NIWA principal fisheries scientist Dr Steve Parker and colleagues were on board the Janas , a deepwater longline vessel owned by Talley’s Group Ltd, for the second voyage ever during the winter to study the ecology of toothfish in the northern Ross Sea, especially to investigate spawning patterns of the Antarctic toothfish.

NIWA principal scientist climate Dr Brett Mullan says the high March temperatures were consistent with our warming climate and when seen in context with other warm months a clear trend was evident.

As the mission's principle investigator Alan Stern puts it: "In the days following the flyby, Ultima Thule's going to become a real thing, then a real thing with a shape, then a real thing with geology." Here's when to expect what:January 1, 7:00 am PT / 10:00 am ET: By this time, New Horizons' mission scientists will expect to have heard from the probe about its health and whether the mission was successful.

Dr Wendy Nelson, a principal scientist at NIWA Wellington, co-authored a paper that explores the potential of commercial seaweed farming in mitigating global carbon dioxide levels, a key greenhouse gas responsible for man-made climate change.