Atmosphere

Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas after CO2 that is produced by human activities.

The all-sky image shows a hemispheric view of the sky at Lauder.

A glossary of common climate change and meteorological terms.

The current method for calculating wind speed-up is inadequate, and can grossly under-predict correct design wind speeds in NZ's complex terrain.

Check out UV index forecasts for locations in New Zealand (including ski fields), Australia, the Pacific and Antarctica.

Information about climate and weather and links to climate-related websites.

Several apps that provide forecasts of the UV index (UVI) are available for smartphones. 

Today's UV Index

Descriptions of the common terms that explain the processes that occur in hydrology.

NIWA provides ambient air quality monitoring services using low-cost ODIN (Outdoor Dust Information Node) sensors.

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.

The atmosphere is comprised of layers based on temperature. These layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere.