New Zealand Archives

Side-by-side images show fish-eye-style photographs of a starry evening sky illuminated by different subauroral events. The left image shows a SAR arc, a reddish arc that spans the sky. Beneath the arc the sky transitions from bright green at the horizon to purple and is partially obscured by clouds. The right image shows a STEVE phenomenon. Part of the red SAR arc is still visible but is much fainter and more of a pink color than its original red. The green and purple sky is more muted in color, and more stars and the band of the Milky Way are now visible. In both images, the silhouette of some shrubs is visible.

From SAR Arc to STEVE: An Atmospheric Evolution

by Alexandra K. Scammell 6 September 20227 September 2022

A new study reports the first observation of a stable auroral red arc evolving into a strong thermal emission velocity enhancement during a geomagnetic storm.

Four-paneled figure, with the upper right panel showing Today Show coverage, with both the initial question directed to the @USGSVolcanoes Twitter account from user @JayFurr, “Is it safe to roast marshmallows over volcanic vents?” and the response, “Erm…we’re going to have to say no.” The upper left panel shows CNN coverage with an image of the eruption and the headline “USGS: ‘Please don’t roast marshmallows over lava.’” The lower left panel shows MSNCB coverage, which shows only the initial tweet. The lower right panel shows MSNBC’s parody of the NBC public service announcement graphic, in which, against the background of space filled with stars, the purple words “The S’more You Know” are underlined by a yellow shooting star.

News

Roosters, S’mores, and #EmergencyCute: A Humor-in-Crisis How-To

by Alka Tripathy-Lang 15 July 202230 August 2022

When natural hazards strike communities, we may not think science agencies should respond with humor. Researchers suggest that sometimes, however, humor can connect communities and bring smiles.

Three auroral images taken by a citizen scientist in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Editors' Highlights

Uncovering the Mysterious STEVE Aurora

by Gang Lu 7 June 202214 September 2022

Scientists present the first direct observations on the rapid evolution of a bright red auroral arc into a thin white-mauve arc known as STEVE.

View over open ocean water with clouds tinted pink by a sunrise and a distant, lone mountain on the horizon

Science Updates

“Landslide Graveyard” Holds Clues to Long-Term Tsunami Trends

by Suzanne Bull, Sally J. Watson, Jess Hillman, Hannah E. Power and Lorna J. Strachan 3 June 20221 August 2022

A new project looks to unearth information about and learn from ancient underwater landslides buried deep beneath the seafloor to support New Zealand’s resilience to natural hazards.

News

Crowdsourced Weather Projects Boost Climate Science Research

by Jennifer Schmidt 2 June 20227 June 2022

Historic observations, manually transcribed from handwritten records, are giving scientists a fresh glimpse into Victorian era climate.

Perspective plot looking west across the Hikurangi margin (New Zealand) at the 3 km/s S-velocity isosurface contoured in depth.

Editors' Highlights

Adjoint Tomography Illuminates Hikurangi Margin Complexity

by Michael Bostock 21 April 202226 April 2022

Waveform inversion of regional earthquakes reveals velocity anomalies interpreted as subducting seamounts that control an enigmatic segmentation in plate coupling along the Hikurangi margin.

Image of a bearded and gloved man, Robert Mulvaney, with ice inside a metal corer.

News

Māori Arrival in New Zealand Revealed in Antarctic Ice Cores

by Kate Evans 26 October 202121 March 2022

A new study shows smoke from fires set by the first inhabitants of Aotearoa from around 1300 left a mark in the ice 6,000 kilometers away, on an island off the Antarctic Peninsula.