New Zealand oceans warming 34% faster than global average, putting homes and industry at risk, report finds | New Zealand

A new report on the country’s marine environment has found that New Zealand’s oceans are warming 34% faster than the global average and homes worth NZ$180 billion (US$104 billion) are at risk of flooding.

Three annual updates from the Ministry of Environment and Statistics New Zealand, Our Environment 2025It brings together statistics, data and research across five areas – air, atmosphere and climate, freshwater, land and sea – to paint a picture of the state of New Zealand’s marine environment.

The last of the series Our Marine Environment 2025painted a sobering picture for the country’s oceans and coasts; This picture is defined by warming and rising seas, intensifying marine heat waves and ocean acidification caused by global warming.

The Ministry’s chief scientific advisor, Dr. “Climate change isn’t just something far away… it has impacts on our oceans and coastlines,” Alison Collins told the Guardian.

“The coastal zone is under real distress… and the importance of this coastal environment is absolutely critical, it is what we rely on for our homes, our communities, our livelihoods and ultimately our connection to place.”

The report presented a wide range of risks associated with sea changes, including threats to native marine species, inundation of coastal waters and homes, as well as stronger and more destructive storms and risks to communities and the economy.

The report stated that 219,000 homes worth $180 billion were located in coastal waters and inland flood zones, while infrastructure worth more than $26 billion was vulnerable to damage. Approximately 1,300 coastal homes could suffer serious damage from extreme weather conditions.

Collins said some areas will experience a 20cm to 30cm rise in sea level by 2050, which will be a turning point for some communities.

“Sea levels reaching this height means that a coastal storm that used to occur once every 100 years could begin to occur every year,” he said.

Earth’s oceans absorb approximately 90% of extra heat It was created from the human-caused climate crisis.

New Zealand bears the brunt of these warming seas due to its location in the ocean, making it more vulnerable to changes in atmospheric circulation and ocean currents.

Between 1982 and 2023, sea surface temperatures in New Zealand’s four ocean regions increased by an average of 0.16 to 0.26 degrees Celsius per decade, and the rate of ocean warming exceeded global averages by 34%.

It was stated that coastal waters are also warming faster than the global average.

Meanwhile, the report stated that the Subtropical Front, which is the boundary between cold subantarctic water and warmer subtropical water, which is biologically and economically important, has moved 120 km west, stating that this is the first time a change in large-scale ocean circulation around New Zealand has been observed.

Collins said the change brought about by warming water would have “major impacts” on ecosystems, the food web and species such as corals, sponges, algae and fish.

Ocean acidification and warming are also affecting the country’s fishing and aquaculture industries; These industries contribute $1.1 billion to the economy and can lead to toxic algal blooms in shellfish. Meanwhile, marine heatwaves are becoming more intense, longer lasting and more frequent.

New Zealand has suffered mass bleaching of sea sponges, extinctions of marine life and unprecedented marine heatwaves in recent years. southern bull mosslarge-scale fish strandings and penguin deaths.

Monitoring and research into the marine environment has increased, but there are still gaps in understanding, the report said, adding that more comprehensive research would reduce risks to humans, increase climate resilience and promote sustainability.

Of particular concern, Collins said, is the lack of understanding of how climate change, oceans, severe weather events and ecosystems interact.

“It’s a bit like pulling threads through a fabric and things can fall apart; understanding these interactions is perhaps our biggest blind spot.”