Field Work

Two months at sea has shown me how little we know of our oceans

Guest Author • Mar 12, 2021

• Coral SEa,
• guyots,
• microplastics,
• oceanography,
• seabirds,
• Tasman Sea

Alysha Johnson Before I headed out to sea, I did not know a lot about the ocean to begin with. A geologist and geomorphologist by training, I have always looked at the land and had never spent longer in a ship than the 3-hour Wellington to Picton ferry crossing. But it hasn’t taken me long to realise that compared to … Read More

“Science Control to Bridge. CTD is ready to deploy.”

Guest Author • Feb 16, 2021

• marine science,
• oceanography,
• science vessel

Alysha Johnson They say a good day is a busy day, and aboard the R/V Falkor (Seafloor to Seabirds in the Coral Sea – Schmidt Ocean Institute), almost every day is busy! On this particular day, we deployed a CTD, which stands for Conductivity, Temperature and Density. It is a device lowered to the ocean floor to provide … Read More

New Year of Ocean Mapping, Two Voyages Aboard the R/V Falkor

Guest Author • Feb 10, 2021

• guyots,
• microfibres,
• ocean currents,
• research,
• seabirds,
• seamounts,
• voyages

Alysha Johnson Tēnā koutou! My name is Alysha Johnson, and I am a PhD student at the University of Wollongong studying the geomorphic evolution of volcanic islands, seamounts and guyots. I was lucky enough to join the crew and scientists aboard the R/V Falkor with Schmidt Ocean Institute on their ‘Pinging in the New Year’ expedition running from 28th December … Read More

Rarotonga’s little plants facing big problems

Guest Author • Feb 01, 2018

• bryophytes,
• Cook Islands,
• Moss,
• plant conservation,
• Rarotonga,
• tourism

By Peter de Lange A recent survey of Rarotonga’s little plants – the liverworts and mosses – has established that all is not well in the volcanic island’s forests. The plants, often dubbed the ‘canaries in the cage’ of the plant world because of their sensitivity to ecosystem change, are drowning under an onslaught of weeds that have spread from … Read More

NIWA Summer Series – Native forests suck in carbon dioxide

Guest Author • Dec 22, 2017

• atmosphere,
• Carbon dioxide,
• carbon sink,
• forest regrowth,
• native forests,
• New Zealand

New Zealand’s forests and other land areas may be absorbing up to 60% more carbon dioxide than has been calculated, with much of this uptake likely occurring in native forests. This research, revealed in February, and led by NIWA atmospheric scientists Drs Kay Steinkamp and Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher, indicates that New Zealand’s forests absorb much more carbon dioxide than previously … Read More

NIWA Summer Series – Ancient air bubbles tell story

Guest Author • Dec 21, 2017

• air bubbles,
• Antarctica,
• ice core,
• methane

Tiny air bubbles trapped in ice more than 10,000 years were able to tell scientists a story of what the world used to like and how humans have changed it. Atmospheric scientist Dr Hinrich Schaefer was part of team that in August reported on a significant discovery about the emission of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, that may … Read More

NIWA Summer Series – Kaikoura Canyon Post Earthquake

Guest Author • Dec 20, 2017

• earthquake,
• ecology,
• Kaikoura,
• marine geology,
• seabed survey

In January and February several NIWA scientists focused on finding out more about what happened to marine environment off Kaikoura following the November 2016 earthquake. Marine geologist Dr Josh Mountjoy led an investigation to map offshore faults ruptured by the earthquake and to investigate changes at the head of the Kaikoura Canyon. Data revealed huge mudslides had occurred sending … Read More

NIWA Summer Series – The Sounds of Whales

Guest Author • Dec 19, 2017

• acoustics,
• marine ecology,
• New Zealand,
• NIWA,
• whales

The sounds of whales and dolphins rarely seen in New Zealand waters were recorded by a NIWA scientist in a pioneering underwater sound project. In March the first analysis of work undertaken by NIWA marine ecologist Dr Kim Goetz was revealed following the deployment of seven acoustic moorings in Cook Strait to record the sounds of marine mammals. NIWA … Read More

Incredible photos from NIWA scientists out in the field

Guest Author • Sep 28, 2017

• field work,
• NIWA,
• NIWA photo comp,
• photos,
• scientists

Every year, NIWA runs a competition to choose the best photos taken by its scientists in the field. This year’s crop of photos is as impressive as ever. NIWA, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, has scientists working on projects in some stunning locations, so it’s no surprise that some amazing photos pop up along the way. These … Read More

Scientist keeps cool head on the ice

Guest Author • Jan 10, 2017

• Antarctica,
• ice,
• marine physics,
• NIWA,
• physics

NIWA marine physicist Dr Natalie Robinson. Top of Natalie Robinson’s to-do list right now is to work out exactly what she’s brought back from Antarctica. The NIWA marine physicist has recently spent five weeks on the ice leading a team of researchers trying to solve one of the great conundrums facing scientists researching climate change: why has Antarctic sea ice … Read More