Atmosphere

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NIWA scientists are predicting that this year’s ozone hole will stay around for longer than usual, potentially lasting into early summer. 

NIWA’s Principal Scientist - Atmosphere and Climate, Dr Olaf Morgenstern, says this is largely due to a combination of climate change and the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption. 

Smoke from the devastating Australian wildfires impacted the atmosphere in a way that’s never been seen before.
The Tongan volcanic eruption may be responsible for New Zealand’s unusually vibrant sunrises and sunsets, say NIWA scientists.
Stacy Mohan looks at how the shockwaves from a remote Tongan island rippled through NIWA’s research community.

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MethaneSAT is New Zealand’s first official government-funded satellite mission. The core mission of this unique satellite is to support reductions in methane emissions around the world.

Latest videos

The laser lady of Lauder

By day Penny Smale is a mum to two young boys, living on a rural property in the middle of a farming district in Central Otago.
By night, she leaves home, walks the short distance to what is essentially a large outbuilding in a paddock, and fires lasers into the sky. Penny operates a Lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) instrument at the Lauder research station in Central Otago.  Essentially, she fires lasers into the sky and uses a telescope to measure what comes back.

CarbonWatch NZ is an internationally-recognised research programme that will enable New Zealand to make the right decisions for a zero carbon future.

NIWA scientists are predicting that this year’s ozone hole will stay around for longer than usual, potentially lasting into early summer. 

NIWA’s Principal Scientist - Atmosphere and Climate, Dr Olaf Morgenstern, says this is largely due to a combination of climate change and the 2022 Tonga volcanic eruption. 

MethaneSAT is New Zealand’s first official government-funded satellite mission. The core mission of this unique satellite is to support reductions in methane emissions around the world.
Smoke from the devastating Australian wildfires impacted the atmosphere in a way that’s never been seen before.
The Tongan volcanic eruption may be responsible for New Zealand’s unusually vibrant sunrises and sunsets, say NIWA scientists.
Stacy Mohan looks at how the shockwaves from a remote Tongan island rippled through NIWA’s research community.
One of the best ways to reduce the likelihood of Covid-19 being transmitted in Aotearoa New Zealand classrooms is simply by opening doors and windows to create natural ventilation, say NIWA air quality experts.
Without the global CFC ban we’d already be facing the reality of a “scorched earth”, according to researchers measuring the impact of the Montreal Protocol.
For a small group of unassuming buildings nestled amongst the wide-open spaces of the Maniototo, the Lauder Atmospheric Research Station punches well above its weight.
A NIWA-led collaboration is seeing atmospheric measurements taken from Antarctica’s Ross Island added to a highly respected international climate data reference network.
A Central Otago scientific research station with a globally revered reputation is marking its 60th anniversary.
This lesson explores the things we can all do to improve our air quality.
A new international study using ancient swamp kauri from Northland shows a temporary breakdown of Earth’s magnetic field 42,000 years ago sparked major climate shifts leading to global environmental change and mass extinctions.
This lesson explores how emissions of particles and gases into the air are measured and monitored around New Zealand.
Peter Sperlich needs a strong south-westerly and a cast iron stomach for his next scientific mission.
We can explore how the world may change due to climate change by creating climate models.
Some of the most striking images of lockdown around the world have been the blue skies of cities ordinarily choking in smog. From New Delhi to Los Angeles, Beijing to Paris, the changes were so remarkable they were visible from space.
New Zealand’s climate can be defined as ‘temperate’. However, every so often we experience extremes.
Once in a while the weather becomes much more dangerous – what meteorologists call severe weather.
NIWA scientists have set up air quality sensors every 100 metres across Arrowtown in what is believed to be the world’s densest air monitoring network.
Changes in NZ air quality due to COVID-19 level 4 lockdown Update 6 – fourth full week of level 4 restrictions for Thursday 23rd April 2020
A blob of smoke from the Australian bushfires is continuing to circle the globe almost four months after it formed.
Pollution levels in our main cities are continuing to fall as a result of the nationwide lockdown, says NIWA.
In week 3 levels of oxides of nitrogen (or NOx, representing mainly vehicle exhaust pollutants) in our major cities fell even further, with reductions of 83 – 91 % relative to normal at most sites.

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All staff working on this subject

Atmospheric Modeller
Principal Scientist - Climate
Emeritus Researcher – Atmospheric Radiation
Principal Scientist - Carbon Chemistry and Modelling
Principal Scientist - Atmosphere and Climate
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Principal Scientist - Research Software Engineering
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Scientist
Atmospheric Scientist
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Atmospheric Technician
Atmospheric Scientist
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Principal Technician - Atmosphere
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Principal Technician - Climate and Risk Applications Developer
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