Estuaries

Latest news

A group of international scientists are visiting some of New Zealand’s most significant coastal wetlands as part of a five-year research project to help the country adapt and prepare for sea-level rise.
What does science tell us about New Zealand cockles?
Aotearoa-New Zealand’s marine area covers 167,650 square kilometres presenting a staggering distribution of climates, from subtropical to subantarctic waters, to understand and manage.
Specialised monitoring equipment has been installed in Bay of Plenty estuaries to understand whether our coastal wetlands can survive the threat of inevitable sea-level rise.

Latest videos

The world's most mysterious fish

A video about The world's most mysterious fish. NIWA researchers are working with iwi to try to unlock the secrets of New Zealand tuna—freshwater eels. Every year tiny, glass eels wash in on the tide at river mouths along our coast. But where do they come from and how do they get there?

 

New research has revealed that citizen science monitoring of water is a win-win for scientists and volunteers—one gains access to new data, and the other the skills and confidence to become involved in discussions over what is happening to their streams.
NIWA is looking for people who have had a long association with the Hauraki Gulf or Marlborough Sounds to help them with a research project on juvenile fish habitats.
Iwi has joined forces with councils and NIWA to restore an estuarine ecosystem to its former health.

Freshwater Update 71 brings you the latest information from our Freshwater & Estuaries centre, including stories about: the implications of climate change on our freshwater; blocking nature to nuture a lake ecosystem; nine new freshwater and estuaries research programmes; and all about a co-development workshop for freshwaters.

The type of sediment that is deposited in your estuary, be it mud or sand, and how quickly it is deposited, has a big influence on what your estuary will look like, how clear the water will be, and the types of plants and animals that can live in it.

What happens when communities monitor their local streams?

“Citizen science” is a buzz word in environment and conservation circles these days. New technologies and increasing concern about the state of our environment are coming together, and more members of the public are getting out there to monitor everything from snowfall to shifts in species distributions. With freshwater quality still the number one environmental issue of public concern in New Zealand, it is not surprising that stream monitoring is a growing area for citizen science.

The Water Accounts of New Zealand

Water resources are important to New Zealand’s economy and electricity supply and we are fortunate to receive as much precipitation as we do. Compared with many other countries New Zealand is relative water-rich. But this abundance varies from year to year, month to month, and region to region, leaving some places with too much at times (flooding) or with too little (drought).
Freshwater Update 70 brings you the latest information from our Freshwater & Estuaries centre, including an Account of New Zealand Water, NIWA's Eddy Covariance Towers, A hydrologically sensitive invertebrate community index for New Zealand rivers, a look at what happens when communities monitor their local streams, Mangrove forests and the warming of lake surface waters around the world.

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All staff working on this subject

Principal Technician - Marine Ecology
Principal Scientist - Ecosystem Modelling
Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
Freshwater Fish Ecologist
Strategy Manager - Coasts & Estuaries
Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
Principal Scientist - Marine Ecology
Coastal and Estuarine Physical Processes Scientist
Principal Scientist - Coastal and Estuarine Physical Processes
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Marine Ecology Technician
Hydrodynamics Scientist
Regional Manager - Auckland
Maori Organisational Development Manager
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