9 Mar 2022

Our Changing World - Careful consistent chemistry

From Afternoons, 3:35 pm on 9 March 2022

We celebrate New Zealand SeaWeek by telling the story of a globally important ocean chemistry study. 

Graham Loh takes notes about bird sightings.

Graham Loh takes notes about bird sightings. Photo: RNZ / Claire Concannon

Follow Our Changing World on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRADIO, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Running since 1998, the Munida transect time-series, led by Dr. Kim Currie of NIWA, has been collecting ocean chemistry measurements along a 65km line off the Dunedin coast every two months.

This consistent collection of information makes it a powerful and important data set. One that tells us how the chemistry of our oceans is changing in response to greater levels of atmospheric carbon.

Claire climbs on board the University of Otago’s research vessel the Polaris II to learn more about this time-series, and to find out about the other science happening along the way.