Seamounts

Latest news

Making big waves in the Pacific

Feature story
15 December 2022
Prior to 15 January, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was a little-known undersea South Pacific volcano with a long name. Within 24 hours, it  was a global phenomenon – the site of the largest atmospheric explosion in almost 150 years. Jessica Rowley looks at why a remote Tongan volcano took the world by storm.

Tracking an eruption

Feature story
30 May 2022
Stacy Mohan looks at how the shockwaves from a remote Tongan island rippled through NIWA’s research community.

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.

Nameless nodes get new look from NIWA

Media Release
29 July 2020
At the bottom of the Southern Ocean, near Cape Adare in East Antarctica, lies an undersea ridge which until this month was only known by its co-ordinates: -71.2132 latitude, 172.1649 longitude.
 

Latest videos

The instruments at work - In the volcano's wake

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

Mapping the Tongan volcano eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai

Mapping the Tongan eruption

This important scientific voyage represents a significant opportunity to map the changes in the seafloor and collect samples to understand how the geology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem health has been impacted. Up until the eruption on 15th January, the volcano caldera sat approximately 150 m below sea level and part of the volcano connected the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai. Following the eruption, the islands are smaller and no longer joined together. The scientists are surveying thousands of square kilometres of the seafloor and collecting video images of the eruption’s impact, and using SEA-KIT International’s Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Maxlimer to conduct further mapping. 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. Follow the voyage here: https://niwa.co.nz/our-science/voyages/2022-tonga-post-eruption

 

Making big waves in the Pacific

Feature story
15 December 2022
Prior to 15 January, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai was a little-known undersea South Pacific volcano with a long name. Within 24 hours, it  was a global phenomenon – the site of the largest atmospheric explosion in almost 150 years. Jessica Rowley looks at why a remote Tongan volcano took the world by storm.

Tracking an eruption

Feature story
30 May 2022
Stacy Mohan looks at how the shockwaves from a remote Tongan island rippled through NIWA’s research community.
The instruments at work - In the volcano's wake

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

Mapping the Tongan volcano eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai

Mapping the Tongan eruption

This important scientific voyage represents a significant opportunity to map the changes in the seafloor and collect samples to understand how the geology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem health has been impacted. Up until the eruption on 15th January, the volcano caldera sat approximately 150 m below sea level and part of the volcano connected the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai. Following the eruption, the islands are smaller and no longer joined together. The scientists are surveying thousands of square kilometres of the seafloor and collecting video images of the eruption’s impact, and using SEA-KIT International’s Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) Maxlimer to conduct further mapping. 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. Follow the voyage here: https://niwa.co.nz/our-science/voyages/2022-tonga-post-eruption

2020 - Seamount Communities

Seamounts, knolls, and hills are prominent features of underwater topography in the New Zealand region and are often sites of high biodiversity and productivity.

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.

Nameless nodes get new look from NIWA

Media Release
29 July 2020
At the bottom of the Southern Ocean, near Cape Adare in East Antarctica, lies an undersea ridge which until this month was only known by its co-ordinates: -71.2132 latitude, 172.1649 longitude.

New map reveals New Zealand’s seafloor in stunning detail

6 June 2017

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.

Mountains in the Sea: the Louisville Seamount Chain

We are currently steaming out towards our survey area, the Louisville Seamount Chain, which is about 1500 km from Wellington.

Download the seabed!

6 June 2017

Highly detailed maps of New Zealand’s seabed are now freely available on NIWA’s website.

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 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.

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

Dr Malcolm Clark

Principal Scientist - Fisheries
Email Dr Malcolm Clark

Dr Michelle Kelly

Marine Biologist
Email Dr Michelle Kelly

Dr Richard O'Driscoll

Chief Scientist - Fisheries
Email Dr Richard O'Driscoll
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Dr Graham Rickard

Marine Physics Modeller
Email Dr Graham Rickard

Dr Ashley Rowden

Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
Email Dr Ashley Rowden

Dr Kareen Schnabel

Marine Biologist
Email Dr Kareen Schnabel

Owen Anderson

Fisheries Scientist
Email Owen Anderson
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Savannah Goode

Student
Email Savannah Goode

Kevin Mackay

Marine Geologist, Marine Data Manager
Email Kevin Mackay
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