ocean acidification

Feature story

21 January 2016

The world’s oceans are acidifying as a result of the carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by humanity.

New Zealand Ocean Acidification Observing Network (NZOA-ON)

Ocean acidification conditions around the New Zealand coast are being measured to establish baseline conditions and to quantify future change.

BLOG: Sir Peter Blake Trust Ambassador Blake Hornblow - Enounters with Antarctica's animals

Blog

26 February 2015

It has been another amazing week here on the Tangaroa. On Saturday we saw Antarctica which was an absolutely breath-taking experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life!

Enabling management of offshore mining

Interest in offshore petroleum and minerals exploration is growing rapidly as investors identify the potential economic returns from New Zealand’s rich marine resources. The challenge for management agencies and scientists is to facilitate development of this natural wealth while ensuring environmental sustainability is not compromised.

Explaining the blue whale research onboard the Tangaroa

Blog

22 February 2015

Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division explain the blue whale research they are leading onboard the New Zealand-Australia Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage 2015.

Travelling with the blues

Blog

16 February 2015

NIWA voyage leader Dr Richard O’Driscoll updates the Tangaroa’s encounter with the planet’s largest living beings – the Antarctic blue whales – and discovers what’s on their menu.

Balleny Islands humpback research success

Media Release

9 February 2015

The first objective of the New Zealand- Australia Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage was successfully achieved with the completion of the research at the Balleny Islands.