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Small window of opportunity left to preserve Antarctica’s ‘sleeping giant’ A new study suggests the worst effects of global warming on Earth’s largest ice sheet can be avoided if the world meets the climate targets outlined in the Paris Agreement—but if we fail, then the melting of the ice sheet will have a drastic impact […]
Southern Ocean takes on the heat of climate change Of all the oceans on Earth, the Southern Ocean does the lion’s share at slowing the pace of climate change by absorbing most of the excess heat trapped in the planet’s atmosphere, say scientists from the ARC Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) at UNSW […]
Ocean warming and sea-level rise are on a fast track The results of the study are based on many thousands of measurements taken from across the globe—including from the Southern Ocean, which warms at a much faster rate than the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Image credit: CSIRO Marine National Facility. Researchers from the ARC Australian […]
Scientists map heat beneath Antarctica’s icesheets Fieldwork in Queen Mary Land collecting geophysical and geological data. Image: Tobias Stål. Researchers from the ARC Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) at the University of Tasmania are helping predict future sea level rise by taking a closer look at what goes on beneath Antarctica’s icesheets. “Heat moving […]
What you need to know about Antarctic Bottom Water The science team onboard the RV Investigator in Fremantle. Image: Aero Leplastrier. BY DR ALIX POST, GEOSCIENCE AUSTRALIA, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR HELEN BOSTOCK, THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND AND MATT MARRISON, CSIRO A team of scientists is plumbing the depths in East Antarctica to increase our understanding of […]
Cape Darnley – What’s in a name? Have you ever been curious about the names of places around the coast of Antarctica? Many of these places were named by early explorers in the early 20th Century to honour important people who had funded or supported these voyages of discovery. Cape Darnley, for instance, was named […]
Voyage of discovery to the East Antarctic margin CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator and the team that are on their way to the East Antarctic margin. A Geoscience Australia-led scientific voyage has departed Perth this week for East Antarctica aboard CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator. During this 7-week voyage, researchers will seek insights into the flow […]
Sea2SchoolAu – virtual ship tours! Have you or your kids ever wondered what scientists do on a research ship? Why is it important to study the oceans around Antarctica? Unfortunately we can’t take you on the voyage or even a tour of the ship in person, but modern satellite and internet technology does allow us […]
Ocean currents Image: Kathy Gunn checking the Argo signal before deployment. Photo: A. Post Dr Kathy Gunn (Physical Oceanographer, CSIRO) As early as the 1960s, over 165,000 marked bottles were strategically released to measure the speed and direction of ocean currents. Less strategically, a cargo ship accidentally spilled almost 30,000 bath toys (mostly rubber ducks) […]
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean have historically been the domain of male explorers and scientists. For many years women were not allowed to sail on ships as it was considered bad luck (despite the fact that ships are often referred to as females!). Over the last few decades that has been changing with increasing numbers […]