Updates

Bringing you hot topics, from cold places

Discover the latest updates on our activities, team and research findings. You can browse, filter by category or type, or search by keywords.

Fig 7 camp

Co-designing the future of the Antarctic Science Platform

Date: 2024
Type: Update
Summary: New Zealand’s Antarctic community is invited to participate in the design and development of a second phase of the Antarctic Science Platform.
Ross Ice Shelf Nov 2023 Photo High Chittock Antarctica New Zealand

West Antarctica’s ice sheet was smaller thousands of years ago – here’s why this matters today

Date: 2024
Type: Science
Authors: Dan Lowry
Summary: A key uncertainty in how much and how fast the seas will rise lies in whether currently “stable” parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet can become “unstable”. It retreated hundreds of kilometres some 7,000 years ago, and then advanced again to its present position within the last 2,000 years. But why? New research published in Nature tests two main hypotheses.
Sea ice

Antarctica's sea ice hit another low this year – understanding how ocean warming is driving the loss is key

Date: 2024
Type: Field Work
Authors: Craig Stevens
Summary: At the end of the southern summer, Antarctica’s sea ice hit its annual minimum. By at least one measure, which tracks the area of ocean that contains at least 15% of sea ice, it was a little above the record low of 2023.
Fig 1 hagglunds

Platelet ice sampling system: the first deployment

Date: 2024
Type: Science
Summary: The 22/23 Antarctic field season was the first scientific deployment of the new platelet sampling system. This custom-designed and bespoke-engineered system successfully sampled the biota associated with sea ice and platelet ice habitats.
2024 01 LAURA BASSI cornellisen 03

Podcast: The sea ice factories of Antarctica

Date: 2024
Type: In the media
Authors: Radio New Zealand: The Detail
Summary: If you want to study the health of the world's oceans, you need to get to their heartbeat. That's deep in the Ross Sea, where the sea ice factories of Antarctica - or polynyas - live.
Pressure ridges

Antarctic science-policy knowledge exchange practices in New Zealand

Date: 2024
Type: Update
Summary: Researchers have examined domestic stakeholder perspectives regarding Antarctic knowledge exchange, using Aotearoa New Zealand as a case study
Craig Cary

Tribute to Professor Craig Cary

Date: 2024
Type: Update
Authors: Antarctic Science Platform
Summary: Craig’s dedication to understanding the mysteries of our planet knew no bounds, and his contributions to science leave an indelible mark. His impact reaches beyond academia and research. He was a people person, in turns gregarious or contrary, always generous with his warmth and intellect.
2024 01 30 RI Spengiuns adelie Lana

Antarctica's coasts are becoming less icy

Date: 2024
Type: Press Release
Summary: An increase in pockets of open water in Antarctica’s sea ice (polynyas) may mean coastal plants and animals could one day establish on the continent, University of Otago-led research suggests.

Archive