Science Media Centre

Disaster risk is escalating and coastal communities are on the frontline of the Anthropocene, writes Professor Bruce Glavovic – EQC Chair in Resilience and Natural Hazards Planning at Massey University. An excerpt (read in full): Human activities have made such a significant impact on the Earth since the 1800s -and post-World War 2 in particular […]

Communicating vital information to the public during disasters is an essential, but sometimes daunting, responsibility for scientists and engineers. At the request of members of the natural hazards research community, the Science Media Centre hosted a workshop reflecting on challenges faced and lessons learned during recent major events, such as the Canterbury and Cook Strait quakes, the eruption of Mt […]

A previously unknown fault in Wellington Harbour has been discovered, but scientists say it is unlikely to increase the capital’s known risk of earthquake damage. The Aotea fault, named for its proximity to Aotea Quay, was found by NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) marine geologists mapping the area between the Cook Strait Ferry terminal and Point […]

Japanese volcano Mount Ontake erupted suddenly over the weekend, when the popular recreational site was crowded with hikers, resulting in significant casualties. Rescue efforts are ongoing and the total loss of life has yet to be confirmed. Latest reports indicate over 47 deaths, with dozens more injured in the eruption. Ontake’s last major eruption was […]

A two metre-high tsunami has been generated after a magnitude 8.2 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean off Chile earlier today. The US Geological Survey (USGS) says the quake was centred 86km north-west of Iquique in northern Chile. A tsunami warning has been issued for Chile, Peru and Ecuador and a tsunami watch is in effect […]

The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management today released a review of tsunami hazard in New Zealand, the first major update of the science since 2005, and encompassing the whole of New Zealand’s coastline for the first time. Click here to download Review of Tsunami Hazard in New Zealand (2013 Update) The review shows the maximum possible […]

Yesterday’s magnitude 8.0 earthquake in the Solomon Islands generated a tsunami which damaged villages and at killed at least five people in the Pacific islands. Tsunami warnings were also issued for more distant coastlines, including New Zealand, but lifted later in the day. Our colleagues at the Australian SMC collected the following expert commentary. Feel […]

On March 11 last year a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit off the coast of Japan triggering a powerful tsunami. Resulting waves reached heights of 40 metres and pushed a wall of seawater inland as far as 10 km in some regions. The human toll was immense, with over 15,000 people confirmed dead and an additional […]

Media are invited to attend a press conference at 11am today on the scientific response to the Canterbury earthquake and how science will inform the recovery process. UPDATE: Audio now available below An extensive Q&A on the Canterbury earthquake and the recovery effort has been launched by the Royal Society of New Zealand, the Office […]

Marty Sharpe writes in the Dominion Post that, for at least some of the people who experienced the Christchurch earthquake, it could take as little as 3 months to return to a state of ‘unrealistic optimism’. ‘Unrealistic optimisim’ is defined as people being unreasonably optimistic about their chances of experiencing a natural disaster, and while […]