New Zealand is projected to warm by 1-4°C during the 21st century. This warming will melt our frozen water resources – our snow and our glaciers. However, the scale and timing of this melt is not clear.
Mountain rivers in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand feed our
largest hydro-electric power schemes, and provide critical water for
irrigation, especially during drought. Melting snow and ice may also cause
increased flooding. The aim of this research project, affectionately nicknamed
"The Icey Project," is to make projections about how runoff from
New Zealand’s glaciers and seasonal snow will change into the future. The
research team is also engaging with iwi, industry
representatives and local authorities to determine the specific needs of
communities that use water. This data is crucial for decision makers in
government, communities and industry.
This research project brings together, for the first time, New Zealand’s
leading snow and glacier scientists. You can read about the project at our website or find a list of research team members here.
We also encourage you to read the latest NZ Geographic, which features The Icey
Project in a new article by Kennedy Warne, The Final Meltdown.
Professor Andrew Mackintosh's
research focuses on understanding how glaciers and ice sheets behave and
interact with the global climate system. Andrew is the director of the
Antarctic Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington and an
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Lead Author.
Dr Jono Conway (Bodeker Scientific) is an associate investigator on the “Snow,
Ice and Glaciers in our Changing Climate” project. An adjunct lecturer at the
University of Otago, Jono also leads the Deep South Challenge modelling
project, “Testing the NZESM through a single vertical column.”
To participate via ZOOM, please register here first (and download Zoom to your computer).
NIWA Wellington:
Conference Room
NIWA Christchurch:
Terra Nova Room
University of Victoria:
Room MYLT 101
University of Canterbury:
Kauri Room, Puaka James Hight Building
University of Otago:
Room 229 Science III Building
Please note, all
visitors to NIWA must sign in on arrival.
We encourage you to set up your own hub and bring friends and colleagues
together to participate in the seminar. Please let us know if you do set
up your own hub.
Email: alex.keeble@niwa.co.nz