new zealand climate change research institute

New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute

The New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute (NZCCRI) undertakes in-depth climate change research that can inform policy debates in New Zealand and internationally.

We work collaboratively with other organisations and institutions, and we contribute significantly and constructively to public discussions about climate change.

Calculating the cost of climate events

Watch Professor Dave Frame’s presentation about extreme climate events at the Climate Change and Business conference in Auckland, New Zealand.

Whakahura project

We are studying the effects of extreme weather events on New Zealand and New Zealanders, while developing tools to improve forecasting of these events.

Other research

Understanding future climate change.

We seek to understand future climate change by focusing on the emergence of unusual temperatures and extreme weather events in places where people live.

Climate science and policy

We frame research questions so they can inform policymakers and other stakeholders involved in real-world decision-making.

Inequality of climate change

Our research in this area examines the unequal impact of climate change on nations at different developmental stages.

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New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute

Explore further.

A number of Victoria University of Wellington experts are researching the impact of climate change on our environment, society and economy. Victoria University prides itself on research which informs debate on a number of the big issues facing our society. The University's specialists in the changing world around us span climate change, geoscience and Antarctic researchers, all of whom are working to provide scientific, unbiased information to industry, organisations, policymakers and the public.

The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.

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• International research projects

Air NZ on board with new climate change research

• Aotearoa New Zealand embarks on ambitious new space research
• Space Institute Director concerned over space debris
• University partners with industry to grow space workforce
• New Zealand company designs world-leading space radar structure
• New social enterprise helping to democratise space
• Awarua’s “Dishmaster” explains the importance of satellite ground stations
• University club helps launch students into aerospace careers
• Christchurch meet-ups foster growth in aerospace industry
• Tracking seals from outer space
• Callaghan Innovation – breakthrough research in the manufacture of tiny sensors
• Dawn Aerospace - increasing NZ space flight
• News from a NASA intern
• Tūhura Tuarangi – Aotearoa in Space showcase
• Design a satellite mission essay competition
• Kibo Robot Programming Challenge
• The Wonder Project
• NASA Scientist for a Day
• Message to the future
• 2024 NASA interns
• 2023 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Interns
• 2022 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Intern
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 2022 Intern
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 2021 Intern
• 2019 NASA Summer Interns
• 2019 NASA Autumn Interns

Imagine if scientists could accurately predict the severity of storms and other climate phenomena, giving those in their path potentially life-saving information.

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NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) currently has 8 satellites orbiting the Equator using a technique called Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R). The satellites receive signals directly from GPS satellites and signals reflected from the Earth. By comparing the characteristics of these 2 sets of signals, CYGNSS makes accurate measurements of tropical storms and other phenomena to provide valuable data to help scientists better predict cyclones and hurricanes.

Now Air New Zealand has come on board to extend the mission and monitor the environmental signs of climate change over Aotearoa New Zealand.

By September 2022 a next-generation GNSS-R sensor will be fitted to an Air New Zealand Q300 aircraft flying domestic routes. As the plane flies around the country, sensors will collect high resolution data on soil moisture, flood and coastal inundation dynamics across New Zealand’s diverse landscapes.

Known as Rongowai which combines the Maori words rongo (to sense) and wai (water) the sensor will gather important data to help predict tropical storms, as well as enable new climate change research in New Zealand.

Rongowai will provide unique ground and airborne validation of CYGNSS science data products, as well as allow NASA to advance the technology readiness of the new sensor in support of future satellite missions.

In 2019, MBIE signed agreements with NASA and Air New Zealand to enable collaboration with the mission. The mission is being supported through MBIE’s Catalyst Fund.

Video Transcript

[Visual: Delwyn sitting in the University of Auckland Mission Control Centre with satellite tracking screens running behind her]

[Question on screen: What is the Rongowai Mission?]

Delwyn Moller: One thing that I'm really excited about for the Rongowai mission is, it follows in the footsteps of the CYGNSS mission. And I saw the CYGNSS mission, when it first was announced, and then launched, didn't know anything about the technology and didn't really know anything about the mission,

[Visual: Animated re-creation of CYNSS satellites moving around the globe and it moving in space]

Delwyn Moller:  but it was designed for looking at tropical cyclones. And they had an oceanographic science team and since then, as I go to the professional meetings, year after year, the science team has grown and grown and grown because they've started looking at the terrestrial data.

[Visual: Moving drone shot of wetlands]

Delwyn Moller:  Now we have, you know, terrestrial hydrology science teams and we have the wetland ecology, science teams, and people are doing stuff with the data that they never anticipated and the same will be true for Rongowai.

[Question on screen: How does the Rongowai sensor work?]

Delwyn Moller:  The data that we're hoping to get or we will receive is, basically we're getting reflected GPS signals.

[Visual: Animated re-creation of CYNSS satellites moving around the globe]

Delwyn Moller:  So the signals that are around us that we're using all the time to navigate and that the aircraft is already receiving,

[Visual: Delwyn and colleague Chris talking and looking at computer screen that shows flight plan]

Delwyn Moller:  what we're able to do is interpret that by the interaction that I had with the surface that it interacted with. So when it bounced off, it's off the surface, it's changed in some way.

[Visual: Satellite image of fields showing different coloured sections of soil, moving to drone shot of a coastline and drone shots of a pine forest]

Delwyn Moller:  And with that change, we can actually relate that to changes in soil moisture content, or changes in whether it's wet or whether it's dry.

[Visual: Delwyn and colleague Chris talking and looking at computer screen]

Delwyn Moller:  When you start looking at those dynamics, it can tell us a lot when we tie that into land use practices, changing patterns, due to climate change, etc.

Delwyn Moller:  So we may see more susceptibility towards drought and flooding and where there's that occurring, and see that over time records and see how it progresses over time.

[Visual: Steve sitting in front of the Air NZ Q300 aircraft that the Rongowai sensor has been installed on]

[Question on screen: How is the sensor improved from the CYGNSS mission?]

Steve Musko: The current constellation has GNSS receivers that were developed about 10 years ago. And the new receivers have more capability, they can track more satellites.

[Visual: Shot of Air NZ Engineer with the Rongowai sensor, followed by a close up on the sensor with the project partner’s logos on it]

Steve Musko:  At the same time, they can collect more data at the same time, and then collect different kinds of data.

[Visual: Steve sitting in front of the AirNZ Q300 aircraft that the Rongowai sensor has been installed on]

Steve Musko:  Originally, the CYGNSS mission was designed to do one thing, and that was to determine wind speeds over the ocean and in tropical cyclones. Some very smart scientists figured out that they could use that same data for other purposes. One of them is soil moisture, and the other is flood inundation.

[Question on screen: How is the Rongowai data collected?]

Delwyn Moller: Okay, so the data will phone home if you like.

[Visual: Shot of the Air NZ Q300 plane with the propellors starting]

Delwyn Moller:  So when the aircraft lands, then it knows that now's the time that I can transmit this information home, which it does over a regular cell gateway.

[Visual: Shot of Rongowai sensor dashboard on computer screen and an example of a potential flight plan that the AirNZ Q300 will take]

Delwyn Moller:  That data will be collected here at the University of Auckland at the Payload Operations Center. We can do health checks, just to make sure that everybody's system is performing as we expect. But also in addition to that, we can unpacked the science data, and then turn that into actual science products. So that data will be available globally.

[Visual: Chris sitting in the University of Auckland Mission Control Centre with the Rongowai flight track demonstration on the screen behind him]

[Question on screen: How is the Rongowai data processed?]

Chris Seal: Where we've taken this compressed data string that we've got and pulled it apart into the various components. We then use that chop that file up into pieces and to say within that piece, this piece should be a number, this piece should be an array of numbers.

[Visual: Chris sitting in front of example of the potential flight path and reach of Rongowai across Aotearoa New Zealand]

[Question on screen: What will the Rongowai data be used for?]

Matthew Wilson: It's going to be producing some fantastic data that we're expecting to use in a whole host of other projects that we that we run. And we're part of the project, largely because we have a long history of working with these sorts of data.

[Visual: Chris sitting in front of a programme that tracks soil moisture levels across Aotearoa New Zealand]

Matthew Wilson:  The best part about these data is that they fit in a gap in our knowledge about soil moisture across the country.

[Visual: Screen showing the programme data that tracks soil moisture levels across Aotearoa New Zealand]

Matthew Wilson:  So we have information about soil moisture already from satellites, or from ground base gauges.

But on one end, the satellite data provide great information, lots of dynamic information about where is wet and where it’s dry. But it’s quite coarse, we don’t have the detail on the ground that we really need for decision makers to improve their decisions in how much water to irrigate on their fields, for example.

Matthew Wilson:  On the other end of the scale, we have ground based gauges which provide lots of detailed information, but at one location. So what we're hoping for from these data is to fill in that gap in the data, provide information quite detailed across the country, and improving our knowledge about about the soil moisture, as we collect data over time.

[Question on screen: What is unique about the Rongowai mission?]

Delwyn Moller: The Rongowai partnership is unique in that one of the key elements is we're partnering with a commercial passenger airline.

[Visual: Shot of the AirNZ Q300 wing with the plane number ZK-NFA on it. Then shots of AirNZ engineers removing the aircraft seats and installing the sensor]

Delwyn Moller: And so what they're bringing to us is really a capability for long term observations, that essentially come for free.

[Visual: Shot of Air NZ Q300 taking off and a shot of the coastline and mountains from the plane window]

Delwyn Moller:  And I'm really just quite proud that our country and Air New Zealand was forward thinking enough and open to this idea and I'm hoping that the sets are a paradigm for other such partnerships going forward. Not just within New Zealand but with other airlines, because the scientific impact will be huge.

Crown copyright © 2024

https://www.mbie.govt.nz/science-and-technology/space/nzspacetalk/articles/air-nz-on-board-with-new-climate-change-research Please note: This content will change over time and can go out of date.

Luke Harrington

Dr Luke Harrington is a Senior Lecturer in Climate Change at the University of Waikato.

He completed both his undergraduate degree and PhD in Geophysics at Victoria University of Wellington, before accepting a postdoctoral research position at the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute (ECI) in early 2017, with a focus on changing climate extremes and their impacts. Luke also spent several years as a Stipendiary Lecturer in Physical Geography at St. Peters College within Oxford University, and has more recently worked as a freelance consultant, providing advisory services for clients including HelpAge International, ClientEarth and McKinsey. Luke was named in the 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list.

Luke is an expert in climate change emergence, understanding warming-driven changes to extreme weather and their impacts, and methods relating to probabilistic event attribution.

• 2022–present Senior Lecturer in Climate Change, University of Waikato
• 2021–2022 Senior Research Fellow in Climate Science, New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute, Victoria University of Wellington
• 2017–2020 Postdoctoral Researcher in Climate Extremes, Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
• Hamilton, New Zealand
• @harrinluke
• Article Feed
• Joined May 29, 2018

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Budget 2024: what survived and what was cut from climate emergency response fund.

Among the climate change initiatives previously funded from the CERF which will survive is infrastructure for a public network of electric vehicle charging stations. File photo Photo: 123RF

A long list of climate programmes have been scrapped or reduced to help fund the government's tax cuts.

Funding cuts in the Budget for 2024 affect research on how to shrink farming greenhouse gases, a programme for establishing native forests and work on bringing in a price on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.

The Climate Change Commission has had its planned funding reduced by about a quarter, and will no longer deliver independent advice to the government on pricing farming gases, as it would have under the previous government.

The Coalition has pushed back the deadline for pricing farm gases, methane and nitrous oxide, which are not priced currently and make up about half New Zealand's greenhouse emissions. Emitters of carbon dioxide from petrol, diesel, gas and coal typically pay for these.

The government also previously announced it would appoint its own panel to report back on methane from farming, though it has not announced the cost or make-up of that panel.

A project to make 3D maps of 85 percent of the New Zealand coastline will now map 40 percent instead, another Budget 2024 reduction.

Read more on Budget 2024:

• National unveils Budget 2024, keeps tax cut promises
• What the Budget means for you, in charts
• The Budget winners and losers
• Budget 2024 at a glance: What you need to know

Meanwhile, money set aside for future investments in cleaner transport and walking and cycling under the previous government's transport directives have been put back in the general coffers.

In total over four years, through both the mini Budget and Budget 2024, the government has redirected $2.4 billion in previously ring-fenced climate spending into other spending - although several climate programmes have survived, under different funding streams.

The government gave itself more money to play with by taking money from the Climate Emergency Response fund (CERF), which took money raised from selling carbon credits to polluters under the Emissions Trading Scheme and put it into climate-related projects.

That money has now been redistributed to general spending, although some of the projects CERF funded are continuing.

Climate Change Minister Simon Watts said the Budget included new investments in stop banks and flood walls and a $200 million boost for the Rail Network Improvement Programme.

He also confirmed about $2.6 billion of climate change initiatives previously funded from the CERF would survive.

These include:

• a public network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure,
• a grant scheme for clean heavy vehicles,
• a fund for decarbonising the public transport fleet, supporting local authorities to purchase electric buses,
• public transport concessions for community service card holders,
• development of an on-farm emission measurement scheme,
• supporting New Zealand's International Climate Finance Commitment,
• and the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme.

But other climate projects were cut or reduced, either to claw back CERF funding or meet public service savings targets at the Ministry for the Environment, Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry for Primary Industries and others.

Areas where spending has been cut include: (savings are the total over four years).

• Climate Change Commission: scaling back baseline funding and ditching plans by the previous Government for the commission to advise on pricing of agricultural emissions. Savings: $16m.
• Reduced funding for the Climate Change Chief Executives Board, implementation of the Carbon Neutral Government Programme and other climate work programmes at Ministry for the Environment. Savings: $35m
• Scaled back funding for research and planting programme, called Establishing Native Forests at Scale run by Ministry for Primary Industries. Savings: $50m.
• 3D Coastal Mapping: Instead of mapping 85 per cent of the New Zealand coastline will now map 40 percent: Savings: $9m
• Hapori Māori programme to improve evidence available to Māori communities about climate change, adaptation, and resilience. Savings: $23m
• 10 percent cut to the Accelerating Development of Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation Programme. Savings: $11m
• Developing Mātauranga Māori-based approaches to Accelerating Development of Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation Programme. Separate funding scrapped and programme joined with the main programme above. Savings: $37m.
• Ditching of planned expansion of On Farm Support Services by Ministry for Primary Industries. Funding at the current level will continue. Savings: $27m
• Reducing funds held for developing an agricultural emissions pricing system to approximately $3m a year. Savings: $164m.
• Transport: Returning funding for delivering the previous Government's August 2023 draft Government Policy Statement on Land Transport. Savings: $500m.
• Return of unspent of funding from the Climate Emergency Response Fund: $900m

Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said the remaining funding was nowhere near required for the scale of the crisis and the government was "choosing to bury its head in the coal".

Copyright © 2024 , Radio New Zealand

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Speech to the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute Forum: Climate Futures – Pathways for Society

Professor Manning, Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, Sir Paul Reeves and other distinguished guests. 

It’s a pleasure to be here today to officially open the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute’s forum: Climate Futures – Pathways for Society.

 I’d like to start by acknowledging Professor Manning who is stepping down as the Director of the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute.

 As the inaugural Director of the Institute you have contributed significantly to our country’s debate and understanding of the challenges faced by climate change. Thank you for your service and I wish you all the best for the future.

 You have chosen a thought provoking topic for your forum: Climate Futures – Pathways for Society. I’m really impressed with the broad range of speakers you have with natural scientists, social scientists, journalists, theologians, a former Governor-General – who also happens to be a theologian – and of course politicians.  

 This wide range reflects the Institute’s unique approach of developing interdisciplinary research into all aspects of climate change and better integrating social and natural sciences.

Government action on Climate Change

This morning I want to give you a quick summary of where the Government is at with this challenging issue, and to make an announcement on our long-term emissions reduction target.

Tackling climate change is and continues to be the No 1 environmental issue for the Government.

Our primary tool for playing our part in reducing emissions is the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme.

It was a big step forward after two decades of debate and almost paralysis by analysis when the scheme took effect on 1 July.

Despite a great deal of pre-introduction hype from detractors, 1 July passed with only modest price changes for most New Zealanders.

Variations in fuel and electricity prices were consistent with Government estimates and small compared to the many other factors that influence energy prices.

There are detractors who claim the ETS is not tough enough, does not include all sectors fast enough, and is too generous to trade-exposed industries.

I would note in response that it is the first ETS outside of Europe and is more broad based, covering the forestry, electricity, industrial, transport, and stationary energy sectors.  The Bluff aluminium smelter and Glenbrook steel mill are the first in the world to pay any sort of carbon price, albeit with the grand-parented allocations they pay only on a portion of their emissions.

I am also encouraged by the results the ETS is already achieving.  There has been a clear switch from significant deforestation pre-ETS to real investment in afforestation. 

The price signal from the ETS is also driving major change in new generation investment from substantial new thermal generation last decade to a new wave of renewables. 

In the year since the ETS legislation was settled in December 2009, i.e. calendar year 2010, there have been more renewable projects than any year ever, and no thermal.  When built, there will be about 1800 MW of additional renewables which will be a major step towards our 90% renewables target.

While we are pleased with the progress made to date, the Government acknowledges that the ETS is a complex tool that will need to be regularly tuned.  That is why the scheme is subject to five yearly reviews and is currently undergoing its first. 

This review is not about whether we have an ETS, but about the important operational detail and the pace of its implementation, with the aim of striking the right balance between New Zealand’s economic and environmental goals.

Just before Christmas, the Government appointed a seven-member panel led by the Hon. David Caygill to conduct the review.

Since then, the Panel has published a paper on its understanding of the current impacts of the ETS overall as well as how it impacts on each sector and has invited public submissions on these matters. The submission process closes on 6 April so I encourage you, if you haven’t already put in a submission, to please do so.

I expect the Panel to give me its final report by the end of June and I’m looking forward to their input into the framework going forward.

Complementary Measures – Society

The ETS however is not New Zealand’s only tool to reduce our carbon emissions.

We also have a suite of complementary measures – some aimed particularly at helping society to change its behaviour and make choices to reduce emissions.

For instance the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme will allocate $347 million to improve at least 188,000 homes over four years.

This programme is helping make Kiwi homes warmer and healthier on an unprecedented scale.  Around 92,000 households have taken advantage of the home insulation and heating scheme since July 2009.

Also the Government’s Energy Spot advertising campaign is the most comprehensive electricity conservation campaign New Zealand has seen and promotes practical and sensible things people can do in their own homes.

The Government is also providing grants to encourage the installation of solar water heating as well as exempting electric vehicles from Road User Charges to kick start the adoption and development of this technology.

Complementary Measures – Science

The Government is also investing heavily in science and climate change research.

New Zealandhas been concerned that for all the billions that are being spent on new energy and transport technologies, insufficient effort is being put into resolving how to feed a growing world population without adding to global emissions.

That is why at Copenhagen, the New Zealand Government initiated the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research which now has 31 country members.

This project brings together expert scientists from a wide range of agricultural disciplines and through their collaboration will ensure that future research is focussed on the discovery and development of technologies that contribute to the huge increase in demand for food, while minimising the levels of emissions.

And only earlier this month the Government announced it was establishing a Global Research Alliance Senior Scientist Award.  You will excuse the GRASS acronym.

This award will support scientists from New Zealand and from other Alliance countries to undertake exchanges on research projects into agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation, for up to six months.

Infrastructure Programmes

Today I also want to mention aspects of our infrastructure programme that complement these specific climate change measures.

Last year we announced our $1 billion commitment to electrification of Auckland trains.  This follows on from the investment in double tracking and involves tendering for 38 new electric multiple units.  We are on track (excuse the pun) to award the contract later this year, with the first trains operating in 2013.

There is a climate change dividend from the Government's ambitious programme for the roll-out of broadband.  I don't claim it as the primary driver, but we should be thinking about how improved communications technology can be leveraged to reduce transport and emissions.

The $50 million national cycleway is another initiative that we should also be seeking a climate change dividend from.  It is the low carbon tourism experience, and can help engender a more cycle-friendly culture into everyday living.

A further programme is our raft of progress that supports waste minimisation since we introduced the waste levy in 2009.  Many of these initiatives also have a climate change benefit.

The initiatives to recycle glass containers, plastic silage wrap, waste concrete, used oil, anti-freeze, tyres etc all contribute to reducing emissions.

I mention these waste and infrastructure projects, alongside our science work, the complementary measures and the ETS, to give you an appreciation of just how much work is occurring across Government towards making progress on climate change.

2050 target

The Government has also been seeking feedback from New Zealanders on enshrining our long-term emissions reduction target into law.

National campaigned at the last election on introducing a long-term target of a 50% reduction in New Zealand’s net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 relative to gross emissions in 1990.

There was a wide variety of submissions – from those who expressed scepticism about climate change, to those who wanted a much stronger target.

Today I can confirm that the Government is to set the -50 by 50 as our long-term target.  It is a target that is both balanced and credible. The target is being gazetted today under the Climate Change Response Act 2002 and delivers upon National’s 2008 election promise.

Setting a long-term target provides taxpayers, business, industries and farmers long-term certainty about where domestic climate change policy is headed so they can plan and invest accordingly.

Our -50 by 2050 is also comparable to similar targets set in Australia (-50%), Canada (-50 to 65%), Japan (-55 to 80%) and the United States (-80 %).

New Zealand’s more modest target reflects the large portion of our emissions that come from agriculture, our already high proportion of renewable electricity, and the challenges of reducing transport emissions in having a small population spread over a comparatively large area. 

There has been some debate of the 1990 baseline being the gross emissions whereas the 2050 target is net. This is consistent with agreed international rules. It takes into account the wide variability in forest harvests in individual years while still providing the incentive to increase New Zealand’s forest estate post-1990. 

I acknowledge it is incredibly difficult setting such long term goals with so many unknowns, but climate change is a long-term issue that requires we start thinking this far into the future.  The target need not be set in stone.

That is why the Government is committed to the target being regularly reviewed to take into account the latest science, development of new technologies, and progress by other countries.

Advisory Group on Green Growth

It is one thing to set a target – the really tough part is the measure to achieve it.

The ETS, the complementary measures like home insulation, the infrastructure programme like rail electrification, and the research programme like the greenhouse gas alliance all contribute.  More still will be required.

That's why in January, the Government announced the formation of the Green Growth initiative.  We need to be on the search for more ideas on how we can make the transition to a low carbon economy.

The Advisory Group on Green Growth is also about shifting the debate in these very challenging fiscal times.  We need to shift the focus from not just the cost of climate change policy but to the economic opportunities from those smart enough to develop new, clean technologies.

We should note that much is occurring in this space without Government intervention.  The question for the advisory group is how Government can further support the growth of new business opportunities, both in New Zealand and abroad, from the change needed to drive emissions reductions.

We are particularly interested in new ideas to support small and medium businesses become more energy efficient.

This work is heavily influenced by the sort of thinking coming out of the OECD on green growth.  Their final report, due out in May on their 50 th anniversary, will help us formalise the next steps New Zealand needs to take to drive economically savvy climate change policy.  

As you can see the Government is playing an active role on a range of different fronts. However, we know Government is only one part of the solution.

Individuals and society all have an important role to play and to meet these challenges will require new thinking.

The social sciences have an important contribution to make to policy development in the light of the necessary attitudinal and behavioural changes required.

And this is exactly the type of new thinking that this forum should encourage. I wish you all the best for the days ahead.

Cawthron Institute knowledge exchange explores blue economy

Welcoming 20 scientists and researchers from the French Institute for Ocean Science, New Zealand’s Cawthron Institute is hosting a five-day knowledge exchange to explore the future of the blue economy.

Scientists at the Cawthron Institute in Whakatū Nelson have welcomed approximately 20 scientists from IFREMER , the French Institute for Ocean Science, for a five-day knowledge exchange workshop. The focus of the visit will be on exploring opportunities for research collaboration in areas of shared interest, including biodiversity and the blue economy, according to Dr Cath McLeod, Cawthron’s chief science officer.

“As research institutes dedicated to understanding and protecting the world’s oceans from urgent and increasing environmental pressures, Cawthron and IFREMER are eager to collaborate to leverage our efforts and have a greater combined impact,” said Dr McLeod, in a press release.

“We’re keen to work together in a few priority areas including the impact of climate change on human and environmental health, advancing the future of marine aquaculture and transitioning towards sustainable blue economies,” she added.

IFREMER’s scientific director, Dr Chantal Compère, said that while the ocean offers great potential in terms of biological resources for the benefit of society, there are challenges that must be overcome if this potential is to be realised sustainably.

“There are a lot of different pressures on marine ecosystems, including aquatic disease epidemics, invasive species incursions, harmful algal blooms and pollution, and all of these are made worse by climate change,” Dr Compère said.

“Both [the] Cawthron Institute and IFREMER hold expertise in these fields of science, and combining our knowledge and skillsets will create opportunities to enhance the health and wellbeing of the marine environment and the people who depend on it for food and income,” Compère added.

The IFREMER delegation will visit Cawthron’s Nelson research facilities including the Cawthron Aquaculture Park at Glenduan and its main Halifax Street campus. Dr McLeod views the visit as enormously beneficial for New Zealand’s research, science and innovation system, as well as the relationship between both countries.

“We are thrilled to have a delegation of this size visit for an entire week - I think that demonstrates the seriousness of our commitment to this partnership and our eagerness to do some excellent and impactful science together that will create new opportunities for the growth of the blue economy and an increased focus on protecting and enhancing marine biodiversity in the Pacific and beyond,” McLeod concluded.

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New coral disease forecasting system led by UH team

• May 30, 2024

Research led by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology ( HIMB ) has led to a new tool for forecasting coral disease that could help conservationists step in at the right times with key interventions. Ecological forecasts are critical tools for conserving and managing marine ecosystems, but few forecasting systems can account for the wide range of ecological complexities in near-real-time.

Using ecological and marine environmental conditions, the Multi-Factor Coral Disease Risk product predicts the risk of two diseases across reefs in the central and western Pacific and along the east coast of Australia. An article introducing the new tool was published in Ecological Applications .

The tool can be accessed through the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) Coral Reef Watch program, and can help end users detect early changes in the environment and better protect coral reef ecosystems.

“Partnering with NOAA Coral Reef Watch, our team developed ecological forecasts to predict the times and conditions when coral disease outbreaks are most likely to occur,” said NASA -funded Principal Investigator and HIMB Interim Director Megan Donahue.

“We are really excited about this new tool,” said lead author, Jamie Caldwell, of High Meadows Environmental Institute at Princeton University. “Users can employ this tool to make decisions about how to manage coral health, similar to how we use weather forecasts to decide how to pack for an upcoming trip.”

More than half a billion people depend on Earth’s coral reefs, and ensuring their resilience in the face of many threats is an ongoing challenge for managers. Tools like this help ensure these vital ecosystems survive.

Understanding localized risks

Insights gleaned from the tool can help managers better understand localized risks of coral disease and develop timely strategies for intervention.

“A key project element was the consultation with and input from coral reef managers from across the Pacific, including here in Australia,” said Professor Scott Heron, a collaborator from James Cook University. “We’ve also provided several training sessions in the various aspects of how the tool is used so that stakeholders in the varying locations have the best opportunity to inform effective reef management.”

Coral reefs are the most biologically diverse, species-rich marine ecosystem on Earth. They are culturally significant to Indigenous people throughout the world, and they provide food, jobs, recreation, medicine and coastline protection from storms and erosion. While disease is a natural part of marine ecosystems, increased runoff, global climate change and a slough of human impacts stress corals and cause disease.

The Multi-Factor Coral Disease Risk Product was developed by HIMB , in close collaboration with NOAA Coral Reef Watch, James Cook University, University of Newcastle and University of New South Wales.

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• New AI reef conservation tool monitors, measures from space
• previous post: Sulfur molecules from space seeded early life on Earth

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