Poster Session 1: Tuesday
Tracks
Studio Theatre
| Tuesday, August 25, 2026 |
| 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM |
Overview
Tuesday - Wednesday
Details
CLIMATE SYSTEM AND CHANGE
Miss Katja Curtin - ANU Understanding Southern Ocean heat and carbon ventilation to improve climate projections 1
Dr Reka-Hajnalka Fulop - ANSTO In situ cosmogenic C-14 systematic and its implication for Antarctic Ice-Sheet reconstruction 2
Ms Talia Hawkes - IMAS, UTAS Investigating the systematics of Pb isotopes in seawater at East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier 3
Ms Alexandra Parrott - UTAS Examining the stability of the Lambert-Amery glacial system across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition using sedimentary records 4
Ms Harriet Easterbrook - UTAS The source of recent polar Southern Ocean warming 5
Dr Ezhilsabareesh Kannadasan - ACCESS-NRI / ANU Towards a fully coupled ocean sea-ice wave configuration in ACCESS-OM3 6
Mr Jenan Rajavarathan - UTAS Sensitivity of Antarctic GPS-derived bedrock motion to surface mass balance loading corrections and reference-frame realisation strategies 7
Mr John Reilly - UTAS Towards Dynamic Ice-Sheet Coupling in the ACCESS Earth System Model 8
LCDR Daniel Atwater - ADF Representing Antarctic landfast sea ice in CICE6 with lateral drag from coastlines and grounded icebergs 9
Dr Daniel Baggenstos - AAD A new Australian gas lab for the Million Year Ice Core project 10
Ms Alanah Chapman – Uni Melb A model sensitivity analysis of aerosol precursor emissions related to Antarctic sea ice 11
Ms Hannah Clark - Victoria University of Wellington A new biomarker record of East Antarctic temperature and vegetation across the Eocene-Oligocene Transition. 12
Mr Alexander Doherty - UTAS Understanding variability beneath the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica 13
Dr Jodi Fox - UTAS New Insights from Gaussberg Volcano, East Antarctica 14
Dr Matthew Jeromson - Uni Canb Simultaneous atmospheric–oceanic controls on East Antarctic Peninsula ice-shelf stability during the Holocene 15
Ms Lanyu Jia - Monash Evaluating CMIP6 representation of climate modes and teleconnections to Antarctic mass balance 16
Dr Junshu Lin - UNSW / South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, CAS Delayed Response of Eddy Kinetic Energy Build-up off Somali Coast During Summer Monsoon 17
Dr Scott Meyerink - AAPP Dissolved Trace Metal Distributions Along a GEOTRACES Transect from Antarctica to South West Australia (I09S) 18
Dr Ryan North - Monash Resolving Late Quaternary East Antarctic Ice-Sheet Dynamics in Dronning Maud Land Using Paired Cosmogenic 10Be and in-situ 14C Chronologies 19
Dr Yushan Qu - UNSW / Ocean University of China Projected Changes of Mesoscale Eddy Activity in Subantarctic Mode Water Formation Regions 20
Distinguished Professor Joellen Russell - University of Arizona Seasonal stratospheric cooling over Antarctica changes the climate 21
Ms Helen Shea - Monash High and low Antarctic sea ice states in CMIP6 models 22
Dr Daniela F Soto - Universidad De Talca CryoRoads: an eco-genomic framework for mapping the biogeography and dispersal pathways of Antarctic snow algae 23
Ms Yucan Wu - ANU Iron Isotope Systematics in East Antarctic Coastal Waters: A Comparison of the Mertz and Denman Glacier Regions 24
BIODIVERSITY
Dr Cara Masere - AAD Long-term monitoring of fish at Heard Island and McDonald Islands: Insights into biodiversity and management applications 25
Mr Fernando Mejia Gonzalez - James Cook University Unfreezing the genome of an Antarctic octopus: Chromosome-level assembly and genome annotation of Adelieledone adelieana 26
Ms Jaslyn Allnutt - IMAS How do diving seabirds use the Macquarie Island Marine Park? 27
Mr Ming Cheng - ANU A temperature-normalised view of Southern Ocean primary productivity under climate warming 28
Dr David Green - ACEAS Foraging seals reveal vertical structure of Southern Ocean myctophids 29
Miss Clarissa Hee - Monash The Signy Island biodiversity database 30
Ms Maddison Howell - JCU Using a whole genome assembly of Sterechinus antarcticus to uncover the genomic basis of survival in the Antarctic deep-shelf environment 31
Miss Laura Patier - IMAS Pathogens in Antarctic wildlife: detection and discovery 33
Ms Yongyi Peng - Monash Dryland soils are hotspots of diverse and dynamic prokaryotic antiviral defenses 34
Miss Andrea Polanowski - AAD CircumPOOlar DNA diet comparison: spatial variation in the diet of Adélie penguin populations at nine breeding sites across Antarctica. 35
Ms Ilona Sinn - UOW Humpback whale recovery in the Southern Ocean: demographic drivers and vulnerability to environmental change 36
Professor Kerrie Swadling - AAPP Arms race in the Southern Ocean: copepods and krill exert strong grazing pressure on the diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis. 37
FIELD CAMPAIGNS
Dr Linda Armbrecht - IMAS Cook Ice Ecosystems and Sediments - COOKIES (IN2026_V01) 38
Dr Abigail Smith - AAD Krill Assisted Resuspension of Material to Atmosphere (KARMA): what goes down comes back around 39
Associate Professor Patti Virtue - AAD The trajectory of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina L.) population at Heard Island (1948-2025), a South Indian Ocean World Heritage property 40
Prof Andrew Bowie - IMAS A Decade Long Study of the Role of the Atmosphere in Supplying Iron to the Southern Ocean South of Australia 41
Dr Sonya Fiddes - AAPP / IMAS Modelling the MISO voyage: biological influence on aerosol, clouds and radiation 42
Ms Megan Kerr - University of Texas The coupling of ice and rock over deep time in the southern flank of Dome A, Antarctica: Results from the NSF Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) 43
Dr Sally Lau - JCU Octopus diversification follows Antarctic Bottom Water pathways and intersection 44
Dr Coti Manassero - ACEAS Integrated Magnetotelluric and Seismic Constraints on Mantle Viscosity Beneath East Antarctica 45
Dr Tobias Staal - UTAS The Bathymetry under Shackleton Ice Shelf 46
MONITORING & DETECTING CHANGES
Dr Alexandra Jurkiw - Geoscience Australia What controls your Southern Ocean and Antarctic Bathymetry Data – examples from recent RSV Nuyina voyages 47
Dr Samuel Beale - Monash Unveiling the environmental drivers of plant trait variation across Macquarie Island 48
Dr Jenny Giles - CSIRO An authoritative reference library for eDNA in the Southern Ocean 49
Dr Angus Henderson - IMAS Contrasting abundance trajectories for recovering baleen whales under rapidly changing human pressures in the Antarctic Peninsula region 50
Ms Yushan Song - UTAS Three-Dimensional Modelling of Marine Ice Shelf Fracture and Instability Using a Hybrid Finite-Discrete Element Method with Simplified Hydrodynamics 51
Mr Neal Young - AAPP Wide-area mapping of the Antarctic surface wind field from Thermal-Infra-Red images 52
Dr Tristan Burgess - AAD How do we manage wildlife health in the Antarctic and what is the role of National Antarctic Programmes 53
Ms Gabrielle Burke - IMAS Automating Antarctic landfast ice mapping using Sentinel 1 SAR imagery 54
Ms Luiza De Araujo Motta – IMAS High-Resolution Assessment of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) Flux in the Southern Ocean: A 230Th-Based Approach 55
Mr Lewis Drury – UTAS Remote, rugged, reliable, robust?
Advances in Southern Ocean sea-level monitoring 56
Ms Stella Fish - QUT Quantifying biodiversity in terrestrial Antarctica: bryophytes in space and time 57
Miss Brittany Gorry - QUT Investigating Generative Geospatial Foundation Models for Segmentation of Antarctic Remote Sensing under Data-Scarce Conditions 58
Dr Alyce Hancock - SOOS The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS): Connecting observations to understanding in a changing Southern Ocean 59
Mr Norman Mueller - Geoscience Australia Digital Earth Antarctica: An Open Access Satellite Data Platform 60
Miss Stella Riordan - UOW Identifying Antarctic moss species for biological proxy work: a morphological approach across three regions 61
Mr Michael Santarossa - AAD RSV Nuyina Science Capabilities 62
Ms Mariapina Vomero - UTAS Tidal Influence on Doline formation on the Amery Ice Shelf 63
HUMAN IMPACTS, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS
Mrs Grace Butcher - Geoscience Australia Measuring Human Impacts in Antarctic Ice-Free Areas: A Practical Framework for Assessment and Management 64
Ms Madi McLatchie - UQ The Extent of Plastic and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Contamination in Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Wildlife 65
Ms Kasey Williams - AAD Investigating the Inaccessible: Understanding Behaviour of a Fuel Spill Under Ice 66
SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES
Mrs Khush Bakht Rauf - University of Canterbury Effectiveness of the Antarctic Tourism Environmental Impact Assessment System 67
Dr Rupert Summerson - Independent Scholar The Wanderer. Representing a Southern Ocean icon in music. 68
Mrs Wei Xing - University of Canterbury Evaluating the Adaptiveness of the Antarctic Treaty System 69
Dr Diana King - UOW Securing a prominent role for diversity, equity and inclusion in Antarctica's Environmental Future 70
Speaker
LCDR Daniel Atwater
Oceanographer
Australian Defence Force
Representing Antarctic landfast sea ice in CICE6 with lateral drag from coastlines and grounded icebergs
Abstract Document
Antarctic landfast sea ice forms when sea ice becomes mechanically anchored to coastlines and grounded icebergs. It influences coastal polynyas, ocean--ice-shelf exchange, ecosystems, and Antarctic operations, but remains poorly represented in most global sea-ice and coupled climate models. In many modelling studies, persistent Antarctic fast has been artificially prescribed. This presentation introduces an alternative approach in CICE6: a lateral-drag stress that allows simulated sea ice to feel the unresolved resistance of coastlines and grounded icebergs while leaving the model land--ocean mask unchanged. The parameterisation separates the geographical pattern of potential anchoring from the dynamic response of the ice. Geometric form factors are derived from high-resolution Antarctic coastline data and a grounded-iceberg dataset, while form functions determine how the lateral-drag stress varies with ice speed and deformation. We test various drag formulations in a global quarter-degree stand-alone CICE6 configuration forced by hourly atmospheric fields and daily ocean surface boundary conditions. Preliminary results from multi-year experiments show that free-slip CICE without lateral drag produces little persistent Antarctic fast ice, whereas lateral-drag experiments restore simulated fast-ice area to the observed order of magnitude. The work provides a pathway for representing Antarctic fast-ice anchoring in CICE-based coupled climate models while preserving ocean-grid connectivity and avoiding static grounded-iceberg land-mask modifications.
Biography
Final year part-time remote PhD student at UTAS/IMAS/AAPP. Full-time Navy Officer in Meteorology and Oceanography.
Dr Daniel Baggenstos
Scientist
Australian Antarctic Division
A new Australian gas lab for the Million Year Ice Core project
Abstract Document
The aim of the Million Year Ice Core Project (MYIC) is to drill and recover an ice core that extends to well over a million years ago. Due to the highly thinned nature of the ice close to the bedrock at the MYIC site, achieving good vertical sampling resolution, and thus small-sample analyses, is critical for resolving variability in climate records. This requirement has driven major development of new ice core gas measurement capabilities, including a small-volume extraction system and a gas extension to the existing continuous flow analysis setup.
The ice core gas laboratory now integrates a small-volume (~50 g) sublimation extraction system, a QCL absorption spectrometer, a MAT 253+ mass spectrometer, and a G2401 Picarro gas analyzer. We present first results and a comprehensive characterisation of system performance, including blanks, reproducibility, and precision for greenhouse gas measurements (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, δ¹³CO₂). In addition, we assess isotope measurements of the main air components (δ¹⁵N–N₂, δ¹⁸O–O₂, and δO₂/N₂) to evaluate analytical robustness and support interpretation of firn processes, gas trapping, and aid with dating.
The ice core gas laboratory now integrates a small-volume (~50 g) sublimation extraction system, a QCL absorption spectrometer, a MAT 253+ mass spectrometer, and a G2401 Picarro gas analyzer. We present first results and a comprehensive characterisation of system performance, including blanks, reproducibility, and precision for greenhouse gas measurements (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, δ¹³CO₂). In addition, we assess isotope measurements of the main air components (δ¹⁵N–N₂, δ¹⁸O–O₂, and δO₂/N₂) to evaluate analytical robustness and support interpretation of firn processes, gas trapping, and aid with dating.
Biography
Ms Alanah Chapman
Phd Candidate
The University of Melbourne
A model sensitivity analysis of aerosol precursor emissions related to Antarctic sea ice
Abstract Document
The complex interactions between radiation, clouds and aerosol remains the largest source of uncertainty in estimates of climate sensitivity to anthropogenic emissions. In the remote Southern Ocean far from anthropogenic sources, climate models significantly underestimate the number of aerosol particles, which importantly affect cloud properties, precipitation and radiation. Efforts to improve aerosol representation have so far shown limited success, highlighting issues with the aerosol to cloud microphysical processes within climate models. Recent work suggests that improving natural aerosol processes may be a key part to improving the modelling for this region.
We explore aerosol and climate responses to an Antarctic sea ice associated source of the natural aerosol precursor gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Studies over Antarctic sea ice regions have observed direct sea ice-to-atmosphere DMS fluxes, alongside high DMS seawater concentrations associated with sea ice melt; with neither of these processes captured in current climate models. Control and DMS perturbation simulations are performed with the ACCESS-AM2 (Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator - Atmospheric Model v2) global climate model between 2016-2024, covering a comprehensive set of recent observations. The additional source of DMS is examined for impacts on clouds, precipitation and the subsequent surface radiation budget, which is important for estimates of climate sensitivity.
We explore aerosol and climate responses to an Antarctic sea ice associated source of the natural aerosol precursor gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Studies over Antarctic sea ice regions have observed direct sea ice-to-atmosphere DMS fluxes, alongside high DMS seawater concentrations associated with sea ice melt; with neither of these processes captured in current climate models. Control and DMS perturbation simulations are performed with the ACCESS-AM2 (Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator - Atmospheric Model v2) global climate model between 2016-2024, covering a comprehensive set of recent observations. The additional source of DMS is examined for impacts on clouds, precipitation and the subsequent surface radiation budget, which is important for estimates of climate sensitivity.
Biography
Alanah holds a Master of Atmospheric Science from the University of Melbourne's School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and began her PhD in late 2024. Her research focuses on the simulation of aerosol and clouds in climate models, and she is interested how their misrepresentation drives uncertainty in future climate projections. She investigates aerosol, cloud, and radiation interactions over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, drawing on recent in-situ observations to evaluate and contribute to climate model development.
Ms Hannah Clark
Masters Student
Victoria University of Wellington
A new biomarker record of East Antarctic temperature and vegetation across the Eocene-Oligocene Transition.
Abstract Document
Continental-scale glaciation of Antarctica initiated during the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT; 34.5–33.7 Ma), suggested by climate models to have been driven by the crossing of a critical atmospheric CO₂ (pCO₂) threshold. This “tipping point” response raises concerns about, inversely, potential ice sheet destabilisation as anthropogenic pCO₂ rises. Current model validation of the EOT threshold response, however, is restricted. Existing Antarctic EOT proxy records are incomplete, do not span the full transition period, or have not had newer analytical methods applied to them.
My research generates a new high-temporal-resolution biomarker record spanning the entire EOT from the near-complete western Ross Sea CIROS-1 sediment core. I analyse distributions and compositions of molecular fossils within the sediment, applying updated methodology and proxy calibrations. Here, I present preliminary EOT plant wax and temperature data, and their implications for climatic and environmental conditions over this transition period.
My findings promote improved model validation of an Antarctic threshold response to support future projections, and I outline further proxy data I am currently analysing to supplement these preliminary results.
My research generates a new high-temporal-resolution biomarker record spanning the entire EOT from the near-complete western Ross Sea CIROS-1 sediment core. I analyse distributions and compositions of molecular fossils within the sediment, applying updated methodology and proxy calibrations. Here, I present preliminary EOT plant wax and temperature data, and their implications for climatic and environmental conditions over this transition period.
My findings promote improved model validation of an Antarctic threshold response to support future projections, and I outline further proxy data I am currently analysing to supplement these preliminary results.
Biography
Mr Alexander Doherty
Student
University of Tasmania
Understanding variability beneath the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica
Abstract Document
A vast proportion of Antarctic ice sheet mass loss is attributed to the basal melting of ice shelves, where increased oceanic heat transport has been linked to accelerated thinning. Here we present the first cavity-wide, observation-based characterisation of ocean circulation beneath the Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica. Using data collected between 2001 and 2013 from sub-ice shelf ocean moorings at six borehole sites, we analyse and define seasonal and interannual variability in water mass circulation. We document seasonally influenced thermal driving on the eastern flank from inflowing Antarctic Surface Water, Winter Water, modified Circumpolar Deep Water, and High Salinity Shelf Water (HSSW). The western flank experiences refreezing driven by the recirculation of Ice Shelf Water mixed with HSSW from depth. Interannual changes across the cavity predominantly manifest as perturbations in the timing, intensity, and duration of these seasonal signals, indicating broadly consistent water mass sources but variability in their formation processes. Comparing these observations with recent ocean modelling for Prydz Bay and Cape Darnley, we find broad agreement allowing the model to be used to extend interpretation of the temporally disparate and spatially sparse observations. Resolving the spatiotemporal structure of ice-ocean interactions is critical for constraining basal melt rates and refining projections of ice sheet mass loss and sea level rise.
Biography
Dr Jodi Fox
ACEAS Research Associate
ACEAS/University of Tasmania
New Insights from Gaussberg Volcano, East Antarctica
Abstract Document
Gaussberg volcano crops out through the ice between Davis Station and Bunger Hills on the east coast of Antarctica. Erupted beneath the ice during the Last Glacial Maximum and subsequently partially eroded by glaciers, Gaussberg provides an opportunity to gain insights into East Antarctic paleo-ice sheet thickness, and glacial advance and retreat. Detailed field observations of rock outcrops are required to untangle the volcanic and ice-sheet history of Gaussberg. This type of field work is not always compatible with the conditions and duration of field campaigns in Antarctica. We use the first UAV data collected at Gaussberg to extend the footprint of field work and together with new geological observations, geochemistry, volatile analysis and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology provide new insights and confidence in interpretations of the volcanic and glacial history of this part of East Antarctica.
Biography
My research has had been broadly concerned with volcanoes that erupt in submarine and sub-glacial environments and understanding the interplay between volcanic processes and the surrounding environment. After completing my undergraduate degree at University of Tasmania, I worked in mining and exploration before returning to Tasmania to complete a PhD in the physical volcanology of submarine to emergent intraplate volcanism in Tasmania and at the Subantarctic Heard Island. Following my PhD I have worked in Cu-Au-Mo porphyry exploration and academia. I have conducted laboratory and field-based studies in Australia and Japan, mostly focused volcanism in the Subantarctic, East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula region. I am interested in multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary studies and opportunities to improve the inclusivity of science.
Dr Matthew Jeromson
Scientist
ACEAS/University of Canberra
Simultaneous atmospheric–oceanic controls on East Antarctic Peninsula ice-shelf stability during the Holocene
Abstract Document
Assessing how ocean heat influences ice-shelf stability is necessary for evaluating potential collapse. Along the East Antarctic Peninsula (EAP), several ice shelves disintegrated both during the mid-Holocene climatic optimum and again between 1995 and 2002, events that have typically been attributed primarily to atmospheric processes. Here we show that both the recent and mid-Holocene disintegration episodes coincide with simultaneously warm atmospheric and warm ocean conditions. When only one of these conditions is satisfied, the ice shelves largely remain intact. Larsen C Ice Shelf has remained stable throughout the Holocene, which we attribute to the persistent absence of significant volumes of Warm Deep Water within its cavity. However, changes in processes that modulate sea-ice production and ocean circulation have the potential to increase the delivery of warm water to the ice-shelf base, thereby undermining this apparent resilience and preconditioning Larsen C for future collapse. Our results demonstrate that ice-shelf stability along the EAP is governed by combined effects of atmospheric and oceanic thermal forcing, rather than by atmospheric warming alone. This highlights the need to constrain past and present variability of both to assess the future vulnerability of Antarctic ice shelves.
Biography
Duanne is an Associate Professor at the University of Canberra.
Ms. Lanyu Jia
Phd Student
SAEF/Monash University
Evaluating CMIP6 representation of climate modes and teleconnections to Antarctic mass balance
Abstract Document
Uncertainty quantification in projections of Antarctic Ice Sheet mass balance are needed for robust climate mitigation and adaptation planning. Accurate projections rely on climate forcing from Earth System Models, such as Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models. However, the reliability of CMIP model representation of remote climate influences on Antarctica remains insufficiently quantified. This includes how models simulate the entire pathway, from the climate mode's source region, through the teleconnections, to the local response of Antarctic mass balance. To address this gap, this study will systematically evaluate an ensemble of CMIP6 historical and SSP2.4-5 simulations against ERA5 reanalysis over the 1959–2025 period. We present a three-tiered framework to quantitatively evaluate and categorize model performance based on: (1) the spatial patterns and amplitude of key climate modes (ENSO, SAM, AMO, and IPO) within their source regions; (2) the fidelity of their teleconnections to Antarctica, such as ENSO-forced PSA wave trains and SAM-driven westerly winds; and (3) the resulting spatio-temporal imprint on Antarctic mass balance. By linking global climate modes to local Antarctic impacts, this research will provide a physically-based foundation for CMIP model selection and bias correction to inform future ice sheet modelling, ultimately contributing to more reliable projections of Antarctic mass balance and global sea-level rise.
Biography
I am a PhD student at Monash University. My research focuses on climate variability and its impacts on the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Specifically, I utilise CMIP6 model outputs and the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM) to forecast future ice sheet dynamics and changes.
Dr Junshu Lin
Student
University of New South Wales
Delayed Response of Eddy Kinetic Energy Build-up off Somali Coast During Summer Monsoon
Abstract Document
The Great Whirl (GW), a prominent anticyclonic gyre in the northwest Indian Ocean, is crucial in regional circulation and energy dynamics during the summer monsoon. Using satellite observations and high-resolution ocean simulations, this study examines the mechanisms behind the growth and maintenance of Eddy Kinetic Energy (EKE) in the GW region. EKE peaks about 56 days after the summer monsoon’s peak, a delay caused by energy transfer processes. Southwest wind forcing during the monsoon initiates the EKE growth, with the barotropic energy conversions from mean flows eventually dominating the energy input. Enhanced stretching and shear effects of the Somali Currents (SC) intensify barotropic instabilities, maintaining EKE even as monsoon winds weaken. The baroclinic energy conversions act as a secondary energy input, exhibiting a positive eddy buoyancy work (potential energy to kinetic energy) at the upwelling wedge regions northwest of the GW. Our study highlights the importance of internal energy transfer processes in modulating ocean circulation and energy dynamics off the Somali Coast, emphasizing eddy-mean flow interactions and potential-to-kinetic energy transfer in the Somali upwelling system.
Biography
Junshu Lin is a PhD candidate in Physical Oceanography. His research interests include ocean dynamics, mesoscale eddies, and air–sea interaction.
Dr Scott Meyerink
Analytical Chemist
Aapp
Dissolved Trace Metal Distributions Along a GEOTRACES Transect from Antarctica to South West Australia (I09S)
Abstract Document
Southern Ocean primary productivity is strongly regulated by the availability of iron (Fe), alongside other essential trace metals that influence biological uptake, community structure, and biogeochemical cycling. Despite their importance, observations of dissolved and particulate trace elements in the Southern Ocean remain limited, constraining both the understanding of processes and the development of biogeochemical models.
The aim of the Multi-disciplinary Investigations of the Southern Ocean (MISO) Voyage was to provide a basin-scale assessment of coupled oceanic, atmospheric, and biological processes along the 115°E meridional section (GO-SHIP repeat hydrographic line I09S). Here, we present the first comprehensive, full-depth dataset of dissolved trace metals—including Fe, manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and cadmium (Cd)—along the I09S transect. These observations are complemented by repeat occupations along program lines at 140°E, 150°E and 132°E.
The resulting dataset reveals distinct vertical and lateral distributions for each trace metal, reflecting differing source inputs, internal cycling, and removal processes. This first full-depth, multi-element trace metal section along I09S provides an important new benchmark for the Southern Ocean, offering valuable constraints for biogeochemical models and improving our understanding of trace metal supply, cycling, and ecological impact in a region undergoing rapid environmental change.
The aim of the Multi-disciplinary Investigations of the Southern Ocean (MISO) Voyage was to provide a basin-scale assessment of coupled oceanic, atmospheric, and biological processes along the 115°E meridional section (GO-SHIP repeat hydrographic line I09S). Here, we present the first comprehensive, full-depth dataset of dissolved trace metals—including Fe, manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and cadmium (Cd)—along the I09S transect. These observations are complemented by repeat occupations along program lines at 140°E, 150°E and 132°E.
The resulting dataset reveals distinct vertical and lateral distributions for each trace metal, reflecting differing source inputs, internal cycling, and removal processes. This first full-depth, multi-element trace metal section along I09S provides an important new benchmark for the Southern Ocean, offering valuable constraints for biogeochemical models and improving our understanding of trace metal supply, cycling, and ecological impact in a region undergoing rapid environmental change.
Biography
Scott Meyerink is a trace element marine analytical chemist based in Tasmania, Australia, with over six years of experience supporting the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP). His work focuses on the analysis of trace metals in marine systems and atmospheric aerosols, contributing to a deeper understanding of biogeochemical cycles in the Southern Ocean. Scott has played a key role in major research efforts, including the 2024 MISO voyage and long-term aerosol sampling at kunanyi/Mt Wellington, generating high-quality datasets for collaborative international studies such as GEOTRACES.
He has co-authored multiple research papers and is known for his strength in laboratory analysis, data quality, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Alongside his research career, Scott has a strong interest in education and holds a Master of Teaching.
Dr Ryan North
Research Fellow
Monash University
Resolving Late Quaternary East Antarctic Ice-Sheet Dynamics in Dronning Maud Land Using Paired Cosmogenic 10Be and in-situ 14C Chronologies
Abstract Document
Understanding the long-term behaviour of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is essential for improving projections of future sea-level rise and evaluating ice-sheet sensitivity to climate forcing. Dronning Maud Land is of interest because satellite observations indicate recent regional ice-mass gain, although it is unclear whether this reflects short-term climate variability or longer-term ice-sheet trends. This study aims to reconstruct Late Quaternary ice-sheet thinning and retreat histories in Dronning Maud Land using paired cosmogenic 10Be and in-situ 14C exposure dating. During the 2024-2025 austral summer, high-density bedrock and erratic sampling transects were collected from the Sigyn and Somoveken glacier systems. The integration of long-lived 10Be with short-lived in-situ 14C enables improved detection of nuclide inheritance and more robust reconstruction of deglaciation chronologies. A total of 26 samples from the broader dataset have been processed in preparation for AMS measurements at ANSTO. The resulting chronology will provide insights into the processes governing ice sheet changes in this region including present-day mass balance and past behaviour on millennial to centennial scales. It will also form part of a collaborative work that investigates glacier flow including seismic constraints on subglacial conditions and insights on glacier processes from cryoseismology.
Biography
Ryan North is a Research Fellow at Monash University investigating changes to the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its outlet glaciers. Ryan’s work aims to improve our understanding of how the ice sheet thickness and extent has changed in past to better inform how it might change in the future. He has extensive multidisciplinary experience in geochemistry, field geology, remote sensing and image processing.
Dr Yushan Qu
Postdoctoral Researcher
ACEAS/University of New South Wales
Projected Changes of Mesoscale Eddy Activity in Subantarctic Mode Water Formation Regions
Abstract Document
Subantarctic Mode Water (SAMW) plays a vital role in the uptake of heat and carbon, thereby regulating global climate. Mesoscale eddies affect mode-water subduction and transport in the Southern Ocean. However, it remains unclear how SAMW-related eddy activity will evolve under anthropogenic warming, because most state-of-the-art climate models do not explicitly resolve mesoscale eddies. Using an eddy-resolving climate model we explore the evolution of mesoscale eddy activity in SAMW formation regions under global warming, finding that eddy activity exhibits opposite trends, with modest weakening in the Indian Ocean but a marked strengthening in the Pacific. These contrasting responses are linked to projected changes in local wind stress and baroclinic instability. The resulting regional differences drive opposite trends in eddy-induced vertical transport in SAMW formation regions. Our results demonstrate that regional differences in eddy variability may influence future ocean heat and carbon storage in SAMW.
Biography
Distinguished Professor Joellen Russell
Professor
University of Arizona
Seasonal stratospheric cooling over Antarctica changes the climate
Abstract Document
There are concurrent trends in several components of the Earth’s climate system around Antarctica over the last few decades, including: cooling in the stratosphere during the Southern Hemisphere spring season over Antarctica; a poleward-shift and strengthening of the annual-mean upper-level and surface westerly winds; and rapidly-decreasing sea ice extent over the last decade. Using an ensemble of coupled climate model simulations to examine the climatic and dynamical impacts of a colder Southern Hemisphere springtime stratosphere, we show that this cooling, by itself, induces a statistically significant poleward shift and strengthening of the surface westerlies over the Southern Ocean and a statistically significant annual-mean warming of the troposphere. The poleward-shifted surface westerlies induce a statistically significant enhancement of the southward flow at mid-depth accompanied by the cooling and aging of mid-depth water in the ACC that is expected due to enhanced wind-driven upwelling. These changes in winds, sea ice and circulation drive a significant reorganization of the Southern Ocean carbon budget and productivity.
Biography
Prof. Joellen Russell is an oceanographer, a Distinguished Professor, and the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair of Integrative Science in the Department of Geosciences at UA. Her research uses robot floats, supercomputers and satellites to observe and predict the ocean’s role in climate and the carbon cycle. Dr. Russell is the modeling lead for the Southern Ocean Carbon and Climate Observations and Modeling project (SOCCOM), the current US Representative to the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO), and one of the founding members of Science Moms (sciencemoms.com), a “group of nonpartisan climate scientists and mothers, working to give our children the planet they deserve.” Joellen received her PhD in Oceanography from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, her A.B. in Environmental Geoscience from Harvard, and has been at the University of Arizona for 20 years.
Ms Helen Shea
Phd Student
Monash University
High and low Antarctic sea ice states in CMIP6 models
Abstract Document
Total Antarctic sea ice extent increased over several decades, peaking in 2014, before declining sharply in 2016 and remaining persistently low thereafter, marking distinct high (2008–2016) and low (2017–2025) sea ice states. Previous work has highlighted contrasting ocean-sea ice behaviour in the Ross Sea, emphasising the importance of region-specific processes in interpreting recent sea ice trends and projecting future change. To assess whether climate models reproduce these regional processes, we analyse output from 19 CMIP6 models selected based on data availability. High and low sea ice states are identified in each model’s pre-industrial control simulations. Preliminary results indicate that deep ocean drift is present in some models, highlighting the need for selection criteria to exclude models in which sea ice variability is overly influenced by deep ocean processes. In addition, the relative influence of different regions on total sea ice extent varies across models, suggesting that total sea ice extent alone may not provide a directly comparable benchmark for defining high and low sea ice states relative to observations. Further work will look at regional ocean conditions for each model’s high and low sea ice states. These considerations will help refine model evaluation frameworks, ultimately improving confidence in how Antarctic sea ice variability and change are represented and informing future Antarctic climate research.
Biography
Helen Shea is a PhD student based at Monash University. Helen completed a Bachelor of Science at Monash majoring in atmospheric science and went on to complete Honours looking at the climate influences on sea salt variability at Mount Brown South, East Antarctica. Helen’s PhD project will investigate the role of regional ocean properties on Antarctic sea ice variability and change.
Dr Daniela F Soto
Postdoc Researcher
Universidad De Talca
CryoRoads: an eco-genomic framework for mapping the biogeography and dispersal pathways of Antarctic snow algae
Abstract Document
Snow algae are critical primary producers in Maritime Antarctica, where they may reduce surface albedo and accelerate snowmelt. While well documented in the Antarctic Peninsula, their dynamics remain largely unmapped in East Antarctica due to colder and hyperarid conditions. However, rapid warming is triggering unprecedented ice-shelf surface melt in eastern sectors, creating potential new niches for these microalgae. Consequently, determining whether viable microbial propagules are actively transported by long-range atmospheric circulation toward East Antarctica is a priority for anticipating future ecological shifts. This presentation introduces CryoRoads, a newly launched postdoctoral project coupling high-resolution atmospheric transport modeling (HYSPLIT) with empirical molecular biology. The project aims to track airborne microalgal dispersal pathways from South American gateways into Antarctic sectors using clean aerosol sampling, single-cell micromanipulation, and phylogenetic databases. By presenting this framework at AARC 2026, our primary objective is to foster strategic collaborations with Australian polar networks. We invite researchers specializing in Southern Ocean atmospheric modeling, East Antarctic ecology, and genomic baselines to join this effort. Cross-referencing South American gateway data with East Antarctic observations is essential for building a continent-wide synthesis, improving our capacity to monitor climate-driven disruptions to microbial ecosystems across the changing Antarctic continent.
Biography
Daniela holds a degree in Biochemistry from the Universidad de Chile and a PhD in Marine Biology from the Universidad Austral de Chile. Her research focuses on the ecology and biotic interactions of environmental microorganisms, using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics. Her experience includes the study of Antarctic snow microorganisms, the microbiota associated with Macrocystis pyrifera kelp forests, and changes in the microbial diversity of rodents and bats in fragmented environments of southern Chile.
She is currently the principal investigator of a FONDECYT Postdoctoral project titled CryoRoads: an eco-genomic framework to unveil the biogeography and dispersion of Antarctic snow algae, which aims to identify dispersal routes of snow algae, differentiate cosmopolitan from endemic Antarctic species, and understand the factors governing the establishment of microbial communities.
Ms Yucan Wu
Student
Australian National University
Iron Isotope Systematics in East Antarctic Coastal Waters: A Comparison of the Mertz and Denman Glacier Regions
Abstract Document
Iron is a vital trace metal regulating primary productivity in the Southern Ocean, where high-productivity regions are largely confined to the Antarctic coastal margins. One of the key iron sources in these regions is the ocean–glacier system, including sea ice, icebergs, glaciers, and subglacial meltwater. The Denman Glacier and Mertz Glacier Polynya regions are currently experiencing significant environmental change, which may alter iron inputs and associated biogeochemical cycling.
This study presents a comparative analysis of dissolved iron concentrations and isotopic compositions in the water columns of the Denman Glacier and Mertz Glacier Polynya regions. The Mertz Glacier Polynya shows pronounced spatial variability, with shallower, open-ocean-influenced stations exhibiting lighter iron isotope signatures (mean δ⁵⁶Fe ≈ −1.16‰), accompanied by heavier zinc isotopes (mean δ⁶⁶Zn ≈ 0.55‰) and elevated zinc concentrations. In contrast, the Denman Glacier region displays relatively homogeneous iron isotope distributions, with consistently negative values (−1.5‰ to −2.5‰) and limited concentration variability.
Contrasting patterns suggest differing dominant iron sources and transformation processes between the two regions. Ongoing work integrates regional oceanographic and biogeochemical processes to further constrain these mechanisms and improve understanding of iron isotope cycling in the Southern Ocean.
This study presents a comparative analysis of dissolved iron concentrations and isotopic compositions in the water columns of the Denman Glacier and Mertz Glacier Polynya regions. The Mertz Glacier Polynya shows pronounced spatial variability, with shallower, open-ocean-influenced stations exhibiting lighter iron isotope signatures (mean δ⁵⁶Fe ≈ −1.16‰), accompanied by heavier zinc isotopes (mean δ⁶⁶Zn ≈ 0.55‰) and elevated zinc concentrations. In contrast, the Denman Glacier region displays relatively homogeneous iron isotope distributions, with consistently negative values (−1.5‰ to −2.5‰) and limited concentration variability.
Contrasting patterns suggest differing dominant iron sources and transformation processes between the two regions. Ongoing work integrates regional oceanographic and biogeochemical processes to further constrain these mechanisms and improve understanding of iron isotope cycling in the Southern Ocean.
Biography
Ms Jaslyn Allnutt
Phd Candidate
IMAS/University of Tasmania
How do diving seabirds use the Macquarie Island Marine Park?
Abstract Document
Macquarie Island Marine Park is a large sub-Antarctic marine park, designated to conserve foraging grounds of globally significant seabird populations breeding on Macquarie Island itself. However, there is very little tracking data for these populations, therefore, a limited understanding of these populations’ foraging ecology and space-use within the park. We aimed to generate new understanding of ways penguins (gentoo, royal, rockhopper and king penguins) and Macquarie Island cormorants use the marine park, using a novel tracking dataset from 2024/25 and 2025/26 austral summers. We described horizontal and vertical space use of these species to define core foraging areas, and calculated trip and dive-level metrics to describe differential use of the marine park by the five species. The marine park encompassed key foraging grounds for all species, including areas of high foraging value for multiple species. Gentoo penguins and cormorants foraged closely inshore, while rockhopper, royal and king penguins used offshore waters, and displayed greater variability in space use. Vertical space use varied between species, with king and gentoo penguins diving more deeply (often >100m) compared to other species. We discuss how these results provide improved understanding and context for evaluating the continued efficacy of this important sub-Antarctic Marine Park.
Biography
Mr Ming Cheng
Phd Student
ACEAS/Australian National University
A temperature-normalised view of Southern Ocean primary productivity under climate warming
Abstract Document
Earth system models (ESMs) generally project an increase in Southern Ocean net primary production (NPP) under future warming, whereas the NPP satellite product shows a decreasing trend. Part of this discrepancy may arise from the direct temperature dependence embedded in phytoplankton growth formulations, which increases simulated NPP as the ocean warms. Here we introduce temperature-normalised NPP (TNNPP), a diagnostic that removes the model-specific direct temperature-growth contribution from simulated NPP. Using Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) ESMs, we compare historical NPP and TNNPP with CbPM-derived satellite NPP over 1998-2025 and examine future changes under the SSP2-4.5 scenario. TNNPP reduces the magnitude mismatch with CbPM and slightly improves the agreement in trend sign. Box-model experiments show that the NPP-TNNPP difference primarily reflects the removed temperature-growth contribution, while the residual TNNPP response reflects other simulated biogeochemical and environmental changes. In future projections, conventional NPP increases over much of the Southern Ocean, whereas TNNPP declines substantially by 2100. The residual TNNPP response is associated with nutrient-related variability in the open ocean zone and with light availability in the sea-ice zone. These results indicate that the projected increase in Southern Ocean NPP includes a substantial temperature-growth contribution. TNNPP removes this NPP-temperature coupling, making it useful as an additional diagnostic for interpreting productivity responses under climate warming.
Biography
Dr David Green
Research Fellow
ACEAS/University of Tasmania
Foraging seals reveal vertical structure of Southern Ocean myctophids
Abstract Document
Myctophid fish are central within Southern Ocean food webs and contribute to carbon export through their active diel vertical migration. Yet their vertical distribution, particularly in winter, remains poorly resolved. Conventional approaches either struggle to resolve taxonomic composition (bioacoustics) or fine-scale vertical structure (nets). Here, we explore predator-derived observations to overcome these challenges, leveraging southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) dives as proxies for myctophid vertical distribution, their principal prey.
Using nearly 3 million dives from seals tagged at Kerguelen Island, we reconstructed dive profiles and quantified seal vertical residence time across the upper 1000 m, examining how the depths at which seals spend the most time (residence depth) vary with diel cycle, season, and oceanographic region.
We found that seal residence depth exhibited pronounced diel and spatial structuring. South of the Subantarctic Front, daytime foraging was concentrated at about 500 m within a consistent band of about 100 m thick. This band then shoaled southward coincident with the position of Circumpolar Deep Water. At twilight, residence depth rapidly shallowed into the euphotic zone (~150 m), but disaggregated after dark, indicating a more dispersed nocturnal myctophid distribution.
We discuss how our findings on seal-derived myctophid distribution and vertical movement within the water column have important implications for our interpretion of Southern Ocean predator–prey dynamics and myctophid-mediated carbon transfer to the deep ocean.
Using nearly 3 million dives from seals tagged at Kerguelen Island, we reconstructed dive profiles and quantified seal vertical residence time across the upper 1000 m, examining how the depths at which seals spend the most time (residence depth) vary with diel cycle, season, and oceanographic region.
We found that seal residence depth exhibited pronounced diel and spatial structuring. South of the Subantarctic Front, daytime foraging was concentrated at about 500 m within a consistent band of about 100 m thick. This band then shoaled southward coincident with the position of Circumpolar Deep Water. At twilight, residence depth rapidly shallowed into the euphotic zone (~150 m), but disaggregated after dark, indicating a more dispersed nocturnal myctophid distribution.
We discuss how our findings on seal-derived myctophid distribution and vertical movement within the water column have important implications for our interpretion of Southern Ocean predator–prey dynamics and myctophid-mediated carbon transfer to the deep ocean.
Biography
Miss Clarissa Hee
Honours Student
SAEF/Monash University
The Signy Island biodiversity database
Abstract Document
The recently published Biodiversity of Ice-free Antarctica Database (Terauds et al. 2025) is the first consolidated database of continent-wide species occurrence records but it is not comprehensive at the local scale. Here, we build a comprehensive, regional database of terrestrial and nearshore species occurrence records using Signy Island (South Orkney Islands), a rich cryptogam dominated ecosystem, as a case study. A systematic literature review was conducted using Web of Science, resulting in identification of almost 500 potentially suitable papers containing biodiversity occurrence information for input into the Signy Island Biodiversity Database. To understand the applications of the database, a preliminary investigation of species vulnerability to threats including human activities and climate change was conducted. I will present the results of both the database compilation and the threat vulnerability investigation. This project is a proof of concept for the creation of local-scale Antarctic biodiversity databases. By comprehensively compiling biodiversity data, we can use this spatially explicit information for applications in protected area identification, species vulnerability investigations, and biodiversity modelling.
Biography
Clarissa is an Honours student with Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future at Monash University. Her research interests include understanding the impact of anthropogenic threats (climate change, non-native species, tourism) on biodiversity and interdisciplinary applications of ecology and geomorphology to the polar sciences.
Ms Maddison Howell
Student
SAEF/James Cook University
Using a whole genome assembly of Sterechinus antarcticus to uncover the genomic basis of survival in the Antarctic deep-shelf environment
Abstract Document
The Antarctic benthic community is highly biodiverse and this diversity reflects a fascinating evolutionary history, spanning Plio-Pleistocene glacial cycles. Despite this, very few genomes of benthic marine animals have been published. Antarctic species require adaptations to survive the extreme temperatures as well as increased pressures with depth. For example, many species have been observed to have slow developmental rates and extended life spans. However, the genomic mechanisms underlying these adaptations remain unknown. Sterechinus, a genus of sea urchin found predominantly on the Antarctic continental shelf is an example of an organism that could provide several useful insights into the biology. We have sequenced a deep shelf species, S. antarcticus, and plan to conduct comparative analysis with a previously assembled shallow water species, S. neumayeri. Estimated at 842.3-Mb, the S. antarcticus genome has a size comparable to other sea urchin assemblies. Once complete, this genome assembly and synteny analysis could help elucidate the mechanisms contributing to several key adaptations allowing for survival in the deep-shelf Antarctic environment. With sea urchins commonly used as model species in a wide range of genomic studies, the inclusion of this genome in comparative studies will help gain insights into Antarctic adaptation and history, particularly that of the deep-shelf benthic invertebrate community and will also enable investigation of the physical history Antarctica.
Biography
Maddison is a Master of Marine Biology student at James Cook University currently undertaking her thesis year with the Marine Omics research group. Maddison has always loved learning about evolution and is enjoying the challenge of applying genomic research to that passion. Her research aims to assemble the genome of a deep sea Antarctic sea urchin species, a project which will help provide new genomic resources and allow for better study of genetics and evolutionary processes in Antarctica.
Miss Laura Patier
Phd Student
IMAS/University of Tasmania
Pathogens in Antarctic wildlife: detection and discovery
Abstract Document
Recent studies finding high diversity of viruses and bacteria have challenged the perception of low pathogen presence in Antarctic wildlife. With the current Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (HPAIV) outbreak in the region, the potential impacts of disease on the Southern Ocean ecosystem have become clear, highlighting the necessity to assess which pathogens are naturally present in the area. As HPAI has infected hundreds of species across genera, families and orders globally, it’s become a priority to understand how other microorganisms might jump between hosts. In this study, we use samples collected from seabirds and seals in the Weddell Sea to investigate inter-specific and inter-individual variation of viruses and bacteria composing the infectome. Using Oxford Nanopore Technologies long-read shotgun RNA sequencing, we reveal the potential and limitations of this technology and the feasibility of assessing inter-individual variability, with a focus on gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua). For the first time, we compared individual infectomes in Antarctic species. This information will be crucial in marine predator conservation and anticipation of disease outbreaks in the area, with results not only relevant to the Antarctic region, but also to other systems where seabirds and marine mammals interact closely with each other.
Biography
I am a PhD student at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania. I studied marine biology and ecology for my undergraduate and master's degree in France. During a student exchange in Quebec, Canada, I had the opportunity to work as a field assistant in a Northern gannet's colony at Bonaventure Island. Months spent in the sun, the rain and gannet vomit sparked an everlasting passion for seabirds and the wish to study them further. Since then, I've investigated yellow-legged gulls in the Mediterranean Sea, looking at the geographical variation of mercury contamination, while working at the LIENSs laboratory in France. I'm now studying another threat to seabird conservation: disease, looking at pathogen diversity and circulation in Australian and Antarctic seabirds. My goal in academia is to contribute to species conservation by using recent technologies and methods that I'm passionate about to expand our knowledge. I enjoy the combination of fieldwork, laboratory and data analysis in research, as it encapsulates fully the difficult process necessary to obtain precious information.
Ms Yongyi Peng
Phd Student
Monash University
Dryland soils are hotspots of diverse and dynamic prokaryotic antiviral defenses
Abstract Document
Drylands constitute the largest terrestrial biome and harbor abundant soil microbes. Dryland microbiomes are enriched in genes for antiviral defense, yet interactions between prokaryotes and viruses in these ecosystems remains largely unexplored. Here, we analyzed 2,115 microbial and 2,548 viral genomes recovered from 91 soil samples spanning hot, cold, and polar deserts across all seven continents. To elucidate viral and microbial traits unique to drylands, these were compared to 1,698 microbial genomes from 67 non-dryland soils. Dryland microbiomes encode an expanded and diverse defensome across 24 prokaryotic phyla, on average harbouring more antiviral systems than non-dryland genomes (5.2 vs 4.0), with higher community-wide prevalence (74.6% vs 70.4%). Defense system composition varies widely among phyla and is strongly shaped by ecological and geographical constraints. This diversity is largely driven by frequent horizontal gene transfer, which is enriched for defense genes and promotes the dissemination of dominant first-line defense families. Defense systems frequently co-occur within genomes, suggesting synergistic enhancement of microbial immunity. Notably, we identify a novel clade combining abortive SoFic genes with AbiEi-like antitoxin domains, indicating modularity as a source of antiviral diversity. In parallel, dryland viruses encode diverse anti-defense repertoires, highlighting an active prokaryote-virus arms race. Together, these findings reveal dryland soils as hotspots of diversity for prokaryotic defense systems and tightly coupled virus-microbe evolutionary interactions.
Biography
Miss Andrea Polanowski
Research Scientist
Australian Antarctic Division
CircumPOOlar DNA diet comparison: spatial variation in the diet of Adélie penguin populations at nine breeding sites across Antarctica.
Abstract Document
The Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) is a circumpolar species that breeds on coastal areas of the Antarctic continent and surrounding islands. Adélie penguins are sentinel species for Antarctic ecosystem health: they depend on sea ice and are sensitive to the abundance and distribution of their primary prey. The aim of this study was to use DNA metabarcoding to characterise diet across the species’ range, in a single season. During the 2023/24 summer, 829 Adélie scat samples were collected from nine breeding sites across Antarctica, by teams from seven countries. Scat DNA was sequenced using a universal 18S rRNA marker for a broad dietary overview, alongside two group-specific 16S genetic markers for species level identification of krill and bony fishes. Results demonstrate spatial variability in diet across the continent. In the Ross Sea and East Antarctica their diet consists of varying proportions of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), ice krill (E. crystallorophias), and several fish species. In contrast, populations along the Antarctic Peninsula rely almost exclusively on Antarctic krill. This research establishes a unique circumpolar dataset and demonstrates the potential of large-scale DNA diet datasets to track how environmental variables, like sea ice extent, impact these vulnerable populations in a changing climate.
Biography
Ms Ilona Sinn
PhD Student
University Of Wollongong
Humpback whale recovery in the Southern Ocean: demographic drivers and vulnerability to environmental change
Abstract Document
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) occur worldwide, with seven Southern Hemisphere populations being formally recognised as distinct breeding stocks (A-G) by the International Whaling Commission. For much of the 20th century, industrial whaling dramatically reduced baleen whale populations, including humpback whales. Since then, most humpback populations have made a remarkable recovery, yet growth rates vary substantially among populations. The growth rate of animal populations is fundamentally constrained by biological parameters, notably survival, birth rate and immigration. Yet, differences in the underlying demographic parameters driving variations in growth rate among populations remain poorly understood. Here, we provide a comparative summary of growth rates and their demographic components (birth rate, survival, and immigration) across Southern Hemisphere populations to investigate which parameters most strongly drive growth rates and how these parameters relate to environmental variables. In the context of ongoing environmental change, understanding how environmental variables shape demographic processes will allow forecasting which populations are most vulnerable.
Biography
Ilona is a PhD candidate committed to the conservation of marine megafauna, recognizing their vital role as predators and indicators of ecosystem health. She is particularly interested in understanding how these species interact with their habitats and respond to environmental changes and human pressures.
Seeking to address these questions, she built a combined background in Marine Ecology and Ecological Modelling. She completed a master’s degree in each field to develop both ecological insight and the analytical skills needed to address complex conservation challenges.
Ilona has previously worked on projects examining the demographic parameters of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), gaining experience in population dynamics and capture-mark-recapture analyses.
Professor Kerrie Swadling
Adjunct
AAPP/University of Tasmania
Arms race in the Southern Ocean: copepods and krill exert strong grazing pressure on the diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis.
Abstract Document
In 2001, Victor Smetacek’s Nature essay “A watery arms race” framed plankton ecology as a coevolutionary struggle where phytoplankton and zooplankton continually adapt to each other’s defences and feeding strategies. This concept is exemplified by the interaction between the heavily silicified diatom Fragilariopsis kerguelensis and its dominant Southern Ocean grazers, copepods and krill. F. kerguelensis is a chain forming pennate diatom and one of the most abundant species in the Southern Ocean, contributing up to 75% of regional biogenic silica burial. Its exceptionally thick frustules are hypothesised to reduce grazing susceptibility, slow remineralisation, and enhance the sinking of intact cells, thereby promoting deep ocean export of silica and organic carbon. Copepods and krill have evolved silica reinforced mouthparts capable of fracturing robust diatom frustules, yet the mechanical strength of F. kerguelensis still limits grazing efficiency compared with more lightly silicified taxa. This shapes both trophic transfer and biogeochemical fluxes. This presentation will show new evidence for F. kerguelensis in the guts of large herbivorous copepods and the krill Thysanoessa macrura, including intact cells, chains, and crushed frustules. Using measurements of cell volume, chain length, carbon content, and grazing pressure, we quantify its contribution to grazer carbon intake and discuss implications for Southern Ocean carbon and silica cycling.
Biography
Prof Andrew Bowie
Professor of Chemical Oceanography
AAPP/University of Tasmania
A Decade Long Study of the Role of the Atmosphere in Supplying Iron to the Southern Ocean South of Australia
Abstract Document
The Southern Ocean plays a major role in Earth’s climate. Marine phytoplankton are an important component of the ocean’s biological pump, taking up CO2 through photosynthesis. Iron is a key micronutrient, the scarcity of which limits essential biogeochemical processes and ocean ecosystem fertility, with iron deposition from the atmosphere being an important source.
An aerosol observational network for trace elements and nutrients at four coastal/island field stations was established in Australia a decade ago. Here we present a synthesis of this dataset to assess the role of Australian aerosols in supplying iron to the Southern Ocean, the relative importance of different sources (dust, wildfires, anthropogenic emissions, volcanoes), and the solubility of iron in the aerosol particles. We also present data from state-of-the-art advances in analytical methodologies and ocean observational tools on remote platforms (including at the Southern Ocean Time Series) which are used to improve our understanding of the coupling between atmospheric iron deposition and Southern Ocean productivity.
Regional time-series data such as this are particularly important since models may underestimate the atmospheric iron supply to the Southern Ocean by not accurately representing the fluxes and solubility of iron in aerosols from Southern hemisphere sources. The data provided here will help to constrain model simulations of Southern Ocean atmospheric iron deposition fluxes and their subsequent impact on global ocean biogeochemical cycles and Earth's climate.
An aerosol observational network for trace elements and nutrients at four coastal/island field stations was established in Australia a decade ago. Here we present a synthesis of this dataset to assess the role of Australian aerosols in supplying iron to the Southern Ocean, the relative importance of different sources (dust, wildfires, anthropogenic emissions, volcanoes), and the solubility of iron in the aerosol particles. We also present data from state-of-the-art advances in analytical methodologies and ocean observational tools on remote platforms (including at the Southern Ocean Time Series) which are used to improve our understanding of the coupling between atmospheric iron deposition and Southern Ocean productivity.
Regional time-series data such as this are particularly important since models may underestimate the atmospheric iron supply to the Southern Ocean by not accurately representing the fluxes and solubility of iron in aerosols from Southern hemisphere sources. The data provided here will help to constrain model simulations of Southern Ocean atmospheric iron deposition fluxes and their subsequent impact on global ocean biogeochemical cycles and Earth's climate.
Biography
Professor Andrew Bowie is a Chemical Oceanographer. His research investigates the biogeochemistry of trace elements in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, with projects addressing key research questions related to atmospheric dust deposition and solubilities, ocean iron fertilisation, physico-chemical speciation of trace elements and their isotopes, and the impact of ocean dynamics on chemical and biological marine processes. His research outcomes are focused on assessment of trace element control of ocean productivity, ocean carbon sequestration and expanding our knowledge of marine geochemical processes. His research is supported by the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP), the Australian Research Council (ARC), and several national and international collaborative grants.
Andrew has provided leadership of international chemical oceanography research expeditions, was co-chair of the Scientific Steering Committee and Data Management Committee of the 'GEOTRACES' program (an international study of the global marine biogeochemical cycles of trace elements and their isotopes), and has served as Associate and Guest Editor for several scientific journals. He was an ARC Future Fellow (2013-2019) and is currently co-leader of AAPP Project 5 'Biogeochemistry'. Andrew joined IMAS in 2012, and has worked at UTAS since 2001. He completed his PhD in Chemical Oceanography in 1999 from the University of Plymouth (UK).
Dr Sonya Fiddes
Research Associate
AAPP/University of Tasmania
Modelling the MISO voyage: biological influence on aerosol, clouds and radiation
Abstract Document
The interaction between biologically derived aerosols, clouds, and solar radiation over the Southern Ocean remains highly uncertain, largely due to the scarcity of comprehensive observations. This uncertainty contributes to significant model biases in the region, with implications for the global energy balance. The 60‑day Multidisciplinary Investigations of the Southern Ocean (MISO) voyage aboard the Research Vessel Investigator from January to March 2024 provides a unique opportunity to evaluate atmospheric models using a whole‑of‑system approach. Observations span oceanic and atmospheric processes, including sea state, biological productivity, emissions of aerosol‑relevant gases, aerosol size and composition, and cloud microphysical properties such as phase and vertical extent.
In this study, we evaluate the Unified Model (UM) Regional Nested Suite, which incorporates double‑moment cloud microphysics coupled to an advanced aerosol scheme. Several modifications have been implemented to improve representation of Southern Ocean processes, including a location‑specific ice‑nucleating particle parameterisation, an updated dimethyl sulfide climatology, and improved boundary conditions through more accurate sea ice and sea surface temperature.
Using the comprehensive MISO observations, we assess model performance and establish a benchmark for testing targeted model developments aimed at improving the representation of aerosol–cloud interactions over the Southern Ocean. The model captures overall cloud systems well, but improvements can still be made. The aerosol number and size distribution are poorly captured, likely due to incorrect sources and growth.
In this study, we evaluate the Unified Model (UM) Regional Nested Suite, which incorporates double‑moment cloud microphysics coupled to an advanced aerosol scheme. Several modifications have been implemented to improve representation of Southern Ocean processes, including a location‑specific ice‑nucleating particle parameterisation, an updated dimethyl sulfide climatology, and improved boundary conditions through more accurate sea ice and sea surface temperature.
Using the comprehensive MISO observations, we assess model performance and establish a benchmark for testing targeted model developments aimed at improving the representation of aerosol–cloud interactions over the Southern Ocean. The model captures overall cloud systems well, but improvements can still be made. The aerosol number and size distribution are poorly captured, likely due to incorrect sources and growth.
Biography
Sonya Fiddes is an atmospheric scientist and Research Associate specialising in aerosol–cloud interactions and climate and weather modelling. Her work focuses on improving the representation of Southern Ocean processes in numerical weather and climate models, with particular emphasis on biologically derived aerosols and their influence on cloud microphysics and radiation. She uses her strong collaborative links with key observational partners to integrate measurements with advanced modelling frameworks such as the Unified Model. She uses high-resolution models to understand key processes and then applies them to global climate models to constrain climate prediction. Sonya’s research aims to reduce critical uncertainties in the global energy balance by advancing the representation of biology-aerosol–cloud interactions.
Ms. Megan Kerr
PhD Candidate
University of Texas
The coupling of ice and rock over deep time in the southern flank of Dome A, Antarctica: Results from the NSF Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX)
Abstract Document
The deep interior of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is an exploration target for a stratigraphically intact mid-Pleistocene ice core record. Accumulation, structure, and deformation history play key roles in preserving that record. From NSF COLDEX airborne radar data, we describe a distinct basal unit along the southern flank of Dome A, within the Australian Antarctic Territory (Young et al., 2025).
This basal unit may transport material from the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains to the South Pole Basin, depositing a distinct smooth unit we interpret as sediment. This subglacial sediment may locally enhance melting at the base of the ice sheet. We find supporting evidence for high heat flow at South Pole Basin from enhanced attenuation in the basal ice, indicated by fading basal unit echoes (Yan et al., 2026) and basal specularity content mapping (Kerr et al., 2026).
In the overlying ice we find evidence for a complex but stable flow regime. Low accumulation ice from Dome A, deformed over the Recovery Subglacial Mountains, is separated from higher accumulation ice from Titan Dome by the englacial scar of a possible long-lived thermal anomaly (Jordan et al., 2020) passing through South Pole (Singh et al., in prep). Scour zones high on Dome A represent particle tracers that further constrain ice sheet stability (Fudge et al., in press).
This basal unit may transport material from the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains to the South Pole Basin, depositing a distinct smooth unit we interpret as sediment. This subglacial sediment may locally enhance melting at the base of the ice sheet. We find supporting evidence for high heat flow at South Pole Basin from enhanced attenuation in the basal ice, indicated by fading basal unit echoes (Yan et al., 2026) and basal specularity content mapping (Kerr et al., 2026).
In the overlying ice we find evidence for a complex but stable flow regime. Low accumulation ice from Dome A, deformed over the Recovery Subglacial Mountains, is separated from higher accumulation ice from Titan Dome by the englacial scar of a possible long-lived thermal anomaly (Jordan et al., 2020) passing through South Pole (Singh et al., in prep). Scour zones high on Dome A represent particle tracers that further constrain ice sheet stability (Fudge et al., in press).
Biography
Dr Sally Lau
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
SAEF/James Cook University
Octopus diversification follows Antarctic Bottom Water pathways and intersection
Abstract Document
The vast Southern Ocean hosts diverse genetic patterns that reflect species-specific interactions among physical ocean features, and ecological and biological drivers. We are only beginning to understand how the genetic patterns of benthic marine species along the East Antarctic margins are shaped. Here, we use a simple genetic marker (partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I sequences) to explore the genetic structure of the circum-Antarctic octopus genus Adelieledone. We find that all described Adelieledone species are conspecific with a circum-Antarctic distribution, supporting a broader inference of synonymy. Along the East Antarctic margin, phylogeographic diversification follows Antarctic Bottom Water pathways and intersection, with the Adélie Bank, off Mertz Glacier, proposed as a diversification zone. We demonstrate that East Antarctic marine science campaigns are critical in uncovering unrealised genetic diversity and patterns. Our findings strengthen the argument that the East Antarctic marine ecosystem is unique and warrants dedicated protection.
Biography
Sally Lau is a post-doctoral research fellow with Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future.
Dr Coti Manassero
Postdoc
ACEAS, UTAS
Integrated Magnetotelluric and Seismic Constraints on Mantle Viscosity Beneath East Antarctica
Abstract Document
The response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to climate change is strongly influenced by solid Earth structure and rheology, which control glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and grounding-line feedbacks. While a low-viscosity mantle beneath parts of West Antarctica promotes rapid uplift and can mitigate ice loss on decadal timescales, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is widely interpreted to overlie a cooler, more viscous mantle and a thicker lithosphere. Despite its importance for ice-sheet stability, robust, region-specific viscosity constraints across East Antarctica remain limited.
We present new magnetotelluric (MT) data collected across the Aurora Subglacial Basin and Queen Mary Land as part of the Denman Terrestrial Campaign (2022–2025). Our objective is to place quantitative constraints on mantle viscosity in this region and to compare these estimates with existing viscosity models. We use a methodology that integrates MT-derived electrical conductivity structure with a regional seismic model to infer temperature and water content, which are then translated into viscosity estimates through petrologically informed rheological relationships. This combined approach exploits the complementary sensitivities of MT and seismic methods to improve the resolution of lithospheric thickness and mantle structure.
Our results provide new electrical conductivity models and preliminary viscosity estimates for East Antarctica. These constraints can be incorporated into GIA models to refine predictions of bedrock motion, relative sea level, and grounding-line stability, thereby improving projections of ice-sheet evolution.
We present new magnetotelluric (MT) data collected across the Aurora Subglacial Basin and Queen Mary Land as part of the Denman Terrestrial Campaign (2022–2025). Our objective is to place quantitative constraints on mantle viscosity in this region and to compare these estimates with existing viscosity models. We use a methodology that integrates MT-derived electrical conductivity structure with a regional seismic model to infer temperature and water content, which are then translated into viscosity estimates through petrologically informed rheological relationships. This combined approach exploits the complementary sensitivities of MT and seismic methods to improve the resolution of lithospheric thickness and mantle structure.
Our results provide new electrical conductivity models and preliminary viscosity estimates for East Antarctica. These constraints can be incorporated into GIA models to refine predictions of bedrock motion, relative sea level, and grounding-line stability, thereby improving projections of ice-sheet evolution.
Biography
Dr Maria Constanza (Coti) Manassero is a postdoc at the University of Tasmania, Australia, and part of the ACEAS project. Her main research interest lies in developing geophysical methodologies to understand complex Earth processes. She is passionate about doing innovative and impactful science, as well as working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team to tackle current challenges, particularly those linked to the effects of climate change. Coti has over 10 years of experience in geophysics, where she has primarily worked on the development of computer-based approaches applied to geophysical data. She completed her Ph.D. in Geophysics at Macquarie University, Australia, with a specialisation in MT and probabilistic inversions of 3D MT with other datasets. As part of her current postdoc position, she is collecting MT data across (and around) Denman Glacier to expand the available data in the region. These observations are necessary to understand the interaction between the ice and the solid Earth and improve models of sea level rise and ice mass loss.
Dr Tobias Staal
Scientist
University of Tasmania
The Bathymetry under Shackleton Ice Shelf
Abstract Document
The Shackleton Ice Shelf system (SIS) is one of the most dynamically sensitive regions of East Antarctica, with the Denman Glacier draining a substantial portion of Wilkes Land and terminating in the deepest known continental trough on Earth. While inland bed topography is partially resolved by radar sounding, bathymetry beneath the floating ice shelf remains largely unknown, leaving the ocean pathways to the grounding zone, and hence ocean forcing of the glacier, poorly constrained.
Recent ship-based multibeam surveys from the RSV Nuyina Denman Marine Voyage and RV Polarstern expeditions have improved constraints near the ice-shelf front, yet extensive regions beneath the SIS remain unconstrained. We integrate airborne gravity observations from legacy and recent ICECAP survey flights with seal dive depth data and observations from the Denman Terrestrial Campaign (DTC) to infer sub–ice-shelf bathymetry. Through an interdisciplinary approach and collaboration, we synthesise these diverse datasets to produce the most comprehensive bathymetric map of the SIS to date, with rigorously quantified uncertainty metrics.
These improvements are essential for modelling ice–ocean interactions and basal melting, and for assessing the future contribution of the Denman Glacier to global sea-level rise.
Recent ship-based multibeam surveys from the RSV Nuyina Denman Marine Voyage and RV Polarstern expeditions have improved constraints near the ice-shelf front, yet extensive regions beneath the SIS remain unconstrained. We integrate airborne gravity observations from legacy and recent ICECAP survey flights with seal dive depth data and observations from the Denman Terrestrial Campaign (DTC) to infer sub–ice-shelf bathymetry. Through an interdisciplinary approach and collaboration, we synthesise these diverse datasets to produce the most comprehensive bathymetric map of the SIS to date, with rigorously quantified uncertainty metrics.
These improvements are essential for modelling ice–ocean interactions and basal melting, and for assessing the future contribution of the Denman Glacier to global sea-level rise.
Biography
Dr Tristan Burgess
Hpai Coordinator
Australian Antarctic Division
How do we manage wildlife health in the Antarctic and what is the role of National Antarctic Programmes
Abstract Document
The Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty outlines obligations regarding the protection of Antarctic Ecosystems from human impacts and designates Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science”. The Protocol sets a standard for Parties to monitor, understand, prevent and mitigate human impacts on wildlife in Antarctica. Through examination of the Treaty and related documents, we aim to describe the core principles of how wildlife health threats can be managed in Antarctica with a specific focus on the opportunity for National Antarctic Programmes (NAPs) to play an important role. In the context of the increasing incidence of emerging infectious disease globally, the threat of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) to Antarctic wildlife cannot be ignored. We are seeing an increasing focus on the potential for wildlife disease to impact Antarctic wildlife including in review of the CEP non-native species manual, and the COMNAP and SCAR guidance on HPAI. We recommend NAPs continue to respond proactively to HPAI and share results and best practices through ATCM/CEP, COMNAP, SCAR and IAATO. Active engagement in monitoring and understanding wildlife health provides an exemplar of environmental stewardship in Antarctica, and National Antarctic Programs play a key role in monitoring and responding to anthropogenic threats to wildlife health.
Biography
Tristan Burgess is a wildlife veterinarian and epidemiologist working primarily in marine mammal health and emerging pandemic threats. He serves as HPAI Coordinator for the Australian Antarctci Division. His research investigates i) the ways in which health and disease can impact, or be used to measure, conservation outcomes; ii) drivers of spillover risk in emerging infectious disease and iii) the intersection of behavioral/foraging ecology and wildlife health.
Ms Gabrielle Burke
Research Assistant
IMAS/University of Tasmania
Automating Antarctic landfast ice mapping using Sentinel 1 SAR imagery
Abstract Document
Landfast sea ice (fast ice) is a critical component of the Antarctic climate system and ecosystem, however a recent unprecedented decline in summertime fast-ice extent highlights gaps in our understanding of its seasonal distribution and variability. Existing remote-sensing methods for fast-ice detection are limited in their spatial and seasonal coverage, and have been largely manual until now.. Here, we present a fully automated workflow for mapping Antarctic fast ice using high-resolution Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery. The method uses image processing on pairs of spatially overlapping images separated by days to weeks to enhance areas of persistent texture (e.g., fast ice) while suppressing areas of changing texture (e.g., pack ice or open water). We then apply the Segment Anything Model to partition the processed image into continuous segments, followed by supervised machine learning to automatically classify segments as fast ice or pack ice/open water. Testing demonstrates that the method reliably detects both young fast ice during its early formation and stable fast ice during winter conditions, but is less sensitive to fast ice experiencing surface melt. This approach is independent of imaging geometry and radar look-direction, and underpins a planned circumpolar rollout for the entire Sentinel-1 record with Geoscience Australia.
Biography
Ms Luiza De Araujo Motta
PhD
Imas/utas
High-Resolution Assessment of Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) Flux in the Southern Ocean: A 230Th-Based Approach
Abstract Document
The Biological Carbon Pump transfers photosynthetically fixed carbon to depth, but the vertical attenuation of particulate organic carbon (POC) remains poorly constrained in this undersampled region. The depth at which POC is remineralized determines the residence time of sequestered carbon and directly regulates biological carbon pump efficiency. Here we quantify POC flux in the water column using 230Th-normalization, applied to samples from MISO 2024 voyage (Jan to Feb) at 15 stations across the GEOTRACES I9S transect (~54–65°S, ~113–115°E) and on the East Antarctic margin. Particulate material was collected by in-situ pumps (15–2900 m), with 230Th and uranium isotopes measured by Sector Field ICP-MS and POC by elemental analysis. Preliminary results reveal strong vertical and latitudinal gradients. Surface POC concentrations increased from north to south along the transect, indicating a clear latitudinal trend, and were substantially higher at the East Antarctic stations (~35-40 μmol/L) than along the I9S transect (~2-15 μmol/L), consistent with elevated phytoplankton biomass inferred from CTD fluorescence profiles. Despite these regional differences, POC declined rapidly below approximately 100–150 m at most stations, reaching 0–2 μmol/L bellow 150 at almost all stations, suggesting relatively shallow mesopelagic remineralization. These 230Th-derived POC flux profiles integrate particle dynamics over annual to multiannual timescales, providing new constraints on POC regeneration length scales and carbon sequestration efficiency in the Southern Ocean.
Keywords:Biological Carbon Pump, Particulate Organic Carbon, 230Th.
Keywords:Biological Carbon Pump, Particulate Organic Carbon, 230Th.
Biography
Luiza Motta is a PhD candidate at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania. She holds a Bachelor of Biological Sciences from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, including a split-site program at Queensland University of Technology, and a Master's degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of São Paulo. Her academic and research background spans marine biochemistry, marine ecology, toxinology, and metabolomics, including research on environmental stressors in macroalgae and bioactive venom peptides.
Her current research focuses on marine biogeochemistry, particularly the Southern Ocean biological carbon pump, carbon export, and remineralization processes. She has participated in Antarctic research through the Brazilian Antarctic Program (PROANTAR XXXVII) and has several years of field experience on the Great Barrier Reef conducting coral reef surveys, supporting marine conservation initiatives, and delivering environmental education programs. She is also a certified Divemaster with over 200 logged dives.
Mr Lewis Drury
Student
University of Tasmania
Remote, rugged, reliable, robust? Advances in Southern Ocean sea-level monitoring
Abstract Document
The remoteness and hostile conditions of sub-Antarctic Heard Island present extreme challenges for maintaining in situ observations. However, its isolated location in the Southern Ocean offers rare potential for enhancing our understanding of sea-level variability and change. During the HIMI 2025/26 field campaign, an autonomous GNSS-IR (Global Navigation Satellite System - Interferometric Reflectometry) sea-level monitoring station was installed at Magnet Point. Perched ~18 m above mean sea level upon volcanic coastal cliffs, the GNSS receiver captures interference induced by positioning signals being reflected off the sea surface, from which sea surface height can be inferred. Intrinsically, the system also monitors crustal motion in three dimensions providing an insight into the dynamic morphology of Heard Island. An automatic weather station and rugged camera additionally capture co-located observations of climate variables and images/videos of sea state. The Heard Island sea-level monitoring station is remote, is built to be rugged, and has shown itself to be reliable, but are the observations robust? Here we present preliminary analyses of system performance, sea-level, and crustal motion estimates obtained so far.
Biography
Ms Stella Fish
MPhil Student
Queensland University of Technology
Quantifying biodiversity in terrestrial Antarctica: bryophytes in space and time
Abstract Document
Bryophytes are abundant and ecologically important in Antarctica’s terrestrial environment. Yet remarkably little is known about their diversity and spatial distribution, especially so in East Antarctica. Most collections have uncertainty associated with species-level taxonomic and spatial information. Since the Antarctic Treaty System’s Madrid Protocol focuses on species level assessments, these uncertainties have implications for conservation planning and management.
The Bunger Hills is a little-known oasis 450 km from Casey Station. It has been collected infrequently and opportunistically by several Antarctic Programmes since the 1950’s, but existing lists are outdated and were completed before the publication of The Illustrated Moss Flora of Antarctica. Additional biodiversity data for the Bunger Hills can be found in The Biodiversity of Ice-Free Antarctica database. Literature and database records are assessed and their taxonomy updated.
Additionally, two recent field campaigns collected over 150 spatially explicit bryophyte samples which have been identified to species-level. Enabling the creation of the first spatially and taxonomically explicit bryophyte dataset for the Bunger Hills. This will allow the conservation values of the vegetation to be quantified.
The Bunger Hills is a little-known oasis 450 km from Casey Station. It has been collected infrequently and opportunistically by several Antarctic Programmes since the 1950’s, but existing lists are outdated and were completed before the publication of The Illustrated Moss Flora of Antarctica. Additional biodiversity data for the Bunger Hills can be found in The Biodiversity of Ice-Free Antarctica database. Literature and database records are assessed and their taxonomy updated.
Additionally, two recent field campaigns collected over 150 spatially explicit bryophyte samples which have been identified to species-level. Enabling the creation of the first spatially and taxonomically explicit bryophyte dataset for the Bunger Hills. This will allow the conservation values of the vegetation to be quantified.
Biography
Miss Brittany Gorry
HDR Student
Queensland University of Technology
Investigating Generative Geospatial Foundation Models for Segmentation of Antarctic Remote Sensing under Data-Scarce Conditions
Abstract Document
Antarctic remote sensing plays a vital role in monitoring the fragile dynamics of ecosystems across the Southern Ocean. Modern geospatial foundation models (GeoFMs) have demonstrated impressive capabilities for land classification, segmentation, and change detection, however their application in polar environments remains underrepresented. Under-sampling of extreme environments compounds existing data scarcity challenges, including sparse field access, limited ground truth labels, and reduced satellite coverage worsened by surface reflectance variability and seasonal cloud cover. Notably, existing global Earth observation benchmarks systematically exclude snow and ice-covered environments, limiting the out-of-the-box transferability of models trained on these datasets to polar domains.
This work investigates how GeoFMs, such as TerraMind, leverage generative capabilities to advance cross-domain generalisation while reducing reliance on manual annotations. Supervised segmentation baselines are established on benchmark Earth observation datasets, including Sen1Floods11 and HLS BurnScars, providing a baseline for evaluating progressive domain transfer toward polar environments. We evaluate whether TerraMind's generative inference and internal representations can substitute for labelled Antarctic data and investigate how surrogate polar satellite datasets can help bridge this domain gap toward UAV-based ecological monitoring. This ongoing work explores opportunities where multimodal and multi-scale generalisation can enhance cross-domain adaptation, aiming to enable scalable ecological monitoring in support of global climate research.
This work investigates how GeoFMs, such as TerraMind, leverage generative capabilities to advance cross-domain generalisation while reducing reliance on manual annotations. Supervised segmentation baselines are established on benchmark Earth observation datasets, including Sen1Floods11 and HLS BurnScars, providing a baseline for evaluating progressive domain transfer toward polar environments. We evaluate whether TerraMind's generative inference and internal representations can substitute for labelled Antarctic data and investigate how surrogate polar satellite datasets can help bridge this domain gap toward UAV-based ecological monitoring. This ongoing work explores opportunities where multimodal and multi-scale generalisation can enhance cross-domain adaptation, aiming to enable scalable ecological monitoring in support of global climate research.
Biography
Brittany graduated from QUT in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) with a GPA of 7.00. Her undergraduate research spanned atomic force microscopy and spectroscopy at QUT and a summer internship in quantum optics at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), reflecting a broad curiosity about applying physics to investigate the natural world.
Her PhD thesis, Advancing Machine Learning for Antarctic Remote Sensing under Extreme Data-Scarce Conditions, focuses on adapting geospatial foundation models (GeoFMs) for environmental monitoring in Antarctic regions. Her research investigates transformer architectures, self-supervised learning, and generative foundation models to address data deficiency challenges inherent to logistically demanding Antarctic fieldwork. By reducing dependence on large labelled datasets, she aims to enable scalable ecological monitoring from multispectral and hyperspectral UAV imagery.
Despite strong generalisation claims, leading GeoFMs systematically exclude Antarctic imagery, leaving polar environments underrepresented in global benchmarks. Brittany's work aims to benchmarks these models under polar conditions, characterise their failure modes, and explore fine-tuning strategies using limited surrogate datasets. Her research supports scientists in extracting meaningful insights from sparse observations, with broader implications for climate change analysis and environmental policy.
Dr Alyce Hancock
Soos Executive Office
Southern Ocean Observing System
The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS): Connecting observations to understanding in a changing Southern Ocean
Abstract Document
The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the global climate system, yet it is currently undergoing rapid and unprecedented physical and biological changes, including record ocean warming, sea ice decline and marine heatwaves, among other changes. These shifts are having cascading ecosystem impacts and suggest the region may be approaching critical tipping points. However, our ability to understand, predict, and respond to these changes is limited by persistent gaps in observational data. The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) advocates for the urgent development of a fully integrated, sustained, and internationally coordinated observing system. While the challenges are significant, an emerging suite of technologies—such as autonomous platforms, environmental DNA monitoring, and advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence—offers opportunities to increase spatiotemporal coverage and thus improve our understanding and forecasting of the system. It is critical that we upscale the current observing system to what is needed to address current, urgent challenges (Figure 3). Realising this vision requires understanding the status of the observing system including observation coverage and gaps, identification of the harmonisation of new technologies with traditional observation methods, ensuring data are open and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), and fostering inclusive, interdisciplinary collaboration. Ultimately, translating these observations into policy-ready knowledge depends on sustained political will and funding for the national and international programs that form the backbone of Southern Ocean monitoring.
Biography
Dr Alyce Hancock has been the SOOS Executive Officer since 2021, developing and overseeing SOOS’ strategies,
implementation and coordination of all SOOS activities. Alyce has a PhD from the University of Tasmania and has held various science coordination and research roles including an 18-month Antarctic field program.
Mr Norman Mueller
Director, Digital Earth Antarctica
Geoscience Australia
Digital Earth Antarctica: An Open Access Satellite Data Platform
Abstract Document
Access to quality satellite data for wide-scale analysis and monitoring is essential for supporting Antarctic science, operations, and management. Built on Open Data Cube technology, our new platform provides access to corrected continental-scale satellite data covering Antarctica and its surrounding sea ice, unlocking decades of valuable satellite observations for researchers and decision-makers. The need for monitoring and understanding change across Antarctica has never been greater with rapid changes in sea ice, ice sheets and the oceans observed and forecast to increase over coming decades with far-reaching consequences for global climate, sea level rise, ocean circulation and dependent ecosystems. Continued satellite monitoring, and the development of infrastructure that ensures data discovery and analysis, is critical for supporting our Antarctic science capability and providing a robust basis for decision-makers.
This presentation provides an update on the Digital Earth Antarctica platform, ongoing processing efforts and the data we currently have available. We present updates on 1) our baseline synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and examples of Antarctic use-cases; 2) the production of annual REMA digital elevation models by the Polar Geospatial Center; 3) our Landsat/Sentinel-2 optical data processing to ensure the data is corrected and validated for Antarctic conditions; and 4) Geoscience Australia’s involvement representing Antarctic interests in the Landsat Science Team.
This presentation provides an update on the Digital Earth Antarctica platform, ongoing processing efforts and the data we currently have available. We present updates on 1) our baseline synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data and examples of Antarctic use-cases; 2) the production of annual REMA digital elevation models by the Polar Geospatial Center; 3) our Landsat/Sentinel-2 optical data processing to ensure the data is corrected and validated for Antarctic conditions; and 4) Geoscience Australia’s involvement representing Antarctic interests in the Landsat Science Team.
Biography
Miss Stella Riordan
Student
SAEF/University of Wollongong
Identifying Antarctic moss species for biological proxy work: a morphological approach across three regions
Abstract Document
Antarctica’s rare ice-free habitats are dominated by mosses, slow-growing biological archives that lock away centuries of climate history in their tissues. This study used morphological identification to characterise moss species diversity and composition across three regions: the Antarctic Peninsula, and East Antarctica’s Bunger Hills and Dronning Maud Land, to identify species with the greatest potential for climate proxy work and contribute to baseline data for Antarctic biodiversity monitoring. A total of 45 samples were examined using microscopy and established identification keys. Species richness was highest in the Antarctic Peninsula (seven species), reflecting its milder maritime climate, compared to four species in the Bunger Hills and two in Dronning Maud Land. Bryum pseudotriquetrum dominated all three regions, with the longest mean shoot length (5.88 cm) and predicted core ages of up to 30.8 years, was identifying it as the highest priority species for future isotope analysis and dating. A significant positive relationship between latitude and growth rate in B. pseudotriquetrum (R2 = 0.390, p = 0.004) enabled predicted age estimation for undated samples, identifying priority cores for future climate reconstruction. These findings provide foundational biodiversity data across three Antarctic regions, with direct implications for long-term conservation monitoring and Antarctic climate reconstruction.
Biography
Mr Michael Santarossa
Technical Services Manager
Australian Antarctic Division
RSV Nuyina Science Capabilities
Abstract Document
The RSV Nuyina represents a significant advancement in Australia’s marine research capability in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic region. It provides the scientific community with new opportunities to undertake research both underway during resupply voyages and during dedicated campaigns.
This poster highlights two specific technologies deployed aboard the vessel.
Of particular interest is the Nuyina Underwater Towed Termination System (NUTTS), a custom-designed, flexible, and modular platform supporting a range of subsea packages with fibre optic connectivity. These currently include deep-tow camera systems, beam trawls, and rectangular midwater trawls. NUTTS enhances the vessel’s ability to efficiently deploy and operate diverse towed systems, increasing observational capability and supporting multidisciplinary Antarctic research in challenging environment.
Also described is the Forward Outboard Deployment System (FODS) for deployment of novel instrumentation measuring parameters such as sea ice thickness and undisturbed weather above the sea/ice surface
This poster highlights two specific technologies deployed aboard the vessel.
Of particular interest is the Nuyina Underwater Towed Termination System (NUTTS), a custom-designed, flexible, and modular platform supporting a range of subsea packages with fibre optic connectivity. These currently include deep-tow camera systems, beam trawls, and rectangular midwater trawls. NUTTS enhances the vessel’s ability to efficiently deploy and operate diverse towed systems, increasing observational capability and supporting multidisciplinary Antarctic research in challenging environment.
Also described is the Forward Outboard Deployment System (FODS) for deployment of novel instrumentation measuring parameters such as sea ice thickness and undisturbed weather above the sea/ice surface
Biography
Ms. Mariapina Vomero
Phd Student
AAPP/University of Tasmania
Tidal Influence on Doline formation on the Amery Ice Shelf
Abstract Document
Supraglacial meltwater drainage threatens ice-shelf stability, as millions of cubic metres of meltwater can drain rapidly and potentially penetrate deeper ice layers year-round. For lakes near the grounding line, these events may transfer water to the ocean or to the ice–bedrock interface, with implications for ice-shelf weakening. Despite their importance, the drivers of these drainage events remain poorly understood, particularly for events occurring beneath frozen lake covers that lead to the formation of “dolines”, surface depressions produced by englacial drainage events.
This study investigates previously identified dolines on the Amery Ice Shelf between 2017 and 2021. Water volume and lake basin characteristics were derived from Sentinel-2 imagery using spectral blueness metrics. For each event, a multi-source dataset was compiled to evaluate the influence of topography, hydrology, ice dynamics, climate forcing, tides, and grounding-zone processes. Surface topography was characterised using REMA DEMs, climate variables were obtained from RACMO and ERA5 reanalysis products, and ice velocity fields from MEaSUREs were used to assess strain and advection rates. Tidal activity was analysed using the CATS2008 model, while Sentinel-1 SAR interferometry was used to investigate grounding-zone dynamics preceding collapse events. Together, these datasets provide the first integrated assessment of controls on doline formation.
This study investigates previously identified dolines on the Amery Ice Shelf between 2017 and 2021. Water volume and lake basin characteristics were derived from Sentinel-2 imagery using spectral blueness metrics. For each event, a multi-source dataset was compiled to evaluate the influence of topography, hydrology, ice dynamics, climate forcing, tides, and grounding-zone processes. Surface topography was characterised using REMA DEMs, climate variables were obtained from RACMO and ERA5 reanalysis products, and ice velocity fields from MEaSUREs were used to assess strain and advection rates. Tidal activity was analysed using the CATS2008 model, while Sentinel-1 SAR interferometry was used to investigate grounding-zone dynamics preceding collapse events. Together, these datasets provide the first integrated assessment of controls on doline formation.
Biography
PhD student at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, specialising in remote sensing of supraglacial lake drainage events on Antarctic ice shelves.
Ms Madi McLatchie
PhD Candidate
The University of Queensland
The Extent of Plastic and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Contamination in Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Wildlife
Abstract Document
Anthropogenic pollution has reached wildlife breeding in the most isolated regions of the world, including the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic. We aim to investigate the prevalence of contaminants in Antarctic wildlife by quantifying the output of relevant scientific literature and identifying key knowledge gaps in this niche area. To meet our objective, we synthesised results from articles focusing on plastics and PFAS in wildlife inhabiting Antarctic regions. Focal species, study location, sample types, and contaminant measurement information was extracted and analysed. Most studies were conducted across the sub-Antarctic, while in Antarctica, most studies focussed on the west. The most studied species was the Adélie penguin with PFAS concentrations ranging from 0.99-7.35 ng/g ww, while plastic counts ranged from 0.15 - 3.8 items/individual. The highest average count of plastics was 46.7 items/individual in brown skuas, and the lowest, 0.078 items/individual, in Macquarie Island cormorants. The highest mean PFAS concentration was 16 ng/g ww in fur seals, and lowest 0.24 ng/g ww in common diving petrels. Overall, these findings highlight clear geographic and taxonomic biases in the existing literature underscoring critical knowledge gaps in this field. Further studies are required to determine baseline contamination for species residing close to Antarctic stations compared to those distally isolated. Understanding pollution sources from local Antarctic research stations will assist in informing management outcomes contributing to conservation of wildlife species.
Biography
Ms Kasey Williams
Environmental Engineer
Australian Antarctic Division
Investigating the Inaccessible: Understanding Behaviour of a Fuel Spill Under Ice
Abstract Document
In winter 2018, at Casey Station, Antarctica, a fuel spill occurred which (after initial emergency response activities) released approximately 3,000 L of Special Antarctic Blend (SAB) diesel above a large snow-covered coastal valley. Subsequent investigations revealed that the site has a complex history of human use and historic contamination. Since 2019, passive soil gas (PSG) assessments have been used to investigate and delineate hydrocarbon contamination and plume transport over time. While this technology is common in temperate environments, it has been applied in a novel way at Casey by using steam to drill ice boreholes and deploying PSG samplers below a 4-15 m multiyear snow/ice accumulation zone. This method allows for in-situ investigation without excavating large volumes of snow and ice to facilitate traditional site investigation methods (i.e. soil sampling). Accumulated mass of volatile hydrocarbons on the samplers, bore hole depths and associated vapour concentrations in addition to geospatial information were used to assess the relative magnitude and extent of contaminant migration beneath the ice across multiple years. Annual refinement has increased the effectiveness of this non-intrusive contaminant characterisation and monitoring technique, which may be applicable for other contaminated sites in polar regions covered by snow and ice.
Biography
Kasey Williams is an Environmental Engineer in the Environmental Stewardship Program at the Australian Antarctic Division. Her work focuses on environmental engineering, contaminated land assessment, monitoring and remediation in polar regions, where legacy pollutants, extreme conditions, and sensitive ecosystems present unique technical challenges.
Dr Diana King
Deputy Program Manager
SAEF/University of Wollongong
Securing a prominent role for diversity, equity and inclusion in Antarctica's Environmental Future
Abstract Document
SAEF is an interdisciplinary, international research and workforce development program that seeks to understand and mitigate Antarctic environmental change and its Earth System impacts. Prominent in our approach is an explicit, sustained focus on diversity equity and inclusion (DEI). DEI is central to our values because it promotes better thinking and greater innovation. It is explicit in our policies, including for staff and student recruitment at all levels. Our composition reflects this, with, for example, our team and advisory bodies having a 42:55:02 and 41:53:06 gender ratio, respectively. SAEF has provided field access and experience opportunities to both academic and professionals, including for those who might not routinely be able to travel to the region. For fieldwork, we have a focus on training in advance to ensure safety, including from harassment and bias, that is mandatory for all participants. And we place special emphasis on seeking feedback on how to improve the experience with respect to clothing and safety equipment for all who travel to the region. Here we illustrate how we have done so and what challenges we continue to face, drawing out broader lessons for DEI in the Antarctic.
Biography
