Latest news with #AustralianAntarcticDivision
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Antarctic clouds and pristine air hold clues to climate model blind spots
From the deck of an enormous research ship, surrounded by icebergs, Chelsea Bekemeier releases a tethered balloon into the air. She's standing in temperatures well below freezing, stationed deep in the Southern Ocean, just off East Antarctica. It's about as far from civilisation as you can get. The closest city, Hobart, is 5,000 kilometres away. But for scientists like Ms Bekemeier, this remote part of the world represents a treasure trove. The Southern Ocean is known as the "engine room" for global weather and climate, yet it remains a big blind spot for climate data. Scientists from around the world are making the mammoth journey to this end of the Earth to try and fill in crucial gaps in knowledge and improve global climate and weather models. The journey, which she returned from last month, is not for the faint-hearted. It took Ms Bekemeier — who is based at Colorado State University — three flights spanning more than 24 hours just to get to Hobart. It is then another week of travel on board the Australian Antarctic Division's RSV Nuyina to reach Denman Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in East Antarctica. She spent nine weeks on board the massive icebreaker, specially designed to break through the ice and huge swells. The remote location and harsh environment are the very reasons research has been so limited in this part of the globe, especially in the lead-up to winter. "I was very nervous," Ms Bekemeier said. "They made it very clear to us after a year of medical testing, psychological testing, jumping through hoops, that you are in a remote region on a boat. "If you need help, we have two doctors, but you really cannot get out. "It takes a week if you're in good condition to get back to land." The scientists on board the research vessel were investigating a range of important subjects — from marine life to sea floor mapping and recent rapid ice loss. But for Ms Bekemeier, a climate scientist, it was all about the clouds. The balloon the researchers released was fitted with sensors to capture data from the inside of these clouds. Clouds are a crucial aspect of the Earth's climate system, acting to cool and warm it by reflecting sunlight and trapping heat, like a blanket. "Clouds are constantly doing this job of balancing the incoming sunlight," she said. "You can see that when you go outside on a hot day and the clouds roll in, and the temperature drops pretty rapidly. "Then at night, if it's really overcast, it actually feels warmer because at night they insulate the planet." Yet clouds are also the biggest source of uncertainty for scientists projecting climate change, particularly "mixed phase" clouds, which contain both ice and water. It's this type of cloud that Ms Bekemeier is trying to better understand. "The Southern Ocean is the cloudiest region on the planet," she said. Currently, climate models struggle to represent the ratio of ice to water inside the clouds over this region — something that has big ramifications for temperatures on the ground. "We really want to understand these clouds so that we can use them in the models to project future climate," Ms Bekemeier said. Making matters more complex is the region's uniquely fresh air. While clouds on land are influenced by pollutants and dust, the Southern Ocean has some of the most pristine air on the planet, meaning the make-up of its clouds is different. Clouds formed over the Southern Ocean can contain microscopic marine life — like fragments of phytoplankton and gases they release. Ms Bekemeier said understanding what goes into making clouds in this region was a crucial step in shedding light on one of the biggest blind spots in climate models. A bit closer to home, CSIRO research scientist Ruhi Humphries has recently returned from a separate research trip onboard the RV Investigator, which also ventured into the vast, icy waters of the Southern Ocean. He, too, is interested in the region's uniquely fresh air, not just for clouds but for what it can tell us about the impacts of human activity on the atmosphere. "In a city, you would have lots of different sources of pollution. So you've got your cars that are spewing out CO2 and particles, and all your industry." This clean air over the Southern Ocean gives scientists a better idea of the bigger picture of climate change, away from pollution. "It's what we call baseline air," he said. "If you are going on a diet, you need to know your before weight so you can figure out your after weight and how much you've lost. "And for climate change, if we want to understand our impact and how to mitigate that effectively, we need to know what the atmosphere looks like without that pollution. "So, we have to find a location on the planet, which is as clean as possible … so then we can understand what the impact of humans is." This data has been captured in north-west Tasmania, at the Kennaook/Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station, for nearly 50 years. But now, Dr Humphries and his team have the opportunity to cross-check how fresh that air is with the use of state-of-the-art technology. "We've always assumed … that the air that we measured there is representative of that really distant Southern Ocean air," he said. "But now … we're taking the ship south-west, down into the Southern Ocean, to test how far Kennaook/Cape Grim is representative of that baseline air." According to both Dr Humphries and Ms Bekemeier, the research taking place in the Southern Ocean is a key part of understanding the impacts of climate change globally. "The Southern Ocean is vital to the future of our planet," Ms Bekemeier said. "Changes to this region will have impacts for the entire planet; impacts on the Antarctic circulations, impacts on the polar jet stream, impacts on climate around the world, impacts on weather in Australia." It's for this reason that both Ms Bekemeier and Dr Humphries say it's important the whole world works together, as part of a global endeavour to advance climate science. "We're part of global monitoring networks, and we're doing global climate models." For Ms Bekemeier, this hits particularly close to home. Her role on the Southern Ocean voyage was funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF has faced significant funding cuts this year under the Trump administration, with hundreds of research grants terminated. "I am really devastated to see what is happening to climate science and science in general in the United States and the gutting of the US Antarctic program," she said. "I'm grateful that we have colleagues that can continue this work because we might not be able to do it in our own country."
Miami Herald
04-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Antarctic voyage reveals creatures of the deep while exploring glacier. See them
Armed with lab equipment and two months of food and clothes, around 60 researchers boarded the RSV Nuyina icebreaker ship for its first scientific voyage in March. They are taking part in the Denman Marine Voyage, a trip from Australia to Antarctica to study the Denman Glacier and its ecosystem. Now, nearing the end of the journey, the research team is reporting some of its results and the interesting creatures it is finding along the way. The voyage launched from Hobart, Tasmania, with 45 crew members, 25 support staff and 60 scientists from four organizations — the Australian Antarctic Division, the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science, the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership and Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, according to an April 2 news release shared by the Australian Antarctic Division to McClatchy News. 'The main aim of the voyage is to better understand how factors such as warmer ocean waters are influencing changes in the (62-mile-long) Denman Glacier — which has retreated (3 miles) in the past two decades,' according to the organization. 'If the Denman were to melt entirely, it could contribute about (5 feet) to global sea level rise.' Researchers have collected data on conductivity, temperature and depth of the seawater, as well as 'ancient organic material' and debris from the ice sheet collected in sediment cores from the seafloor, the Australian Antarctic Division said. Some teams are also studying how clouds form in the Southern Ocean, hoping to improve climate modeling. But another part of the voyage is understanding the region's biodiversity, and some creatures seemed to volunteer for science. In the first five weeks of the trip, a 'sea butterfly' or 'delicate pteropod,' was pulled into the icebreaker's wet well, according to the Australian Antarctic Division. 'It has started producing eggs in the aquarium, allowing researchers to document pteropod egg development for the first time,' according to the release. It's a species called Clio pyramidata, and was nicknamed 'Clio' by the team, the organization said. 'The team is super excited about having the little creature and observing it and looking after it, so that it tells all the secrets that have been hidden until now,' researcher Laura Herraiz Borreguero told ABC News, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Aside from the 'sea butterfly,' researchers also collected sea spiders, sea stars, octopus and 'sea pigs,' according to the release. Sea pigs, or scotoplanes, are species of sea cucumbers with appendages that make them appear like small pigs, and they are often pink in color, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. 'The sea pig spends its days snuffling though the muddy sediments on the seafloor, eating bits of dead algae and animals that have fallen from the surface,' the aquarium said. 'When something big, like a whale fall, sinks to the seafloor, huge herds of sea pigs gather nearby to feast on the rich organic sediments from the decaying carcass.' The RSV Nuyina and its passengers will return to Tasmania in early May, about a 3,100-mile journey, where the data collected from the research voyage can be studied and logged, according to the release. Tasmania is an island territory off the southeastern coast of Australia.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists discover strange life on Antarctica's ocean floor
In the beginning of 2025, a team of scientists discovered a pristine underwater ecosystem in the Antarctic (Southern) Ocean after a large iceberg broke away from the massive continent. Now, only a few months later, a new team of scientists exploring the Antarctic Ocean floor has captured and documented several strange species that call the cold floor home. The crew on the RSV Nuyina is on a mission to study the effects of warming sea temperatures on the Denman Glacier. DON'T MISS: According to the Australian Antarctic Program website: 'The Denman Glacier is one of the fastest retreating glaciers in East Antarctica, with the potential to increase global sea levels by 1.5 metres.' Part of the team's mission is also to study and reveal what life exists on the seafloor near the glacier to understand the biodiversity of species for future conservation. Path the RSV Nuyina is taking to reach the Denman glacier on it's groundbreaking voyage. (Commonwealth of Australia/Australian Antarctic Division) Using a beam trawler, the team pulled up heavy mud containing several interesting bottom-dwelling creatures. A camera was also deployed to the ocean floor so the team could observe the creatures without disturbing them. SEE ALSO: Additionally, the ship is equipped with a specialized "wet well" which allows researchers to gently pull up small, fragile creatures from the water and into a tank where they can be collected and observed. Scientists are able to observe and take care of captured specimens in aquariums onboard the RSV Nuyina. (Commonwealth of Australia/Australian Antarctic Division) 'Nobody has ever done this in this area—it is real 'voyage of discovery' stuff,' Craig Johnson, Senior Scientist and project lead for the benthic imagery team for the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science on the Denman Marine Voyage, said in a blog post published on April 4. 'The silence in the room gives way to sounds of delight as all manner of animals come into view. Bloated sea pigs and other species of sea cucumber, brittle stars, and sea stars feed on the organic material in the sediment, while spectacular feather stars (crinoids), sponges, fan worms, hydroids, and sea whips (octocorals) filter their food from the water.' This gelatinous-looking blob is called a "sea pig," and is a type of sea cucumber that was collected by scientists on the Antarctic ocean floor. (Commonwealth of Australia/Australian Antarctic Division) One of the species that has garnered public attention is the sea pig. No, it isn't an actual aquatic pig living on the bottom of the ocean; it's a type of sea cucumber that was named for its pig-like appearance. Another misnomer species the scientists collected is the sea butterfly. Called a butterfly for its fluttering appearance while swimming, this creature is actually a type of sea snail! Called a "sea butterfly" for its fluttering appearance when swimming in the water, this creature collected by the team of scientists is a type of sea snail. (Commonwealth of Australia/Australian Antarctic Division) Those who suffer from a fear of spiders may not want to know that large sea spiders were also collected from the ocean floor. Despite their creepy, spindly appearance, sea spiders are actually more closely related to crabs and crustaceans than to the arachnids we all know and (sometimes) love. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's news outlet, ABC News, some of the scientists onboard the vessel believe that some of the species they've collected and observed could be new to science. In addition to this research, other teams on the RSV Nuyina are investigating how clouds are formed over the Antarctic Ocean. The voyage will make its return to Hobart, Australia, in early May. Written with files from ABC News and Live Science. Thumbnail image supplied by the Commonwealth of Australia/Australian Antarctic Division.
Express Tribune
03-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Even Antarctica's penguins fall under Trump's tariff radar
Listen to article A group of remote, uninhabited volcanic islands near Antarctica, home to penguins, has been swept into US President Donald Trump's sweeping new trade tariffs, sparking confusion and mockery over the inclusion of territories with no population or recorded exports. Heard Island and McDonald Islands, a glacial-covered Australian external territory accessible only by a two-week boat journey from Perth, were named among the countries and territories subject to a 10% tariff on goods, according to a list published by the White House. The islands, which have no permanent residents and last received human visitors nearly a decade ago, were listed separately from Australia alongside other Australian external territories, including the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, and Norfolk Island. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded with irony on Thursday, saying: 'Nowhere on Earth is safe.' Norfolk Island, home to around 2,200 residents, received a harsher 29% tariff, despite limited trade with the United States. The island's administrator, George Plant, disputed official data suggesting it exported over US$650,000 worth of goods, including US$413,000 in leather footwear to the US in 2023. 'There are no known exports from Norfolk Island to the United States and no tariffs or known non-tariff trade barriers on goods coming to Norfolk Island,' Plant said. Export data for Heard and McDonald Islands was even more puzzling. The World Bank reported US$1.4 million in exports to the US in 2022, primarily 'machinery and electrical' goods, despite the islands having no buildings, no port infrastructure, and no permanent inhabitants. Trade experts and observers questioned the accuracy of the data and the rationale behind targeting such remote locations. Albanese said the inclusion of these territories 'exemplifies the randomness and reach of the tariff list.' The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian Antarctic Division, and the White House have yet to comment.
Wall Street Journal
03-04-2025
- Science
- Wall Street Journal
Trump's Tariffs Are Truly Global. Just Ask the Penguins of McDonald Islands.
King penguins in the Australian territory of Heard Island. (Australian Antarctic Division/AFP via Getty Images)
