Concern Raised for Major Shift in Antarctic Sea-Ice Coverage
climate, ecological and societal systems, according to new research published in PNAS Nexus.These impacts include ocean warming, increased iceberg calving, habitat loss and sea-level rise, and effects on fisheries, Antarctic tourism, and even the mental health of the global human population.Led by Australian Antarctic Program Partnership oceanographer Dr Edward Doddridge, the international team assessed the impacts of extreme summer sea-ice lows, and the challenges to predicting and mitigating change.“Antarctic sea ice provides climate and ecosystem services of regional and global significance,&rdquo
Australian Antarctic Program Appoints Chief Scientist
The Australian Antarctic Program has appointed Professor Nerilie Abram from the Australian National University as its new Chief Scientist.Abram is a professor of climate science and was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 2024.“I’m incredibly excited and honoured to be taking up the role of Chief Scientist of the AAD,” Abram said. “Antarctica is such a special place, and the science that the Australian Antarctic Program does is critical for protecting Antarctica, and for preparing Australia and the world for how changes in Antarctica will affect us all.
MBARI Research Supports Cryospheric Science
a powerful tool for assessing the biodiversity of aquatic environments.MBARI’s Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) and Filtering Instrument for DNA Observations (FIDO) allow researchers to collect and study eDNA in remote environments. Earlier this year, MBARI, in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Program, sent ESP and FIDO instruments on the research icebreaker Nuyina on an expedition to the Denman Glacier region in East Antarctica to evaluate applications for this eDNA technology in the Southern Ocean
RSV Nuyina Completes Dedicated Marine Science Voyage for the Australian Antarctic Program
The RSV Nuyina, operated by Serco, has returned safely to Hobart after a 9-week dedicated marine science voyage to the Denman Glacier, carrying 85 Australian Antarctic Program expeditioners and 45 crew. In achieving its third 2024/25 season voyage, the Nuyina successfully facilitated research and navigated through harsh environmental conditions, including winds at times reaching 63 knots (116 km/hour), thick ice and frequent periods of very low visibility.The Australian Antarctic Program had previously been unable to access Antarctica’s Denman Glacier—which is of prime scientific interest
Denman Glacier Has Already Lost Over 250 Billion Tons of Ice
glider can be controlled remotely by colleagues working in the United States.A key aim of the research being conducted onboard Nuyina is to quantify how much the glacier might contribute to rising sea levels in a warming climate in the centuries to come.The voyage is a collaboration between the Australian Antarctic Division, Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF), the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) and the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP)
Dancing Krill
Chase, probe, embrace, flex, push. It’s probably too much information, but that is how krill mate.The behavior was recorded on a deepsea camera 500 meters below the surface of the Southern Ocean back in 2011 by Australian Antarctic Division researchers – who then made an animated illustration of this special “dance.”Krill can change from adults to juveniles, and they can survive over 200 days of starvation, reducing their size by using their own body proteins rather than molting their exoskeleton.They are known for being an important food source for whales, seals and penguins
For Those with Saltwater in Their Veins
National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE).In 1979 she was modified for participation in the internationally coordinated program to study marine living resources in the Southern Ocean: BIOMASS (Biological Investigations of Marine Antarctic Systems and Stocks). This was the first major Australian Antarctic project investigating deep sea marine science, and Nella Dan was modified to support deep sea research trawling with instrument rooms, echo sounders, a computer data logging system and laboratory.Her ending came in Buckles Bay, Macquarie Island, when she smashed against the rocks on December
Australian Research Vessel Heads South to Study Clouds
of sea level rise.Recently published research has shown the “overturning circulation” of Antarctic waters driving global ocean currents may be slowing down, affecting the redistribution of heat, carbon and nutrients across the globe. Co-Chief Scientist Dr Annie Foppert from the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership at the University of Tasmania said the meltwater from the Antarctic Ice sheet is reducing the amount of dense water sinking to the deep ocean around Antarctica, slowing ocean currents that control climate.Data collected on the voyage will be compared to earlier measurements
Deep-sea Probe Recovered from Southern Ocean
team effort, we now have some ideas to refine the design and operation of the recovery device.” A range of science agencies in Hobart are enmeshed in the life of this BGC-Argo float – it is owned by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Science (IMAS); it was deployed by an Australian Antarctic Program Partnership voyage in 2020; float preparation and data delivery, funded by IMOS, was managed by CSIRO. Dr Benoit Legresy, CSIRO oceanographer and chief scientist of the research voyage that picked up the float, said: “This float is the biggest we’ve ever deployed
February 2025
