The Mangōpare Temperature Sensor Programme
The Moana Project’s Mangōpare sensor is changing the way we observe the ocean. Through collaborations with the fishing sector and citizen scientists in Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond, we deploy hundreds of sensors nationwide to gather vital information about our ocean.
Image / Amanda Rudkin
Fig 1: Mangōpare sensor deployments and Argo profiles in the waters surrounding Aotearoa New Zealand from June 2020 - December 2023.
What’s the problem?
Aotearoa New Zealand’s ocean temperatures are rising and marine heatwaves are becoming more regular. To improve ocean models, we need high quality observations to test the models against, particularly subsurface temperature measurements. Previously, observations were mostly limited to Argo-floats - drifting floats that collect temperature and salinity recordings in the upper 2,000 m of the ocean.
However, there was an obvious gap in coastal data collection. Aotearoa New Zealand is the first country to fill this gap - thanks to the commercial fishing fleet and others taking measurements where they normally operate. The Moana Project has developed a cost-efficient, easy-to-use sensor which allows commercial fishers to collect observations from the ocean they depend on.
Our solution
ZebraTech Managing Director and Mangōpare sensor developer, John Radford.
The deckbox which picks up Mangōpare’s data offload and uploads it to ZebraTech’s server.
Moana Project partner ZebraTech have developed a sensor that is used by fishers to gather temperature data where it is most needed. The Mangōpare sensor is a robust and simple device that attaches to fishing gear and gets a ‘free ride’ for data collection. With no handling involved other than attachment of the sensor, data can be collected daily on the numerous fishing trips that occur in New Zealand waters.
The sensor’s sleek design allows it to be attached to almost all types of fishing gear, including pots, trawl nets and longlines. When the sensor is hauled aboard, it automatically offloads data to a counterpart deck box.
This data are then uploaded online to ZebraTech’s cloud server, transferred to a secure MetService database to be assimilated into our models and made available for others to use.
Thank you for making this programme possible!
Fishers and citizen scientists around Aotearoa New Zealand volunteer their time to better understand our oceans and provide invaluable ocean observations that can be used to understand a range of questions. These partnerships are critical to helping us “see” what is happening below the ocean’s surface!
If you’d like to participate in the programme but do not yet have a sensor, please contact Julie Jakoboski at info@moanaproject.org or 06 758 5035. For more detail, check out the Mangōpare FAQ sheet below.
Hundreds of people from across Aotearoa New Zealand are contributing their time and effort because they understand the importance of a healthy ocean. We are looking for ongoing funding to continue this programme through the next three years and beyond. If you are interested in partnering with the Mangōpare Sensor Programme, we would love to connect with you!
Join the team.
Deepwater Group
“We see immense value in the utility of the temperature data, both for the seafood sector and the New Zealand public as a whole.”
Tim Pankhurst, former Seafood New Zealand CEO
“The ocean sensor temperature programme is essential to understanding the changes the seas surrounding us are undergoing…it is vital that the Mangōpare sensor programme, the most extensive of its kind in the world, be maintained.”
New Zealand Deployment
Greenland Deployment
Sensor News
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Winter marine heatwaves could impact NZ fisheries and herald summer storms
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Moana Project sensors take the temperature in Greenland
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Fishing for temperature
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Mangōpare temperature sensor stars in Greenland citizen science video
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The Mangōpare sensor joins youth development programme
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Where was the warmest water? Marine heatwave records this summer
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![https://www.moanaproject.org/news/mangopare-in-antarctica]()
Mangōpare takes the temperature in Antarctic waters!
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