NIWA Principal Scientist-Climate and Environmental Applications. Research on our past, present, future from a Southern Hemisphere perspective. Opinions my own.
Auckland City, New Zealand
Joined January 2016
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Really neat video by @InspireExplore with George Denton from @UMaine , who discusses early explorer contributions to understanding Antarctica and global climate. I’m forever grateful that George helped me get there as a student.
nzaht.org/climate-insights-f…
Lovely to see mentor and colleague Paul Williams from @AucklandUni honoured with an ONZM today - an absolute legend in physical geography and especially speleothem research in Aotearoa
Lots of familiar names here. Congratulations to Nigel French and Ralph Sims (CNZM) and Rochelle Constantine of @MMEG_UoA (ONZM) nzherald.co.nz/nz/kings-birt…
Electric light show tonight over Riverhead…. Preceded by strong winds, small hydrometeors and quite raucous thunder.
The single frame I pulled out of this clip was the brightest part of the lightning flash that passed over us…
Again….and again…and again. 2023 has seen 3 inundations of part of my little village of Riverhead much like this one after heavy rainfall. Fences taken out this time in places. Please consider sharing flood evidence at NZFP.niwa.co.nz @Emily_M_Lane @niwa_nz @NZFloodPics
Unpacking amazing taonga with Jonathan Palmer - accession of ancient kauri into the @niwa_nz 🌳💍 archive includes this ginormous cross section from Ngawha Springs. It lived about 42,000-41,000 years ago through the Adams Event and Laschamps geomagnetic weakening/reversal #14C
ALT Nelson Parker, Nelson’s Kaihu Kauri
“Carbon dioxide removal is not a current climate solution — we need to change the narrative” - A good read by @_david_ho_ about getting priorities right and why we can’t plant our way out of the situation nature.com/articles/d41586-0…
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Walking off Brewster Glacier, Mt Aspiring National Park w @AMacGlac & @bexparsonsking after filming for a @niwa_nz piece on monitoring glaciers. There is a multicentury ice recession history here, but a lot has gone in recent decades. The mountains are experiencing fast changes.
Tess McClure from @guardian joined us on the @niwa_nz end of summer snowline and glacier survey. Here is her view of the situation:
theguardian.com/world/2023/a…
Completed Southern Alps end of summer snowline survey 26 March with @niwa_nz @WellingtonUni and @MonashEAE colleagues - mixed bag of snowline elevations, but very noticeable changes in perimeters and profiles of glaciers showing our continued ice loss trend. Olivine Ice Plateau🎥
Been experimenting with 🌳 💍 increment borer with an impact driver. Success with prototype on the left in soft wood & shared w @JoeBuckInNature. We discussed key weaknesses inc. male 3/8” hex adapter and narrow weld surfaces. New ones here w 10 & 11mm hex steel shafts = 💪 1/2
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Update of Central Auckland rainfall series shows we had the wettest summer since instrumental obs began in 1853. Relative to DJF average for the last 170 years (~247 mm), there was >3.5 times the normal summer season rainfall amount = 903 mm in total⛈️
Data: @niwa_nz @AklCouncil
Went out to take photos for @niwa_nz @NZFloodPics and got more than I bargained for…ended up sandbagging with total strangers who were fighting for their homes. Afterwards, just one street over I saw this…..no words…Again, in such a short space of time. Kia kaha Riverhead
Application of subfossil kauri to try and improve 14C dating - if they think this is good (and I’m not sure of their approach tbh) wait til they see many more thousand of years of floating coverage in MIS3 - what do you think @Heaton_T_J @Katerina__Douka ??
Today, the 14C dating is facing new improvements, which we call ‘Radiocarbon 3.0’ updated #radiocarbon pretreatment, small #14C error ranges, and the application of the #Bayesian model coupled with the new #IntCal20, including the Kauri floating tree-ring section.
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Historical surface pressure obs @niwa_nz digitised in ISPD compared with *newly keyed* old Auckland data suggests erroneously low MSLP was reported (& repeatedly published) for the Great Storm of 1868 in New Zealand. Comparison sites were <0.5km apart. More work ahead w @met_acre
Initial @niwa_nz field data from Omaha in Auckland shows the sand #CycloneGabrielle removed, and how important our barrier beaches are. Summer berm and aeolian ramp are gone, and steep cliff is carved into what was the foredune ridge. Exposed rootlets show at least 5m was removed
Surveying minimum inundation markers along Point Wells Reserve today - important evidence that can help improve @niwa_nz storm surge modelling efforts by @Emily_M_Lane and co
Please consider uploading photos of floods for Aotearoa NZ here: nzfp.niwa.co.nz or the @niwa_nz citsci app. This evidence will really help future flood modelling - Inundation, impacts to infrastructure and indicators of water extent are all welcome 📸👇@TMartinEcology
Tell me you’re an oblivious nincompoop without telling me you’re an oblivious nincompoop
Every ACT MP is in Wellington ready to do their job and hold the Government accountable, but Labour has cancelled Parliament.
New Zealand needs democracy to continue, with Parliament functioning whenever possible, not cancelled whenever the Government can get away with it.
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Heading into today’s meeting @niwa_nz with @chrisbrandolino …. When and where we will land, I can’t be sure #tardis #science
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Would be really nice to have some of these “sponges” right now in Auckland - serious challenges ahead for our city infrastructure. We clearly need designs that will hold up under increasing stress from extreme rainfall. Parks and public spaces can play a big role if designed well
