Climate change

Climate change effects are accelerating, driving the need for actions informed by sound climate knowledge.

Glacier Extinction Horizons
  • Adaptive futures: a serious game for climate change adaptation

    Research Project
    NIWA is using serious games to look at problems holistically, support understanding and give a framework for climate change adaptation decision-making.
  • New reports highlight flood risk under climate change

    Media release
    Two reports released today by NIWA and the Deep South National Science Challenge reveal new information about how many New Zealanders, how many buildings and how much infrastructure could be affected by extreme river and coastal flooding from storms and sea-level rise.
  • Daily CO2 measurements from NIWA’s atmospheric monitoring station at Baring Head

    Service
    Daily CO2 measurements from NIWA’s atmospheric monitoring station at Baring Head.
  • Ambitious NIWA-led Antarctic Ocean project gets go-ahead

    Media release
    Understanding how the Antarctic oceans work is vital to predicting the world’s future climate and the implications of climate change for humankind and the planet.
  • Our changing oceans

    Feature story
    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.
  • Climate Matters - shaping our climate solutions

    NIWA is bringing together decision makers and influencers from across New Zealand this month to shape the science we need to respond to our changing climate.
  • A bird's-eye view of our carbon balance

    Feature story
    Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher is looking to turn the internationally accepted science of monitoring greenhouse gas emissions upside down – and the rest of the world is watching closely.
  • Endless summers

    Feature story
    Susan Pepperell reports on a region trying to cope with a changing climate
  • Thermal images reveal heat levels in New Zealand’s glaciers

    Media release
    Thermal images taken by a NIWA scientist during this year’s aerial survey of South Island glaciers have revealed in extraordinary detail how heat in the surrounding landscape is affecting the ice.
  • Scientists study how to predict marine heatwaves

    Media release
    Scientists have taken a step closer to predicting marine heatwaves with new NIWA-led research finding a link between their formation and the length of time sea temperatures are warmer than normal.^.
  • Scientists discover solar heat drives rapid melting of Ross Ice Shelf

    Media release
    Part of the world’s largest ice shelf is melting 10 times faster than the overall average and solar-heated waters beneath the ice shelf are to blame, NIWA research has found.
  • Environment report a clear picture of change: NIWA

    Media release
    The latest state of the environment report released today provides New Zealanders with clear evidence that our climate, freshwater and marine systems are changing, says NIWA.