Oceans

Recording old oceans centre tag.

Latest news

Coastal flooding likely to be main driver for adaptation

Media Release
12 October 2021
New NIWA-led research shows increasing flood risk is going to be what leads people to make changes to adapt to sea-level rise.

Fabulous Fiordland showcased in new e-Guide

Media Release
5 October 2021
With cascading waterfalls and native bush tumbling down mountainous terrain, Fiordland is one of the most eye-catching parts of the country. But peer beneath the waves and you'll see that Fiordland's marine invertebrate and seaweed communities are every bit as remarkable and awe-inspiring.

Scientists, iwi investigate bringing back rock oyster industry

Media Release
28 September 2021
A project is under way to determine whether Aotearoa New Zealand’s long defunct rock oyster industry can be revived.

Study discovers microplastics in New Zealand’s seabed

Media Release
16 July 2021
A pilot study carried out by NIWA and the University of Auckland has found microplastics in samples collected from the seafloor in the Marlborough Sounds.
 

Our work

Sea2Cloud – how marine aerosols influence the atmosphere and climate

Clouds over the ocean, and how they trap or emit radiation from the sun, are partly influenced by the biology, biogeochemistry and physics of the surface ocean below.

Marine food webs

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.
 

Latest videos

Dive into the alien world of plankton in the Ross Sea

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

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

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

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
 

Coasts & Oceans

View images from our work in and around coasts and oceans, including images from some of the world's most beautiful and inaccessible locations.

Ocean Acidification

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

Default Oceans Gallery

TAN1116 voyage log - introduction

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them.

TAN1116 voyage log - day 3

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them. 

TAN1116 voyage log - hagfish!

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them. 

TAN1116 voyage log - midwater trawl

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them. 

TAN1116 voyage log - the multicorer

[Please click on the photos to enlarge them, and see more information about them] Minute organisms make up the highest biomass on our planet, with myriad microscopic organisms in

TAN1116 voyage log - specimens

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them. 

TAN1116 voyage log - Noctiluca bloom

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them. 

TAN1116 voyage log - life on board

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them. 

TAN1116 voyage log - toadfish

Click on the photos for larger versions and to find out more about them. 

Our Far South

A number of people aboard the Our Far South voyage have been sending us beautiful photos of their experience.  In this gallery, we showcase some of our favourites. Oldest photos are shown first. Unless otherwise stated, all photos are credited to Our Far South.

NIWA Charts

NIWA produces a wide range of charts, including bathymetry, sediment, and circulation charts.

RV Polaris - Ocean Acidification

For the last 14 years, in collaboration with the University of Otago's Chemistry Department, Dr Kim Currie has run a time series tracking ocean acidification.

New map reveals New Zealand’s seafloor in stunning detail

23 November 2012

NIWA's new Undersea New Zealand map provides a unique insight into the shape of the seafloor in one of the world's most extensive marine jurisdictions.

Scientists discover freshwater flows affect polar oceanic microbes

31 October 2012

An international team of scientists has been studying bacteria that live in Arctic and Antarctica waters.

Modelling

NIWA answers a wide range of scientific questions using ocean modelling. These models can be linked to well established weather forecasting models to predict ocean temperature, sea level and the dispersal of pollution.

Coastal and oceanic dispersal modelling

Understanding how material released into the ocean spreads is very important in the case of oil spills, sediment transport and the release of invasive species. 

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

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.

Seabed Frontier: A Brief History of Bathymetry

Seabed Frontier: A Brief History of Bathymetry

NIWA marine geologist John Mitchell gives a brief history of bathymetric (seabed) charting, and how it's been carried out over the last few hundred years. (01:18) 

Looking to the past for a complete record of earthquakes in Poverty Bay

6 June 2012

Scientists have been working on ways to find out about earthquakes that occurred before oral and written records
began in New Zealand.

Pages

 

All staff working on this subject

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Dr Philip Barnes

Principal Scientist - Marine Geology
Email Dr Philip Barnes
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Dr Jaret Bilewitch

Molecular Biologist
Email Dr Jaret Bilewitch
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Dr Stacy Deppeler

Marine Biogeochemistry Technician
Email Dr Stacy Deppeler

Dr Pablo Escobar-Flores

Fisheries Scientist
Email Dr Pablo Escobar-Flores
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Dr Denise Fernandez

Physical Oceanographer
Email Dr Denise Fernandez

Dr Rachel Hale

Marine Ecologist
Email Dr Rachel Hale
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Dr Carolyn Lundquist

Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
Email Dr Carolyn Lundquist
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Dr Helen Macdonald

Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) Numerical Modeller
Email Dr Helen Macdonald
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Dr Katie Maier

Marine Sedimentologist
Email Dr Katie Maier

Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher

Principal Scientist - Carbon Chemistry and Modelling
Email Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher

Dr Helen Neil

General Manager - Operations
Email Dr Helen Neil

Dr Scott Nodder

Principal Scientist - Marine Geology
Email Dr Scott Nodder

Dr Richard O'Driscoll

Chief Scientist - Fisheries
Email Dr Richard O'Driscoll
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Dr Alan Orpin

Marine Geologist
Email Dr Alan Orpin
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Dr Rachael Peart

Marine Invertebrate Systematist
Email Dr Rachael Peart
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Dr Christo Rautenbach

Coastal and Estuarine Physical Processes Scientist
Email Dr Christo Rautenbach
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Dr Graham Rickard

Marine Physics Modeller
Email Dr Graham Rickard
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Dr Natalie Robinson

Marine Physicist
Email Dr Natalie Robinson

Dr Ashley Rowden

Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
Email Dr Ashley Rowden

Dr Kareen Schnabel

Marine Biologist
Email Dr Kareen Schnabel

Dr Craig Stevens

Principal Scientist - Marine Physics
Email Dr Craig Stevens
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Dr Philip Sutton

Physical Oceanographer
Email Dr Philip Sutton
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Dr Leigh Tait

Marine Ecologist
Email Dr Leigh Tait

Dr Sally Watson

Marine Geophysicist
Email Dr Sally Watson
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Dr Shaun Williams

Hazard Analyst
Email Dr Shaun Williams

Antonia Cristi

PhD Student
Email Antonia Cristi

Eimear Egan

Freshwater Fish Ecologist
Email Eimear Egan

Arne Pallentin

Principal Technician - Marine Geology
Email Arne Pallentin

Karl Safi

Algal Ecologist
Email Karl Safi
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