Skip to content.

Coasts

Our coasts are complex, dynamic, and threatened. Coastal management needs multidisciplinary science.

Research projects
Featured research project

Cockles

Estuarine Ecodiagnostics

Date: April 02, 2009
National Centre:

Monitoring the impact of urban development on estuary ecosystems. Read more about Estuarine Ecodiagnostics

Latest projects

Restoration of seagrass beds in Whangarei Harbour

Seagrass beds form an important undersea habitat for small fish, seahorses and shellfish in New Zealand. A large amount of New Zealand’s seagrass habitat has been lost as a result of human activities, with only small pockets remaining in some harbours. NIWA is leading a small-scale transplantation trial in Whangarei Harbour to determine whether transplanted seagrass can survive, and hopefully thrive, at a former site. Read more about Restoration of seagrass beds in Whangarei Harbour

Predicting long-term sedimentation and heavy metal accumulation in estuaries

NIWA has developed an Urban Stormwater Contaminant (USC) model to enable urban planners to predict sedimentation and heavy metal accumulation in estuaries and identify problem areas in order to target mitigation measures. The model supports decision making by predicting contaminant accumulation under various catchment development scenarios over 50-100 year timescales. Read more about Predicting long-term sedimentation and heavy metal accumulation in estuaries

See all Coasts Research

Our Services

We offer expert services in environmental impact assessment in estuaries and coastal areas, coastal erosion and hazards, port and estuary contamination, environmental monitoring, numerical modelling and coastal habitat assessments. Read more about Our Services

Tools and Resources

NIWA is constantly making new tools and resources available related to our work with coasts and estuaries. Read more about Tools and Resources

Publications

The Centre shares a monthly publication with the Oceans centre "Coasts and Oceans Update" Read more about Publications

Coasts Update

This quarterly e-newsletter of NIWA's National Centre for Coasts brings you news of coastal research, events, and workshops at NIWA.

Sign up to the Coasts Update.

Read more about Coasts Update

Coasts & Oceans Update

Up until 2008 this was a joint quarterly update from the National Centre for Coasts and the National Centre for Oceans. The publication facilitates public, industry, and governmental access to NIWA's expertise and knowledge in coastal and ocean research. Read more about Coasts & Oceans Update

Antarctica

NIWA scientists have worked for many years on Antarctic atmospheric processes and aquatic ecosystems. Our research vessel RV Tangaroa also supplies logistical support for scientific studies and hydrographic surveys in the Southern Ocean. Read more about Antarctica

New Zealand IPY-CAML project

Read more about New Zealand IPY-CAML project

IceCUBE - Antarctic coastal marine ecosystems

IceCUBE (Coastal Underwater Benthic Ecosystems) is the umbrella name for our coastal marine research project that had its first field year in 2001/02. The project aims to better understand the structure and functioning of benthic (seafloor) ecosystems along the Ross Sea coast. Read more about IceCUBE - Antarctic coastal marine ecosystems

Ross Sea Trophic Model

Read more about Ross Sea Trophic Model

Tools and Resources

NIWA is constantly making new tools and resources available related to our work with coasts and estuaries. Read more about Tools and Resources

Marine Environment Classification

The Marine Environment Classification (MEC), a GIS-based environmental classification of the marine environment of the New Zealand region, is an ecosystem-based spatial framework designed for marine management purposes. Read more about Marine Environment Classification

Common questions

See all common questions

Key contacts

Main contact

Clive Howard-Williams
ph: + 64 3 343 7857

See all Coasts contacts