Sea ice emergency summit

As Antarctic sea ice extent hits a record winter low, concerned scientists have called an emergency summit in Wellington next week.

Antarctica’s sea ice is in dramatic decline, tracking well below any winter maximum levels observed since satellite monitoring began during the late 1970s. This is creating global headlines, with sea ice loss in the Ross Sea region being attributed to winds pushing the ice against the continent.

This retreat and its implications topped the agenda at recent international conferences, and Antarctic Science Platform researchers are among New Zealand scientists convening a panel discussion on Antarctic sea ice and climate change.

The goal is to provide updates on this rapidly evolving situation, as well as highlight the potential direct and indirect implications for New Zealand, before researchers head into the field this season.

The emergency summit will be held on Tuesday, 3 October. It consists of an online discussion session for invited panellists, followed by an online media briefing hosted by the Science Media Centre at 2pm. There will also be a public information evening at Wellington’s City Gallery at 6pm, which will be livestreamed.

10am – 2pm Peer-to-peer discussion (online)

• The panel of experts includes Vonda Cummings, Billy van Uitregt, Miles Lamare, Adrian McDonald, Liz Keller, Sam Dean, Denise Fernandez, Ralph Chapman, Melissa Bowen and Andrew Pauling
• Interested members of the science community are welcome to listen in, and will be able to submit questions and comments
• Please register for the webinar:

  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lK8pzKrISnS_5i7dLSCFfg

6pm – 8pm Public panel discussion (Wellington in-person with livestream)

• Featuring our invited panellists, with a question-and-answer session
• This event is free but pre-registration is required.