The seas around New Zealand in 2018 were the hottest on record. In late January 2019, NIWA scientists published a report showing that water in the New Zealand region is significantly warmer than it was 30 years ago, and all indications are the warming trend will continue. A record-breaking marine heatwave last summer was the key driver of 2018’s hot temperatures, with parts of the Tasman Sea at times as much as 6C higher than average.
The results have been published in the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research.
The alarming statistic also coincides with NIWA reporting in its Annual Climate Summary that 2018 was the second-equal hottest year on record.
NZ Herald Reporter Michael Neilson reported on some of the stark threats to marine life and New Zealand’s seafood sector in his article here.
Read more about the NIWA report here.
