Water & Atmosphere

As a project to celebrate the creativity of the Principal Scientists at NIWA in Hamilton, David Roper and Stephanie Parkyn have created a series of photographs that depict the inspirations behind the scientists’ work. ‘Waterworks’, on the front cover, refers to Dr Chris Tanner’s pioneering use of constructed wetlands to treat wastewaters. See the images created for the other scientists at Inspired minds: curiosity and imagination in science.

Marine biofouling creates a huge headache for New Zealand aquaculture. Read about a promising new technology for controlling biofouling.

Jordy Hendrikx makes a measurement at Arthur’s Pass to validate and calibrate snow depth observations in NIWA’s new Snow & Ice Network.

RV Tangaroa in newly formed ice in the northern Ross Sea. Scientists from NIWA and other institutions travelled for seven weeks and covered more than 7000 nautical miles to sample Antarctic marine life. The back cover shows the ship’s track and sampling stations. Read about the voyage and see some of the finds in 'Back from the ice bearing scientific treasure'.

Berthing at Aotea Wharf in Wellington, NIWA's research vessel Tangaroa is readied for another voyage as part of the Census of Marine Life. CoML is an international initiative involving more than 80 nations in a 10-year effort to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. Read more about New Zealand's participation in 'No ordinary stock-take: Census of Marine Life'.

A moon jelly drifts past a line of cultured mussels while NIWA scientists set up experiments nearby. They are exploring the benefits of integrated co-culture, where the waste from one species is food for one or more other cultured species. Read more in 'Finding hidden treasue in aquaculture waste'.

Flooding in March 2007 forced Northland farmers to move stock to higher ground; the same region was hit again in July. This special issue looks at ways that hazard forecasting can lessen the blow for communities caught in the path when nature turns nasty.

A novel twist on existing technology gives NIWA scientists greater scope for using sediment colour to divine what’s happening at the microbe level. Read how this new technique is being used to track environmental damage and recovery in the article Colourful seafloor.

Though ozone declines have slowed globally (and in some cases have ceased), here in New Zealand we’re still subject to very high levels of UV radiation and must take care when we go out in the sun. Read about the latest WMO/UNEP ozone assessments.

The first Waikato BioBlitz meant 24 hours of intense scrutiny of Hamilton’s riverside precinct. NIWA provided scientific expertise and entertaining education of young and old. Here, aquatic plant specialist Tracey Edwards shows students the invasive weeds hornwort and egeria. Read about the blitz.

Live salmon smolt are decanted into the Mount Cook Salmon Farm located in hydro canals in the McKenzie Basin. Deliveries are made each November in NIWA's live-fish transportation tanker. Read more on our contribution to New Zealand's salmon aquaculture industry.

Adult paua on coralline algae (and vice versa). Research is revealing the role corallines play in providing a hospitable habitat for paua spat to settle.

Urban streams come in all shapes and sizes. This one in Hamilton serves double duty as part of the stormwater system and as a feature in a suburban park. In this issue, we look at different aspects of stream and coastal restoration, and ask how people want streams in their neighbourhoods to look.

Pylons marching across the New Zealand landscape are a central part of our lifelines and energy-delivery infrastructure. NIWA research is helping to develop new sources of renewable energy and plan for our future energy needs.

Forests of kelps fringe rocky shores and reefs around New Zealand. Kelps, such as these Lessonia growing in the Chatham Islands, form canopies that provide shelter, food, and habitat for many other species. Read how scientists at NIWA are learning lessons from Cook Strait Lessonia.

Kiwi kids spend a lot of time outdoors, in and out of school. Scientists have begun to measure schoolchildren’s UV exposure and are compiling a database that can answer a lot questions. Read about it in "How much UV are New Zealand schoolchildren getting?".

Deceptively calm on a mild summer day, Piha Beach on Auckland’s west coast is well known for its rougher moods. NIWA research helps trace the formation of today’s coastline in Rapid shoreline building on a stormy coast.

NIWA scientists have documented a warming trend in the Tasman Sea using data collected as part of a collaboration with scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (USA) and CSIRO (Austalia). We hypothesise a link with declining hoki stocks in Ocean variability and hoki decline.