Wednesday, August 26, 2026

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

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Overview

Convenors: Dr Natalia Ribeiro and Dr Will Hobbs

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Details

Antarctic change could have profound impacts on Australia and, to prepare for that, we need robust model projections of Antarctic and Southern Ocean change. Those models rely on observations for development, tuning and validation. This session will bring the observational and modelling communities together to identify priority observations required to respond to future Antarctic change. The session will be an open discussion facilitated by the conveners, with the aim of identifying the priority observations that are needed to support Antarctic climate projections. The discussion will be framed by short opening talks by established members of Australia’s modelling and polar observation communities. The outcome will be a 3–4 page community summary capturing agreed priorities and recommendations. This document will be shared with organisations such as the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), ACCESS-NRI, the Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS), and the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) to inform future observing strategies and investments. Draft agenda 1. Welcome: Why this matters now and key session goals (convenors). 2. Opening statements (15 min) “What observations do we need to prepare Australia for Antarctic change?” o Observational scientist presents their case. - Steve Rintoul (CSIRO) o Modeller presents their case. -Michael Tetley (ACCESS-NRI) 3. Deliberation (floor discussion) (40 min) o Guided discussion using targeted questions o Identify key observational priorities and gaps o Capture perspectives across observation, modelling, and end users 4. Verdict: synthesis and wrap-up (20 min) o Define key messages and priority themes o Outline next steps for summary document Expected outcome/s Leverage the presence of the Australian Antarctic research community to develop a 3–4 page synthesis document outlining: • Priority observations required to prepare Australia for Antarctic change • Key gaps and challenges at the observation–model interface • Opportunities for improved coordination across observing and modelling efforts This summary will be shared with AAD, ACCESS-NRI, SOOS, and IMOS to inform future observing strategies, investments, and coordination.