Atmospheric analysis

Chemical contaminants are chemicals toxic to plants and animals in waterways.

Learn about different kinds of beachs and how they form, with diagrams and examples of each type.

The waters around New Zealand have some of the highest waves in the world, due to Southern Ocean swell and storms in the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean.

NIWA’s climate scientists can now confirm what you may have suspected. After carefully poring through more than a century’s worth of data, it has been officially determined that winter 2022 was Aotearoa New Zealand’s warmest and wettest on record.

NIWA's educational resources and scientific data are tools for young people to learn about science.

Water clarity or turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness in a fluid caused by individual small particles (suspended solids).

Impacts of hydro-electric activities on water quality and mahinga kai.

An overview of Science at NIWA

A range of physical and chemical variables are measured in the NRWQN.

The UV Index is a measure of the intensity of UV radiation. The larger the number, the more intense the UV. In New Zealand, its maximum summer value is generally about 12, but it can exceed 13 in the far North. In winter it reaches peak values of 1 or 2. Values of 10 or more should be considered as "extreme". At high altitude tropical sites (eg Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii), the UV Index can exceed 20.The UV Index supersedes the idea of "Time to Burn" or "Burn Time", which has been used previously in New Zealand.

PPM and PPB are units used in atmospheric chemistry to describe the concentration of gases.

There are many lines of evidence showing that NZ has warmed during the past century.