News
Fishing for data: commercial fishers help monitor rising temperatures in coastal seas
Research from the Moana Project today featured on The Conversation.
The article authored by Te Tiro Moana team lead Dr Julie Jakoboski (MetOcean), Moana Project Science Lead Dr João de Souza (MetOcean) and Project Manager Dr Malene Felsing (MetOcean) showcases the Mangōpare Sensor and how it is used to fill the gap in coastal data collection.
Ocean Race Teams face the wild waves of the Southern Ocean
The Ocean Race is one of the toughest professional sailing events in the world. Leg 3 of the race, from Cape Town to Itajaí (Brazil), started on 26 February 2023. This leg takes the fleet on a monstrous 23,613-kilometre Southern Ocean passage, three quarters of the way around the bottom of the world.
SeaWeek 2023: Tracking ocean temperatures with a waka
Last Sunday at Ngamotu Beach, MetOcean's Naomi Puketapu-Waite held a stall at Taranaki’s SeaWeek event for 2023. SeaWeek is an annual event run by the New Zealand Association for Environmental Education, a national non-profit that promotes and supports lifelong learning and sustainability for Aotearoa New Zealand.
The link between our increased ocean temperatures and cyclonic activity
The increased energy in the oceans due to warmer ocean temperatures is one of the factors creating the intense weather systems we have been seeing in New Zealand this summer. More heat from the ocean means more moisture in the atmosphere, more convection, and less slowing of storms due to meeting cooler oceans. The link between our increasing ocean temperatures and volatile weather systems is the focus of cutting-edge weather prediction and climate science research, says Moana Project Lead and Ocean Temperature Researcher, Dr. Joao De Souza.
Storm Surge Forecasting during Cyclone Gabrielle
This week, Cyclone Gabrielle brought significant heavy rain and strong winds that, combined with energetic ocean swells, caused significant storm surges to New Zealand. Surges occurred along the northern and eastern coasts of the North Island as well as parts of the South Island, as the system moved away to the east. Storm surge is the abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides. These surges, caused by the wind, waves and atmospheric pressure changes associated with a storm, exacerbate the effect of waves on coastal areas.
2023 Celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Last weekend, MetOcean Solutions’ organised an open Q&A session about Ocean Science at Ngarunui Beach, Raglan to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Operational storm surge forecast
Unprecedented flooding of low-lying sections of New Zealand's largest cities occurred over the past weekend, severely disrupting the nation's public transportation system and forcing the shutdown of the country's international and domestic airports.
Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Meri Kirihimete me te Hape Nū Ia! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Get ready for summer with SwellMap!
To help people understand the risks associated with beaches and coastal areas around New Zealand, we've released Ocean Fishing and Shoreline hazard forecasts for Rips, Rock fishing and Stand Up paddleboarding.
Peter Atkinson - obituary
A great man passed away this week. Peter Atkinson had a distinguished career in port engineering that spanned many decades. His early career was as Chief Engineer of the Taranaki Harbours Board in 1983 and later had roles as Technical Service Manager (Westgate) and Manager of Marine and Port Engineering at Duffill Watts and King. Between 2013-2016 he returned to Port Taranaki as the Port Planning Manager.
Meet us at 37th International Conference on Coastal Engineering - ICCE 2022 in Sydney
This week, Dr Alexis Berthot, MetOcean Solutions’ Marine Project Consultancy Manager and Physical Oceanographer Dr Mariana Cussioli are attending the 37th International Conference on Coastal Engineering. Running from 4-9 December in Sydney, Australia, the conference is a biennial event to promote academic and technical exchange on coastal related studies. This year's theme is The Present State of the Art and Science of Coastal Engineering.
First publicly available Storm Surge forecast for Aotearoa - New Zealand
Storm surge is a critical component of coastal flooding and significant portions of NZ’s population and infrastructure are threatened by this weather hazard. A storm surge is an extreme event where low pressure systems (storms) combine with a high tides to cause coastal flooding. MetService, the University of Waikato, the University of Cantabria and Calypso Science collaborated under an MBIE Smart Ideas fund to develop innovative methods for the prediction of coastal storm-surge, applying state-of-the-art machine-learning techniques.
Lightning strikes over New Zealand: Waikato takes 1st place
Last week, between 16 - 25 November, the Aotearoa / New Zealand region saw 91,349 lightning strikes(Source: MetService), with around a 1/3 of those situated over the land. All regions of the country have experienced significant lightning activity, however of all the regions around the country, the Waikato Region takes 1st place with 4,255 lightning strikes over the period, followed by Westland (3,114) and Hawke's Bay (2,970). Dunedin had the lowest recorded number of strikes, with 42 recorded over the 9-day period.
MetOcean Solutions at New Zealand Marine and Freshwater Science Societies Joint Conference
This week, MetOcean Solutions’ team is presenting at the NZ Marine Science Society & NZ Freshwater Science Society Joint Conference 2022. Running from 21 to 24 November in Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland, the conference celebrates the connectivity between Waitī and Waitā by bringing together knowledge to support vibrant marine and freshwater ecosystems.
Inspiring the future generation of Oceanographers
Last week, as part of Smart Waikato's Secondary School Employer Partnerships (SSEP), MetOcean Solutions developed a 3-day program for the Year 10 math students from Raglan Area School.
New Zealand’s first cruise ship in two-and-a-half years
After a hiatus through the COVID pandemic, the Aotearoa / New Zealand 2022/23 cruise ship season has begun following the lifting of the country's maritime boarder to international cruise ships (lifted at midnight on the 31st July, 20231), with the first cruise ship to visit New Zealand shores docking at the Port of Tauranga over the last weekend (15th October).
Operational wave forecast model upgrade
To ensure the highest possible performance at MetOcean Solutions, we continuously improve our models to match state-of-the-art science. Our science team is currently working on implementing the Spherical Multiple-Cell (SMC) grid in the global wave model WAVEWATCH III. SMC grids are unstructured, supporting flexible domain shapes and variable resolutions.
StormWatch helps coastal management
MetOcean’s StormWatch supports Regional Councils and marine operators with the safe management of our coasts.
StormWatch is an innovative, automated service based on wave and atmospheric ensemble forecast models. It issues safety warnings to key stakeholders (i.e., regional and district councils) about events that have the potential to cause damage to coastal infrastructure and put people and property at risk.
High resolution atmospheric forecast and hindcast models for wind energy in New Zealand
To support the New Zealand government’s net zero target, the decarbonisation of the energy sector is becoming a priority.
Last week, MetOcean Senior Physical Oceanographer Dr Severin Thiebaut and MetService Research Scientist Dr Ulrich Ebling, attended with great interest the 2022 NZ Wind Energy Conference and Offshore Wind Workshop in Wellington.
Vacancy: Physical Oceanographer – Wave Modeller
We are currently seeking a talented SWAN Modeller to join our Research and Development team. MetOcean Solutions is a science-based consultancy and forecast supplier providing specialist numerical modelling and analytical solutions in meteorology and oceanography.