Atmospheric analysis

9 February 2018RV Tangaroa is farewelled by a pod of dolphins as it heads off on its 12th voyage to the white continent.

RV Tangaroa is farewelled by a pod of dolphins as it heads off on its 12th voyage to the white continent. Footage courtesy of Kareen Schnabelke.

Hotspots in the North Island are located across Gisborne, the Tararua District, and in parts of west coastal Taranaki. The only hotspot in the South Island is in Southland.

NIWA hosted an IPBES workshop entitled “Visions for nature and nature’s contributions to people for the 21st century” held from 4-8 September 2017 in Auckland.

5 February 2018
Tomorrow is “mob day” for 40 people heading to Antarctica for six weeks aboard NIWA’s research vessel Tangaroa.

North Island hotspots continue to be found across much of Gisborne, northern Hawke’s Bay, and Tararua west to Horowhenua and Kapiti Coast. A small hotspot has also emerged across the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. The only hotspot in the South Island continues to be located in Southland, but it has decreased significantly in size and strength due to the recent heavy rainfall.

Forty intrepid adventurers leave Wellington next week for a six-week scientific voyage to Antarctica.

Current North Island hotspots are found in coastal Gisborne, interior Wairoa, as well as small portions of Kapiti Coast, Horowhenua, and Tararua. The only hotspot in the South Island continues to be a sizeable one which covers much of southern and interior Otago and nearly all of Southland.

A weekly update describing soil moisture across the country to help assess whether severely to extremely dry conditions are occurring or imminent. Regions experiencing these soil moisture deficits are deemed “hotspots”. Persistent hotspot regions have the potential to develop into drought.

Beachgoers are being asked to look out for leopard seals over summer and report sightings as soon as possible.

In October a team of scientists from New Zealand and Finland travelled to Antarctica for a scientific diving expedition under the ice.

Read about the science that will be undertaken during the voyage.