Knowledge Hub

Explore our repository of research outputs and information.

We aim to share and communicate our research, to benefit New Zealand and the international community. You can browse, filter by category or type, or search by keywords.

Drilling Sea ice 2025 IMG 8596 INGA Smith

Why is Antarctic sea ice so hard to model?

Authors: Andrew Pauling, Inga Smith, Max Thomas
Year Published: 2023
Document Type: Cold Call Articles
Ownership: Antarctic Science Platform
Summary: Climate models struggle to reproduce observed Antarctic sea-ice behaviour, due to the many processes affecting its formation and melt. Models must get these processes right in order to inform us what might happen next.
Antarctic sea ice

The connections between sea ice and climate

Authors: James Renwick
Year Published: 2023
Document Type: Cold Call Articles
Ownership: Antarctic Science Platform
Summary: Antarctic sea ice has an annual seasonal cycle of formation and melting, plus it’s exposed to the winds and storms of the Southern Ocean and to a range of climate influences from near and far.
Journal paper image

An Assessment of the Oceanic Physical and Biogeochemical Components of CMIP5 and CMIP6 Models for the Ross Sea Region

Authors: G.Rickard, E.Behrens, A.Bahamondes-Dominguea, M.Pinkerton
Year Published: 2023
Document Type: Papers
Ownership: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
Summary: The physical and biogeochemical performance of 16 CMIP5 and 16 CMIP6 Earth System models (ESM) are examined relative to present day (1976–2005) observational data sets for a Ross Sea Region (RSR).
28102022 NZHMSARDERNICE11

Climate change and international diplomacy in Antarctica

Authors: Rowan Howard-Williams
Year Published: 2022
Document Type: Cold Call Articles
Ownership: Antarctic Science Platform
Summary: How climate change affects Antarctica is going to influence the speed and severity of changes in New Zealand and the rest of the planet. Climate change is a priority topic in Antarctic governance. Next year the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting has dedicated a day to consider the implementation of recommendations in a landmark climate change report. Those discussions will take place in a unique policy setting, almost as unusual as Antarctica itself, because the continent is ‘governed’ by an international treaty system.
Emperors and their chicks

Survival of emperor penguins depends on emissions reductions

Authors: Rowan Howard-Williams and Michelle LaRue
Year Published: 2022
Document Type: Cold Call Articles
Ownership: Antarctic Science Platform
Summary: Emperor penguins are an iconic Antarctic species, but their dependence on sea ice means they are expected to be impacted substantially by climate change.
Antarctic Sea Ice 03 Trends

Antarctic Sea Ice #3: Trends and Future Projections

Authors: Kyle Clem, Rob Massom, Sharon Stammerjohn and Phillip Reid
Year Published: 2022
Document Type: Reports
Ownership: Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
Summary: Since reliable and continuous satellite records began in 1979, there have been strong regionally- and seasonally-varying patterns of change and variability in sea-ice extent around Antarctica – in contrast to a largely uniform loss of sea ice across the Arctic. This summary on SCAR's Antarctic Environments Portal is based on the best available science.
Ice edge crack up with seal from helo

Antarctic Science Platform Submission on Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways 2021 Green Paper

Authors: Nancy Bertler, Melissa Climo
Year Published: 2022
Document Type: Reports
Ownership: Antarctic Science Platform
Summary: A submission made to MBIE’s Te Ara Paerangi Future Pathways process, contributing to design of Aotearoa New Zealand’s future research, science and innovation system.
Figure 1 diverse and pristine Antarctic seafloor communities

Changes in the Ross Sea and the future of carbon storage

Authors: Miles Lamare, Vonda Cummings, Ian Hawes and Rowan Howard-Williams
Year Published: 2022
Document Type: Cold Call Articles
Ownership: Antarctic Science Platform
Summary: The Southern Ocean mops up anthropogenic CO2 emissions. But acting as a ‘sink’ for this excess heat and carbon dioxide is having an effect on the ocean and the ecosystems it supports.