In the news

Recent news from the Our Changing Coast team.

  • Image showing the warming stripes in New Zealand
    The three figures that paint a bleak picture of our climate reality
    Jamie Morton reports on the significance of three figures in regards to climate change. Read here.
  • Professor Tim Naish elected to key climate research role
    Te Herenga Waka Professor Tim Naish is the new chair of the Joint Scientific Committee of the World Climate Research Programme. Leading climate researcher Tim Naish, a professor of Earth Sciences at Te Herenga Waka’s Antarctic Research Centre, has been elected chair of the Joint Scientific Committee of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). Read…
  • A black and white image of an octopus. The DNA of this octopus revealed past sea-level change.
    Antarctic octopus sounds a warning over sea-level rise
    Veronika Meduna explores the significance of research into Turquet’s octopus for sea-level rise. Read the full story in New Zealand Geographic here. “It’s concerning because once the temperature threshold is crossed, the process of melting will carry on for centuries into the future,” says Tim Naish, an earth scientist at Victoria University of Wellington’s Antarctic…
  • A beach at sunrise with dramatic gray clouds against an orange tinted sky. In the foreground are tiny mangrove trees on a sandflat.
    Saving coastal wetlands from climate change
    Professor Karin Bryan, from Auckland University, talks to Jesse Mulligan about caring for coastal wetlands and a research project collaborating with two Chinese universities. Listen to the full interview here.
  • A group of children in blue school uniforms sit in from on a large projector screen which shows a photo of a scientist in a lab. They are learning about coastal hazards and sea-level rise.
    Rangatahi explore coastal hazards and climate change science at Whakatāne workshops
    Whakatāne students got to grips with earthquake resilient design, melting ice sheets, and climate modelling, as part of a series of coastal resilience workshops run by scientists from GNS Science, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, and the University of Canterbury, supported by the Our Changing Coast research programme. Read the full story on GNS…
  • A group of individuals walk across a stream on a sandy beach. A dog stands in the foreground. In the background is a rocky seawall above which cars and a small building can be seen. In the distance an exposed cliff can be seen above the ocean. Sea-level rise is causing changes to our coastline.
    Te Hui Āhuarangi ki Whanganui: Whanganui climate forum 2024
    Te Reo o Te Uru profile Te Hui Āhuarangi ki Whanganui in April 2024, including the changing coastline and the importance of the kuaka across the globe.
  • Two people walk along a flat sandy beach at sun set. The tide is low but the ocean can be seen in the distance. On the right hand side a building can be seen above the beach. These coastal areas are changing.
    Whanganui Climate Forum hosting speakers from around the world
    Billy van Uitregt speaks to Mike Tweed about the Whanganui climate forum. Read more here.
  • A man in a high-vis vest stands in front on exposed cliff face which reveals past sea-level change and vertical land movement.
    When will the next earthquake hit?
    Crowdscience, a BBC podcast, speak to researchers involved in Our Changing Coast including Nicola Litchfield and Matt Gerstenberger about vertical land movement and predicting future earthquakes. Listen here.
  • A black and white image of an octopus. The DNA of this octopus revealed past sea-level change.
    This Antarctic Octopus Has a Warning About Rising Sea Levels
    The New Edge Times provides an overview of how the DNA from a small octopus that lives in the Southern Ocean has expanded our understand of ice sheet collapse. Read more here.
  • An aerial view of a rocky coastline at the bottom of a steep hill with waves crashing around rocks. We are deepening understanding of vertical land movement in coastal areas.
    Deep Trouble
    Scientists have observed startling changes in the vast and wild ocean beneath New Zealand and issued an urgent call to slow the warming of our planet. Jamie Morton, for the NZ Herald, explains why these dramatic shifts in our deep south should worry all of us. Read here.

Find more stories on the work of Our Changing Coast and NZ SeaRise in our archive.