Geological Hazards

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NIWA diverts ship to earthquake areas

18 November 2016

NIWA’s flagship research vessel Tangaroa has been diverted to survey the seabed in areas affected by Monday’s earthquake.

Upgraded research vessel

Feature story

12 December 2010

The return of the upgraded RV Tangaroa represents a huge advancement for New Zealand science and exploration

NIWA today welcomed home RV Tangaroa, New Zealand’s only deepwater research vessel, after a $20 million dollar upgrade to enhance its ocean science and survey capabilities.

NIWA thanks Whitianga community for their views

23 November 2010

NIWA’s coastal scientists met with members of the Whitianga community last week, and thanked them for their input into a NIWA research project, Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change.

NIWA reveals seabed treasures

15 September 2009

Three new posters of the Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour seabed reveal for the first time a treasure trove of detailed information for the benefit of all New Zealanders.

Latest videos

Our team of researchers have recently returned from a voyage onboard RV Tangaroa to retrieve moorings deployed to collect sediment samples from the Kaikōura Canyon.

Submarine canyons are incredibly dynamic environments deep in the ocean that transport a lot of sediment and organic carbon. It’s been five years since the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake triggered widespread underwater landslides in the Kaikōura Canyon, causing a powerful ‘canyon-flushing’. Canyon flushing describes the movement of material from the canyon into the deeper ocean, causing the shape of the canyon to change. Studying the sediment samples will reveal important information about how the canyon changes the flow of sediment in the deep ocean after big events, such as the Kaikōura earthquake.

Scott Nodder - Marine geologist

Scott Nodder is a principal scientist in marine geology. He has been involved in previous NIWA voyages to the Kaikōura canyons both pre- and post- November 2016 earthquake. He is interested in the effects that the earthquake ground-shaking and submarine mass failures have on the sediments and animal communities in the canyon and downstream in the Hikurangi Channel. Interestingly, the flows from the earthquake disturbance have been tracked at least almost 700 km away to the north.

On this voyage, I will be one of the watch leaders, liaising with our voyage leader Joshu Mountjoy to ensure all the deck operations go smoothly. I also have responsibilities in terms of the sediment sampling and instrument deployments, and will be looking after the sediment traps on the benthic landers and the longer-term near-bed moorings that we will be deploying on the seafloor.

Using sound to see what's happening geologically

Marine geologist - Dr Joshu Mountjoy - is mapping the seafloor landscape around Whakaari/White Island to understand how much sediment was dislodged in the eruption and where it has gone.

“What is visible from sea level is only a small part of the volcano – most of it is under the ocean so we want to see how that submarine environment has changed.”

What's in a bubble?

Marine Geophysicist Sally Watson:

"My name is Sally, I’ve been working as a Marine Geologist at NIWA for just over 2 years now. My job essentially involves mapping the seafloor and taking samples from the water column so we can understand geological processes shaping the underwater realm. I’m really lucky because this is my second trip to the Bay of Plenty on board RV Tangaroa, so I’m looking forward to seeing if there have been any changes in the shape of the seafloor or the activity of hydrothermal vents since we were here last."

2021 - Kaikōura Canyon

Our team of researchers have recently returned from a voyage onboard RV Tangaroa to retrieve moorings deployed to collect sediment samples from the Kaikōura Canyon.

Scott Nodder - Marine geologist

On this voyage, I will be one of the watch leaders, liaising with our voyage leader Joshu Mountjoy to ensure all the deck operations go smoothly. I also have responsibilities in terms of the sediment sampling and instrument deployments, and will be looking after the sediment traps on the benthic landers and the longer-term near-bed moorings that we will be deploying on the seafloor.

Using sound to see what's happening geologically

Marine geologist - Dr Joshu Mountjoy - is mapping the seafloor landscape around Whakaari/White Island to understand how much sediment was dislodged in the eruption and where it has gone.

“What is visible from sea level is only a small part of the volcano – most of it is under the ocean so we want to see how that submarine environment has changed.”

What's in a bubble?

Marine Geophysicist Sally Watson:

NIWA diverts ship to earthquake areas

Media Release

18 November 2016

NIWA’s flagship research vessel Tangaroa has been diverted to survey the seabed in areas affected by Monday’s earthquake.

Revealing Kapiti Island's submarine landscape

We are using modern techniques to map seafloor surrounding Kapiti Island, an area of significant cultural and environmental value to New Zealand.

Upgraded research vessel

Feature story

12 December 2010

The return of the upgraded RV Tangaroa represents a huge advancement for New Zealand science and exploration

NIWA today welcomed home RV Tangaroa, New Zealand’s only deepwater research vessel, after a $20 million dollar upgrade to enhance its ocean science and survey capabilities.

NIWA thanks Whitianga community for their views

23 November 2010

NIWA’s coastal scientists met with members of the Whitianga community last week, and thanked them for their input into a NIWA research project, Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change.

Bay of Islands Coastal Survey complete

The Bay of Islands coast is under increasing pressure from human activities, both land-based and marine. As part of the government’s Ocean Survey 20/20 programme, Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) commissioned NIWA to carry out a comprehensive survey of the region’s seafloor habitats and biodiversity.

New posters reveal dynamic seafloor

Three new posters reveal the seafloor of the Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour in high resolution detail for the first time. These posters are the product of recent sophisticated seafloor mapping combined with expert marine geological knowledge acquired over decades. They are the culmination of an exceptional collaborative effort among NIWA researchers.

NIWA reveals seabed treasures

15 September 2009

Three new posters of the Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour seabed reveal for the first time a treasure trove of detailed information for the benefit of all New Zealanders.

Geological Hazards

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Latest videos

Our team of researchers have recently returned from a voyage onboard RV Tangaroa to retrieve moorings deployed to collect sediment samples from the Kaikōura Canyon.

Our team of researchers have recently returned from a voyage onboard RV Tangaroa to retrieve moorings deployed to collect sediment samples from the Kaikōura Canyon.

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