Stuff for Students

Science Centres: Coasts

Climate has a significant influence on our lives, so studying its mechanisms is one of the most important areas of science we can explore. Learn more about the weather and its impacts on the environment, or select your own study topic and create ideas for science projects from our climate data.

Climate and weather

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

Climate change, global warming and greenhouse gases

Climate data and common terms explaining the causes and effects of climate change.

Clouds

Common questions about clouds, how they are formed and how they behave.

Common climate and weather terms

A glossary of common climate change and meteorological terms.

Common Hydrological Terms

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

Drought

Defining drought and identifying its causes and impacts on humans.

El Niño and La Niña

El Niño and La Niña refer to weather patterns that occur periodically across the Pacific Ocean. They are both characterised by variable levels of winds and rainfall in different parts of New Zealand.

Estuaries

An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where freshwater from the land meets and mixes with saltwater from the ocean. Estuaries vary in size and can also be termed bays, lagoons, harbours, inlets, sounds, wetlands and swamps.

Ideas for projects using climate data

Use these climate questions to spark ideas for science projects.

Layers of the Atmosphere

The atmosphere is comprised of layers based on temperature. These layers are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere and thermosphere. A further region at about 500 km above the Earth's surface is called the exosphere.

Storms and Cyclones

Common questions about storms and cyclones in New Zealand.

Climate for Students - UV & Ozone

Frequently asked questions about climate, UV and the ozone layer.