Dec 8, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Dana M. Bergstrom & Shavawn Donoghue Invasive species are threatening Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems as human activity grows and the world warms. We tend to think Antarctica is isolated and far away – biologically speaking, this is true. But the continent is...
Aug 9, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Michael Hannah There are solutions to the ecological problems facing the planet and we have some time to implement them – we had better use that time wisely. Towards the end of the Permian period, a little (geologically speaking) over 250 million years ago, the...
Jul 14, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Pete Smith, Camille Parmesan & Mark Maslin There are options for addressing climate change and biodiversity loss together – so called nature-based solutions – which are solutions to societal challenges that involve working with nature. A landmark...
Mar 25, 2021 | Science & Technology
By Cate Macinnis-Ng & Angus Mcintosh Many New Zealand species are already at risk because of predators and habitat loss. Climate change makes things worse. Islands are biodiversity hotspots. They are home to 20% of the world’s plants and animals yet cover only 5%...
Oct 12, 2020 | Science & Technology
By Joanne Ellis Climate change is causing increased large-scale coral bleaching. That’s because when water is too warm, corals expel the algae living in their tissues, causing the coral to turn completely white. If high temperatures persist, then the absence of these...
Feb 19, 2020 | Science & Technology
By Darren Evans The impacts of climate change – in particular, the consequences of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events on all life should be abundantly clear. The sheer scale and intensity of the Australian bushfire crisis have led to apocalyptic scenes...
Jan 21, 2020 | Science & Technology
The intensity and breadth of the wildfires in Australia have drawn attention to the effects of climate change and the need for greater commitment to counter the global environmental crisis. What are the scientific and political links between the fires and climate...
Jan 6, 2020 | Science & Technology
By George Perry George Perry explains the uptake in wildfires globally and how we can adapt to our changing environment. Australia. California. Mediterranean Europe. Alaska. Greenland. Each week there seem to be news reports describing unprecedented fire events in...
Nov 28, 2019 | Science & Technology
Interview with Professor Simon Thrush (head of the Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland) Your research focuses on ecosystem tipping points. What are they? A tipping point is a sudden, abrupt, often dramatic change in the way that a natural...
Oct 22, 2019 | Science & Technology
2018 saw the worst ice melts in New Zealand since the 1980s. But why are glaciers declining in Aotearoa? Mitch Fuller speaks with doctoral student Lauren Vargo about her research into glacial melting. Lauren Vargo is a doctoral student at the Antarctic Research Centre...