NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather forecasts

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Budget 2025
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
    • Cooking the Books
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Oz fires blow high levels of carbon monoxide over NZ

NZ Herald
10 Dec, 2019 08:18 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Australian bush fire smoke obscures the view from Te Mata Peak above Hastings on November 25. Photo / NZME

Australian bush fire smoke obscures the view from Te Mata Peak above Hastings on November 25. Photo / NZME

Australia's bushfires have been blamed for unusually high concentrations of carbon monoxide over New Zealand.

Researchers at Niwa's Lauder atmospheric research station observed how readings of the poisonous gas last week peaked at 150 parts per billion – more than twice the normal amount of 60 parts per billion.

Principal atmosphere technician Dan Smale said the poisonous gas was a product of the New South Wales bushfires that have been burning for several weeks.

Measurements were made with an instrument known as an in-situ FTIR gas analyser which sucks in air from a height of 10m.

"The only time we would see an occasional spike in carbon monoxide readings is when there is a local burn-off," he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It is very rare to have such a prolonged spike measured at ground level."

READ MORE:
• Smoke and dust from Australia's bushfires turns New Zealand's glaciers pink
• NSW and QLD bushfires: 'Catastrophic' fire danger forecast for today
• Australia fires live: 'Night from hell': Bushfires change direction as cool southerly sweeps NSW coast
• Australian bushfires: Map shows how close blaze came to houses

In the past, such Australian fire plumes were only detected several kilometres up in the atmosphere, and that air had never reached down this low, he said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The measurements made at ground level in New Zealand from events in Australia were very uncommon, not entirely understood and were a focus of future research concerning atmospheric transport.

The setting sun off Whanganui disappears into the smoke from Australian bushfires. Photo / June Miller
The setting sun off Whanganui disappears into the smoke from Australian bushfires. Photo / June Miller

The readings coincided with a plume of smoke blown across the Tasman Sea from the fires that has resulted in hazy skies and deep coloured sunsets across the country at different times.

Meanwhile, Niwa air quality scientist Dr Ian Longley said the bushfire smoke has had a particularly strong influence over New Zealand in the past week.

"Since December 1 elevated levels of particulate matter have been recorded almost everywhere air monitoring is conducted," he said.

Discover more

World

Two volunteer firefighters die after truck rolls

19 Dec 08:14 PM
World

Aussies told to cancel travel plan

22 Dec 04:00 PM

"However, a more prolonged influence was observed across the upper and central North Island."

Longley said concentrations started rising last Tuesday and Wednesday and by Thursday they were three to four times higher than normal across Auckland, Northland, Waikato, Manawatu and Hawke's Bay.

In summer particulate matter levels in New Zealand towns and cities are typically 10-20 micrograms per cubic metre.

On Friday most North Island towns recorded levels ranging from 36 to 54 micrograms.

Levels in Sydney, however, were about three times that.

Longley said ordinarily, the National Environmental Standard of 50 micrograms per cubic metre was only exceeded on cold winter nights and in areas with high concentrations of homes using wood for home heating.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"However, the high levels of particulate matter recorded last week were unusual due to their extensiveness, appearing to cover most of the North and some of the South Island for several days," he said.

By Sunday, air quality in North Island was back to normal, but high concentrations were still sporadically impacting some South Island spots.

While scientists still had much to understand about the health effects of prolonged exposure to such pollutants, short-lived episodes were thought to have minimal impact, although vulnerable people like those with respiratory conditions could still be susceptible.

Plumes of the smoke stretched across the Tasman were also found to have turned New Zealand's famous glaciers pink – while also contributing to their melting.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'Went too far': Teen avoids conviction for giving cop concussion

19 May 09:50 PM
Opinion

Opinion: Duck debate needs more balance and better context

19 May 09:30 PM
Premium
Education

First XV rugby shake-up shock: South Island boys schools plot breakaway competition

19 May 09:13 PM

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'Went too far': Teen avoids conviction for giving cop concussion

'Went too far': Teen avoids conviction for giving cop concussion

19 May 09:50 PM

Police were trying to find out what had happened to the defendant's injured sister.

Opinion: Duck debate needs more balance and better context

Opinion: Duck debate needs more balance and better context

19 May 09:30 PM
Premium
First XV rugby shake-up shock: South Island boys schools plot breakaway competition

First XV rugby shake-up shock: South Island boys schools plot breakaway competition

19 May 09:13 PM
NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

NZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today

19 May 09:11 PM
Gold demand soars amid global turmoil
sponsored

Gold demand soars amid global turmoil

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP