atmosphere

The Earth’s atmosphere is a layer of gases held close to its surface by gravity. It plays a crucial role...

Our atmosphere and climate 2023 – an environmental report produced by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ – begins with this whakatauākī: Tiakina te...

Methane comprises just 0.00018% of the Earth’s atmosphere – so why are we concerned about it? Methane (CH4 ) is a greenhouse gas. It is the...

Ururangi is a whetū in the Matariki cluster. It is connected to atmospheric conditions, winds and the sky. Ururangi means ‘winds of the sky’ and is...

Waipunarangi is a whetū in the Matariki cluster. It is the star connected to the rains and other atmospheric conditions. Aotearoa New Zealand’s Ministry for the...

Koe feliuliuaki ‘a e ‘ea ‘oku ‘uhinga ia ki he ngaahi liliu kehekehe ‘oku hoko ki he kalaimeiti (Churchward, 1959) ‘o e fo’i mamani, pea koe...

This Connected article starts with the question "What kind of sink can't be used to wash the dishes but can be grown in your garden?" The...

Understanding the nitrogen cycle – the transformations that nitrogen undergoes as it moves between the atmosphere, the land and living things – is an important part...

The world saw striking images in the months of March and April 2020 as countries dealt with a pandemic. Some metropolitan areas experienced clear skies as...

Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural environment has been shaped by climate. It has influenced both the physical environment and the plants and animals that have adapted to...

We hear a lot about greenhouse gases – and the huge amounts that humans are responsible for pumping into the atmosphere each year. It might be...

Emissions are the release of greenhouse gases from human activities. They can be estimated in different ways, including production-based and consumption-based approaches. The production-based approach counts...

Earth’s climate is changing. We are able to directly observe this as glaciers melt and disappear and Arctic sea ice declines. The Earth’s average temperature is...

Earth is a dynamic system, made up of four central components known as subsystems – the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. These subsystems are interconnected by...

Climate change is defined as a long-term change to the Earth’s climate. But what does this mean? To understand climate change, we need to understand what...

Although weather and climate are closely related, they are not the same thing. The chief difference between weather and climate is time. Weather Weather is the...

This article explores the role of observation in weather prediction. It provides several examples of natural patterns and how they help to predict or explain the...

This level 4 Connected article provides an introduction to big data and the internet of things and how they are used to address air pollution in...

Climate change is a complex topic, and this article breaks key aspects down into accessible, bite-sized sections. It concisely explains some of the science ideas associated...

Join Nancy Bertler, a glaciologist who collects ice cores, to learn how the Earth’s climate has changed over time. This information helps her and other scientists...

Plants are important in several key processes involved in the interacting systems of the Earth, including the hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere. Three of these processes are...

The three most important greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4 ) and nitrous oxide (N2 O). While carbon dioxide is...

Measurement is an integral part of science. As technology progresses, so does the range and accuracy of what we can measure. Where once we made measurements...

A significant part of our nightscape, the Moon has been the subject of myths, alternative conceptions and conspiracies for decades. Let’s take a look at some...

Monitoring our world using artificial sensors Artificial sensors enable us to overcome the limitations of our human senses and extend them in novel and useful ways,...