News

Read about the important science being undertaken at NIWA, and how it affects New Zealanders

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    Ozone depletion far greater without Montreal Protocol, study shows

    Media release
    A study out today shows the Antarctic Ozone Hole would be 40 per cent larger than it is today without controls introduced by the Montreal Protocol.
  • NIWA calls on citizen scientists for grey mullet survey

    News article
    New Zealand’s leading freshwater and estuarine research body is harnessing the national curiosity about ecology to find out more about grey mullet.
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    Weather watchers provide invaluable service

    News article
    For almost a century the Mason family of Feilding have been keeping a closer eye on the weather than most people. But now, at 94, Alan Mason is looking for a successor.
  • Wellington regional climatology publication released

    News article
    NIWA's Climate Science Centre has released a Wellington regional climatology - "The Climate and Weather of Wellington".
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    NIWA’s glider launched into service for sea science

    News article
    Exploring the frontier of New Zealand oceanographic research is the launch mission for Manaia, NIWA’s newly named underwater glider.
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    NIWA studies spectacular seabed gas flares

    News article
    A team of scientists aboard NIWA’s deepwater research vessel Tangaroa returned to Wellington with new knowledge about methane ‘leaking’ into the atmosphere.
  • Climate science may help predict mussel production

    News article
    Sea temperatures influence mussel production, but the link between the two is not always clear. Sea temperatures have been rising globally with climate change, but temperatures also fluctuate with shorter-term climate variability, along with other factors that influence food supply for the mussels.
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    Global experts confirm NIWA's finding on Southwest Pacific's coldest ever temperature

    Media release
    A World Meteorological Organisation panel has confirmed a finding that a temperature of -25.6°C observed at Eweburn, Ranfurly in New Zealand on 17 July 1903 is the coldest temperature recorded for the Southwest Pacific Region.
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    Is extreme weather the new normal?

    News article
    New Zealanders have just experienced one of the driest summers on record – great for beachgoers and cricket lovers, but far from ideal for farmers and orchardists relying on rain to maintain productivity.
  • NIWA's Hotspot Watch

    Hotspot
    Weekly update to help media assess likelihood of extremely dry weather preceding a drought. Regions experiencing severely to extremely drier than normal soils conditions are deemed “hotspots”.
  • Unique animal communities may need special protection

    Media release
    New Zealand’s underwater mountains are home to unique animal communities which need careful environmental management, new research reveals.
  • NIWA discovers 141 new creatures

    News article
    The work of NIWA biologists has discovered 141 new marine creatures in the past three years, an important contribution to a worldwide register of the planet’s underwater life.