Australian Antarctic Program Partnership

4 June

🌊 Antarctica and the sea ice of the Southern Ocean is a beating heart at the centre of our global #climate system. Stay in touch with #Antarctic #science via our quarterly newsletter 'Southern Signals'. Please sign up at aappartnership.org.au/contact-us/ to receive yours by email. 🌏 Pat Wongpan

🌊🌏 In the latest edition of 'Southern Signals', featuring some of our news from the last three months: ocean drones, sea-ice krill-highways, 40000 grounded icebergs, our #climate shock absorber, and an #Antarctic blind spot for sea-level rise. Read all about it ▶️ createsend.com/t/j-518B1EAB...

aappartnership.org.auSouthern Signals - AAPPSOUTHERN SIGNALS To communicate our research and inform policy making, AAPP produces a quarterly email bulletin called 'Southern Signals'. To receive Southern Signals, please subscribe...

🧊 Stay in touch with Antarctic #science via our quarterly newsletter 'Southern Signals'. Please sign up at aappartnership.org.au/southern-sig... to receive yours by email.

🎡 ‘Ferrous wheel’ vs 🔄 ‘spinning manga’ 🤷🏻‍♀️

Wendel van der Sluis@wendelvandersluis.bsky.social

🌊 Iron is essential for #MarineLife, supporting primary production and nitrogen fixation. But how does it compare with manganese in the Southern Ocean? A new study in Botanica Marina explores how these key trace metals are recycled in the ocean’s upper 200 metres.

🌀 Polar dynamos

Aaron Becker@aaronjbecker.bsky.social

Two weeks of air moving over the entire planet, both poles in one frame. Color is air temperature, brightness is speed. Around Antarctica, the storms of the Southern Ocean race west to east with almost no land in their way. Data: ERA5 / Copernicus #weather #wind #dataviz

🌊 Around #Antarctica, coastal polynyas are regions of persistent open water within the sea ice. They play a crucial role in polar climate by exchanging heat and moisture between the ocean and atmosphere, absorbing solar radiation, promoting biological productivity, and acting as ‘sea-ice factories’.

Combining the buoy measurements with wave modelling and over two decades of satellite imagery and weather data showed that strong winds coinciding with sufficient open-water fetch created wave fields in and around the polynya that transformed the sea ice conditions.

Until now, locally generated waves in polynyas have received relatively little attention. As Antarctic coastal polynyas evolve under a changing climate, wave activity may become increasingly important in shaping their sea-ice conditions and dynamics.

New research in @natcomms.nature.com led by @unimelb.edu.au shows that wind-generated waves within polynyas can break sea ice apart from the inside out, contrasting with the outside-inward breakup caused by Southern Ocean swells. ▶️ rdcu.be/wDHEwpiNqVQa

Wave buoys were left on coastal landfast ice bordering the Vincennes Bay polynya, near Casey Station in East Antarctica. Across several years when the fast ice beneath the instruments broke away from the coast, four buoys were sent drifting across the polynya. ▶️ eng.unimelb.edu.au/ingenium/bre...

prospectmagazine.co.ukIt’s time to keep our promise to protect AntarcticaThe international system is under strain, but in the Southern Ocean global cooperation may still work

Achievement of the promise to encircle the #Antarctic continent with marine protected areas needs a timetable set at this month's meeting of CCAMLR in Hobart, writes former US Secretary of State John Kerry in @prospectmagazine.co.uk. ▶️ www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/753...

🌊 The global ocean holds some 40 times more carbon than the atmosphere. It absorbs more than a quarter of our emissions every year, slowing the pace of climate change. The Southern Ocean has an outsized role in the #carbon budget and the #climate system. 🫧 aapp.shorthandstories.com/our-climate-...

🌊 Professors Nathan Bindoff and Delphine Lannuzel from AAPP are at the pre- #COP31 in Fiji, bringing #Antarctic and Southern Ocean #science to the centre of #climate action talks. @utas.edu.au @imas-utas.bsky.social @thesouthernocean.bsky.social

Sea-level rise is an existential threat for many Pacific nations. We bring information to #COP31 about the growing contribution of melting ice from #Antarctica. As seas rise and continue to rise, we have the power to choose how far and how fast. BRIEFING ▶️ aapp.shorthandstories.com/opening-the-...

The Southern Ocean connects all the world's oceans and plays an outsized role in taking up human carbon emissions. This essential service as a climate shock absorber may change with global heating. BRIEFING ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/wp-content/u...

Two years of daily sea surface temperature – with #Antarctica at the centre of the world

Aaron Becker@aaronjbecker.bsky.social

Ocean water warmer than 28 °C (82 °F) now covers 96 million km², up from 77 million on the same date last year: about two United States of extra hot sea surface. Two years of daily sea surface temperature. Data: NOAA OISST #ocean #climate #dataviz #maps

scimex.orgNEWS BRIEFING: What we don't know might hurt us - Antarctica's unexploNEWS BRIEFING: What we don't know might hurt us - Antarctica's unexplored threat ***RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE*** A region of Antarctica with enough ice to raise sea levels by three to four m

🌊 For an essential pre- #COP31 briefing on the risks of ignoring the potential sea-level rise risks from East #Antarctica's ice sheet to the Pacific and the world, check out this comprehensive presentation from @aussmc.bsky.social ▶️ www.scimex.org/newsfeed/new...

aappartnership.org.auInternational scientists call for urgent research into Antarctica’s last great unknown - AAPPIce basin with one of the greatest potential contributions to reshape the world is also the least understood and explored

With scientists from @utas.edu.au, @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social, @arcsaef.bsky.social, @vicuniwgtn.bsky.social ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/internationa...

Congratulations to our physical oceanographer Prof Nathan Bindoff @utas.edu.au on his election as one of 34 new Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering.

Nathan's citation: "a world-leading ocean and climate scientist (who) has made significant contributions to the detection, attribution and impact of climate change." All ATSE Fellows at atse.org.au/news/aussie-...

youtube.comProtecting Antarctica and the Southern Ocean: the role of the IPCC...and HobartYouTube video by Australian Antarctic Program Partnership

Watch Tasmanian #climate scientists discuss the importance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the outsized role of Hobart in bringing #Antarctic science to climate policy. ▶️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8PE...

pmn.co.nzAntarctic 'blind spot' raises fresh sea-level concerns for PacificScientists say a vast, little-studied ice basin could hold clues to how quickly sea levels could rise as the planet warms.

🌊 “For those of us living in low-lying islands, atolls, coastal communities and delta regions, sea level rise is not a future threat or mere speculation. It is our present reality.” — Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo ▶️ pmn.co.nz/read/environ...

theguardian.comAntarctic winter sea ice falls to third-lowest level on record as scientists warn of ‘now problem’Coverage levels fall a million square kilometres short of the long-term average, with global heating likely driving losses

🌊 Antarctic winter sea ice at 3rd-lowest level on record. “How sensitive is the global climate system to this loss of sea ice? We're still working to put numbers on that. But the system is changing faster than we are understanding it.” — Will Hobbs @utas.edu.au ▶️ www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...

Of course, less #Antarctic winter sea ice means less sea ice in summer too. And that brings knock-on impacts to the global #climate system. aapp.shorthandstories.com/a-world-with...

An enormous area of #Antarctic ice covering 1,400km by 400km, more than 4km thick in places, holds an estimated 3-4m of global sea-level rise, if melted. But for something so consequential for the natural world and human society, the Wilkes Subglacial Basin in #East Antarctica is largely unknown.

Research needed includes sediment core drilling, detailed mapping of the seafloor, monitoring ocean temperatures, improved observations of glaciers and new field campaigns across the region.

theconversation.comTragedy stopped Mawson exploring this remote Antarctic region. We must get there to study its melting iceIf all the ice in the Wilkes Subglacial Basin melted, it would raise global sea levels 3 to 4 metres. It happened before – at temperatures we’re heading towards

“Despite this region being a large part of Australian Antarctic Territory, I don’t know anyone who’s ever been there." — Prof Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social More than a century after Mawson, it's time to go back. ▶️ theconversation.com/tragedy-stop...

Models agree that ice loss is possible, but disagree about when it begins and how far it ultimately goes. Because most of the basin is below sea level, ice loss could be rapid and self-sustaining if warmer oceans melt from underneath the ice sheet. But gaps in the map make projections difficult.

The review by 39 scientists from 14 countries – led by @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social @utas.edu.au, along with authors from @arcsaef.bsky.social and AAPP – calls for an urgent multinational research effort to fill the knowledge gaps. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/internationa...

A major review in @natrevearthenviron.nature.com sets out what we know, what we don’t know, and what we need to do to find out. We know that the Wilkes region is changing, and that it has changed dramatically in the past, due to temperatures we're heading towards now. REVIEW ▶️ rdcu.be/6Y7f7GNsv5qa

theguardian.com‘Robust little’ vessel begins treacherous 22,000km journey around Antarctica in the name of climate sciencePowered by sun and wind, the uncrewed vehicle will collect data to help Australian scientists better understand how oceans absorb emissions

🌊 “The seven-metre craft, which looks like a large kayak in hi-vis orange, is expected to travel about 22,000km through inhospitable waters, propelled by powerful westerly winds and energy from the sun.” — @theguardian.com ▶️ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

🌊 We've released a #Saildrone into the wild! Seven metres long, the solar-powered autonomous uncrewed vessel will circumnavigate #Antarctica to collect data on carbon dioxide absorbed by the Southern Ocean – crucial for predicting climate change. SD1092 is the first of four over the next few years.

aappartnership.org.auOcean drones set to brave the Southern Ocean for science - AAPPThe first of a new fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles heads south from Hobart to circumnavigate Antarctica

🫧 The Southern Ocean has an outsized role in the global ocean #carbon budget and the #climate system. So by adding observations from places that are difficult to get to, we'll gain greater certainty about much carbon the Southern Ocean is taking up. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/ocean-drones...

🌬️ Saildrone 1092 was released in Storm Bay off Tasmania on a very windy day – a view from one of its cameras shows wind speeds more than 35kn with 6m+ waves. There'll be plenty more days like that in its travels around the Southern Ocean! Three days later SD1092 is about 500km southeast of Tasmania.

10 Sept

For the first time, crucially important features of the #Antarctic coastal zone have been mapped in high resolution right around the continent, by training an artificial intelligence tool to accurately recognise grounded icebergs from satellite radar images. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/picket-fence...

doi.orgGrounded icebergs around Antarctica: a high-resolution dataset derived from deep learning and Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radarAbstract. Icebergs frequently run aground on shoals on the continental shelf around Antarctica. Once rendered immobile, they can anchor landfast sea ice (fast ice) and their supply of limiting trace n...

10 Sept

“Traditionally, iceberg monitoring relied heavily on manual analysis of satellite imagery. The aim of my project was to develop accurate, continent-wide automated mapping of grounded iceberg distribution and size – and that’s what we did."— Kaihong Jiao, AAPP @utas.edu.au ▶️ doi.org/10.5194/essd...

9 Sept

🚨 PhD project in Hobart @utas.edu.au 🌊 Using Deep Argo floats, investigate variability and change in #Antarctic Bottom Water and the deep overturning circulation in the Southern Ocean 🎓 Scholarships available ✍️ Applications close 1 October ▶️ More info at www.utas.edu.au/research/deg...

New research shows #Antarctic krill larvae can travel much farther across the Southern Ocean by hitching a ride with drifting sea ice than with ocean currents alone. ↔️ “Year to year, the same starting population of krill can experience very different transport pathways” — Aditya Sharma

youtube.comLife of KrillYouTube video by @AusAntarctic

The life cycle of Antarctic krill is an incredible shape-shifting journey from egg to adult – and sea ice is an important part of it, providing shelter, food and transport for the larvae over winter. 👀 www.youtube.com/watch?v=QruX...

The findings highlight how changing sea ice could reshape krill populations, ecosystem connectivity and fisheries management across the Southern Ocean. Co-authored by a team from AAPP @utas.edu.au, @imas-utas.bsky.social, @bas.ac.uk and Australian Antarctic Division Paper ▶️ doi.org/10.1002/gcb4...

aappartnership.org.auSea ice creates hidden highways for young Antarctic krill - AAPPAntarctic krill larvae can travel much farther by hitching a ride with drifting sea ice, rather than with ocean currents alone

Modelling shows that sea ice significantly alters krill transport between regions of the south-west Atlantic sector where the krill fishery is concentrated. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/sea-ice-crea...

3 Sept

🌊 Australian scientists are part of a bold international plan to target the knowledge gaps that prevent reliable predictions about the contributions of #Antarctic ice loss to global sea-level rise. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/rings-around... 📸 F McCormack, @arcsaef.bsky.social

3 Sept

🌏 Understanding the interactions between the atmosphere, ocean, ice and the solid Earth is key to predicting how far and how fast the seas will rise in a warming world. ▶️ scar.org/scar-news/cr... Led by @scar-antarctic.bsky.social RINGS Action Group

3 Sept

⭕ #AntarcticRINGS proposes geophysical surveys of the entire Antarctic coastal zone with three circumpolar rings around the icy continent – tracking inland ice flow, grounding zones and ice shelves to capture the critical processes driving ice loss. ▶️ Full review doi.org/10.1029/2022... @agu.org

28 Aug

🌊 6 plenaries, 7 keynotes, 22 parallel sessions, 123 presentations, 121 posters, 29 lightning talks: many thanks to the 400 delegates from Tasmania, Australia and beyond who made #AARC2026 @utas.edu.au such a resounding success! ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/antarctic-sc... 📸 PW Allen, G Moss

26 Aug

Antarctic science, Australia's future #AARC2026 📸 Peter W Allen @utas.edu.au

26 Aug

The Australian #Antarctic Research Conference #AARC2026 is well under way with more than 400 people sharing posters, presentations, panels, and planning sessions — from humanities to glaciology, atmospheric science to technology, tourism to tipping points. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/antarctic-sc...

21 Aug

More than 400 polar experts gather @utas.edu.au next week for the Australian Antarctic Research Conference. The event brings together our #Antarctic research community at a time of rapid and extreme climate-related changes on and around the icy continent. ▶️ aappartnership.org.au/antarctic-sc...

19 Aug

Rapid changes are reshaping #Antarctica, with consequences for our global #climate. This year's Philip Law Lecture 'Dispatches from the Far South' will be delivered by Dr Ed Doddridge @imas-utas.bsky.social, 6pm AEST on 20 August. Reserve your free seats now! ▶️ www.utas.edu.au/events/2026/...

14 Aug

🌊 In recent years #Antarctica has seen an explosion of climate-related change, with major implications for our planet. New extremes are emerging, including heatwaves, record-low sea ice and ice shelf collapses. These are the alarm bells from the south... ▶️ aapp.shorthandstories.com/alarm-bells-...