Field Work

Featured image: Rarotonga’s little plants facing big problems

Rarotonga’s little plants facing big problems

Guest Author • Feb 01, 2018

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

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Featured image: NIWA Summer Series – Native forests suck in carbon dioxide

NIWA Summer Series – Native forests suck in carbon dioxide

Guest Author • Dec 22, 2017

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 – Kaikoura Canyon Post Earthquake

Guest Author • Dec 20, 2017

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

Featured image: Incredible photos from NIWA scientists out in the field

Incredible photos from NIWA scientists out in the field

Guest Author • Sep 28, 2017

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

Featured image: Scientist keeps cool head on the ice

Scientist keeps cool head on the ice

Guest Author • Jan 10, 2017

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

Featured image: Party balloons and sagging powerlines

Party balloons and sagging powerlines

Guest Author • Dec 28, 2016

When Tony Bromley heads to the hills in January he’s taking along a bag of party balloons and some cardboard coffee cups to help him with some complex measurements involving power lines along the National Grid. The NIWA atmospheric technician is aiming “to define the sag”. “Power lines expand with heat and the more power that goes down the line … Read More

Featured image: Snapping Chatham Rise critters

Snapping Chatham Rise critters

Guest Author • Dec 27, 2016

Fieldwork will see marine ecologist Dr David Bowden travel more than 7000km over January. He is leading a voyage aboard NIWA research vessel Tangaroa to study seabed habitats of the Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand. The Chatham Rise, which stretches for about 1000km from near the South Island to the Chatham Islands, is one of New Zealand’s most productive … Read More