Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Kauri study forecasts more extreme weather

Updated at 12:32 pm on 6 February 2012

Scientists researching giant Kauri trees in Northland have forecast more extreme weather for New Zealand by analysing the rings of the tree.

The team from Auckland University and National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research has seen how the La Nina and El Nino weather patterns have affected growth in tree rings over several centuries.

The research, which is being published on Monday in an international journal on climate change, shows that the effects of the weather cycles are becoming increasingly extreme.

They say regions that have experienced droughts and floods in the past few decades can expect more of the same in the future.

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