Carbon News
  • Members
    • Login
      Forgot Password?
    • Not a member? Subscribe
    • Forgot Password
      Back to Login
    • Not a member? Subscribe
  • Home
  • New Zealand
    • Politics
    • Energy
    • Agriculture
    • Carbon emissions
    • Transport
    • Forestry
    • Business
  • Markets
    • Analysis
    • NZ carbon price
  • International
    • Australia
    • United States
    • China
    • Europe
    • United Kingdom
    • Canada
    • Asia
    • Pacific
    • Antarctic/Arctic
    • Africa
    • South America
    • United Nations
  • News Direct
    • Media releases
    • Climate calendar
  • About Carbon News
    • Contact us
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Service
    • Policies

Historic data reveals unprecedented heatwaves

13 Mar 2024


Media release - A thermometer dipped in a bucket of sea water on New Year’s Day in 1967 began a unique record which shows the dramatic intensification of warming in the Hauraki Gulf.

Sea-surface readings at the Leigh Marine Laboratory north of Auckland since that time indicate the “unprecedented nature of recent marine heatwaves,” according to Dr Nick Shears of the University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau.

 

The number of marine heatwave days and their cumulative intensity has increased sharply since 2012, Shears and his co-authors write in a paper published in the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research.

 

In past decades, some years had no heatwaves, but that hasn’t happened since 2012.

 

Sponges `melting,’ becoming detached from rocks and dying, along with seaweed and kelp die-offs, are among temperature effects.

 

Especially warm autumns and winters have likely facilitated an increase in subtropical and tropical species such as the long-spined sea urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii, a voracious herbivore which can lay waste to deep reef environments.

 

“Obviously we need to cut emissions to slow warming, and that’s a global issue, but locally we can try to make ecosystems more resilient,” says Shears. “There are stressors we can manage, like fishing, or do our best to mitigate, like sediment runoff from the land.”

 

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate phenomenon causes atmospheric and sea temperature changes over the tropical Pacific Ocean, flowing through to altered climate and weather conditions in New Zealand.

 

Traditionally El Niño years were associated with lower sea surface temperatures at Leigh but that didn’t happen in 2023, the fourth warmest year in the record, suggesting the link could be weaking as the climate system changes.

 

“It seems that every year is another warm year regardless of whether it’s an El Niño or not,” says Shears.

 

The warmest year on record is 2022, which was 0.38 degrees Celsius higher than in 1999, the previous record holder. Near continuous marine heatwave conditions persisted from November 2021 to November 2022 with temperatures typically between 1 and 2 degrees Celsius above average.

 

Prolonged warm temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius are now sometimes continuing until May. Cooler water species like sponges aren’t getting an autumn respite, benefiting warm water species that naturally occur or have arrived in recent times such as the invasive and devastating Caulerpa seaweed.

 

The Leigh Marine Laboratory is located at the much-loved snorkelling and diving destination of Goat Island (Te Hāwere-a-Maki), which is part of the Cape Rodney-Okakari Point marine reserve where no fishing is allowed.

 

Dr Bill Ballantine, known as the father of New Zealand’s marine reserves, started the practice of taking a temperature reading on the rocky shore at Leigh at 9am each day.

 

The resulting data, later collected automatically by electronic device, is one of the longest continuous sea-surface records in the Southern Hemisphere, adding nuance and context to satellite readings since 1982.

 

Co-authors of the paper were Dr Melissa Bown of the School of Environment at the University of Auckland, and François Thoral of the University of Waikato and the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.

 

In February, the world’s ocean surface temperatures hit an all-time high. Most of the energy trapped by greenhouse gases goes into the sea.

 

The definition of a marine heatwave is an event where temperatures exceed the 90th percentile of 30-year historic values (1983-2012) for five or more days in a row.

print this story


Related Topics:   Greenhouse Effect

More >
Media releases
More >

New look for New Zealand’s bioeconomy research

Wed 3 Sep 2025

Media release | The Bioeconomy Science Institute, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest research organisation, launched its new look.

Jonathan Young, Ara Ake Head of Industry and Government Engagement

Conference to tackle energy hardship and build resilience returns for third year

Tue 2 Sep 2025

Media release - Ara Ake | The Energy Resilience and Affordability Conference will return on 8-9 October 2025 at the Harbourside Function Centre, Wellington, bringing together leaders from across Aotearoa New Zealand’s energy, community and research sectors.

Tasman flood waste recovery receives $2M boost

Mon 1 Sep 2025

Media release - New Zealand Government | The Government has granted Tasman District Council up to $2 million to support the region’s recovery from the severe flooding this winter, Environment Minister Penny Simmonds says.

Haukapuanui Vercoe at the 2025 Esri User Conference in San Diego, US.

Marae resilience research takes global stage

Fri 29 Aug 2025

Media release | University of Auckland - Waipapa Taumata Rau | Marae are central hubs for whānau, hapū, and iwi across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Contact and bp charge partner to offer savings on EV charging

28 Aug 2025

Media release | Contact Energy (Contact) and bp charge have partnered to introduce a new customer offer to make electric vehicle (EV) charging easier for Kiwi drivers.

Rising cost of insurance prompts call for action on affordability and climate risks

27 Aug 2025

Media release | Consumer NZ releases a sobering report that highlights how house insurance is becoming increasingly out of reach for New Zealanders.

East Coast schools receive funding as part of pool solar project

26 Aug 2025

Media release: Trust Tairāwhiti | Four schools along the East Coast have been equipped with solar panels, battery storage, and pool heating systems as part of a $3.5m school pool heating and resilience project.

Verra and S&P advance carbon market integration with next-generation registry

26 Aug 2025

Media release - Verra | World’s largest GHG standards body collaborates with the world’s leading commodities information and registry infrastructure provider.

PhD student William Sheard says mining e-waste is more sustainable than mining the earth for metals.

The quest to turn e-waste into metals

26 Aug 2025

Media release – University of Auckland | William Sheard is on a quest to turn electronic waste into metals.

Latest data confirms rail as lower carbon option for moving freight

25 Aug 2025

Media release | KiwiRail customers who chose to move their goods on rail collectively saved 220,254 tonnes of CO2e emissions in the last financial year (ending June 2025).

Carbon News

Subscriptions, Advertising & General

[email protected]

Editorial

[email protected]

We welcome comments, news tips and suggestions - please also use this address to submit all media releases for News Direct).

Useful Links
Home About Carbon News Contact us Advertising Subscribe Service Policies
New Zealand
Politics Energy Agriculture Carbon emissions Transport Forestry Business
International
Australia United States China Europe United Kingdom Canada Asia Pacific Antarctic/Arctic Africa South America United Nations
Home
Markets
Analysis NZ carbon price
News Direct
Media releases Climate calendar

© 2008-2025 Carbon News. All Rights Reserved. • Your IP Address: 216.73.216.185 • User account: Sign In

Please wait...
Audit log: