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AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
The Australian Antarctic Division, a Division of the Department of
the Environment and Energy, leads Australia’s Antarctic program
and seeks to advance Australia’s Antarctic interests in pursuit of
its vision of having ‘Antarctica valued, protected and understood’.
It does this by managing Australian government activity in
Antarctica, providing transport and logistic support to Australia’s
Antarctic research program, maintaining four permanent
Australian research stations, and conducting scientific research
programs both on land and in the Southern Ocean.
Australia’s Antarctic national interests are to:
• Preserve our sovereignty over the Australian Antarctic
FUTURE CAPABILITIES Territory, including our sovereign rights over the adjacent
offshore areas.
2 Antarctic icebreaker afloat • Take advantage of the special opportunities Antarctica
offers for scientific research.
• Protect the Antarctic environment, having regard to its
special qualities and effects on our region.
• Maintain Antarctica’s freedom from strategic and/or
political confrontation.
• Be informed about and able to influence developments
in a region geographically proximate to Australia.
• Derive any reasonable economic benefits from living and
non-living resources of the Antarctic (excluding deriving
SCIENCE such benefits from mining and oil drilling).
14 Krill, whales and poo power Australian Antarctic Magazine is produced twice a year (June
and December). Australian Antarctic Magazine seeks to inform
the Australian and international Antarctic community about the
activities of the Australian Antarctic program. The views and
opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect those of the Australian Government or
the Minister for the Environment and Energy.
© Copyright Commonwealth of Australia, 2018
IN BRIEF
HISTORY 31 Sealers, shipwrecks and survivors Australian Antarctic Magazine is licensed by the
22 Opening up the Antarctic skies inspire new names on Heard Island Commonwealth of Australia for use under a Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, with the
exception of the Coat of Arms of the Commonwealth
of Australia, content supplied by third parties, and any
CONTENTS images depicting people. For licence conditions see
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Melting beneath Totten Glacier driven
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
by natural variability 19 This publication should be attributed as ‘Australian
Nick Gales’ message 1 Antarctic Magazine, Commonwealth of Australia 2018.
‘Cucumber-cam’ assists conservation 20
The Commonwealth of Australia has made all reasonable
FUTURE CAPABILITIES VIRTUAL REALITY efforts to identify content supplied by third parties using
the following format ‘© Copyright, [name of third party]’.
Antarctic icebreaker afloat 2 Antarctic virtual reality trial to assist astronauts 21
Data to the bunk 4 Editorial enquiries, including requests to reproduce
material, or contributions, should be addressed to:
Tractor traverse to support deep field research 5 HISTORY
Grand sub-Antarctic designs 6 The Editor
Opening up the Antarctic skies 22
Australian Antarctic Magazine
Australian Antarctic Division
203 Channel Highway
SCIENCE VALE
Kingston, 7050
Could e-DNA enhance ecosystem monitoring? 8 Pat Quilty 26 Tasmania, Australia.
Hungry humpbacks take migratory snack breaks 9 Australian Antarctic Division
Antarctic ice shelf collapse triggered by Telephone: (03) 6232 3209
IN BRIEF
wave action following sea ice loss 10 (International 61 3 6232 3209)
email: magazine@aad.gov.au
Yellow submarine prepares for first Facsimile: (03) 6232 3288
Antarctic mission 12 (International 61 3 6232 3288)
FREEZE FRAME
Krill, whales, and poo power 14
Editor: Wendy Pyper
Antarctic krills’ secret weapon
Production: Nisha Harris, Jessica Fitzpatrick
against ocean acidification 16
Graphic Design: Giraffe VCM
Seeking molecules that scrub the sky 17 ISSUE 35: December 2018
ISSN 1445-1735 (print version)
ABOUT THE COVER Australian Antarctic Magazine is printed on
Casey Station Leader, Rebecca Jeffcoat, took this Monza satin recycled paper; a 50% post consumer
photo of a late-winter campsite near Robbo’s Hut, waste and 50% FSC certified fibre stock.
overlooking Odbert Island, during a visit to the
Australian Antarctic Magazine can be viewed online:
island to undertake maintenance of seabird nesting
www.antarctica.gov.au/magazine
cameras. She used a Canon 6D EOS Mk II (ISO 400,
f10, 1/160 sec). Rebecca is on secondment from @AusAntarctic
the Royal Australian Navy. She previously visited
AusAntarctic
Antarctica on a resupply voyage and a Station
AusAntarctic
Leader familiarisation trip.
ausantarctic
From the Director
Photo: Adam Roberts
As you flick through the pages of this latest edition clear and direct line between the science we do, the policy it informs
and the wellbeing and resilience of Australians and Australian society in
of the Australian Antarctic Magazine I will be the future.
embarking on a new and exciting chapter of my
At the same time that we recognise how important Antarctica is, the
life, and a new Director will be taking the helm of central tenants of the Antarctic Treaty system of peace, science and
Australia’s Antarctic Program. environmental protection are being challenged.
One of the things I am
I leave at a time of great change and opportunity and I feel
deeply privileged to have played a small role in guiding the
Our great strengths most proud of contributing
to, in my role as Chief
Antarctic Program to its current state. that are built from Scientist and then Director
The Australian Antarctic Division and the broader Antarctic Program our past, need to be of the Australian Antarctic
Division, has been the
are defined by, and proud of, our rich history and those who built our
focused on a future 2016 Australian Antarctic
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
Antarctic legacy. We are indebted to the Australian National Antarctic
Strategy and 20 Year
Research Expeditions (ANARE) Club who remind us that we are part of
a long tradition of shared endeavour in Antarctica. We all bring passion
that embraces change. Action Plan. This strategy
strengthens Australia’s
and commitment to our jobs, with expeditioners returning time and
leadership role in Antarctica by setting in place major science and
again to our Antarctic and sub-Antarctic stations, and Kingston staff
support commitments, including transport (our new Antarctic icebreaker
remaining a part of this community for much of, or all, their careers.
RSV Nuyina, a proposed new aerodrome near Davis, and deep-field
It is this sense of purpose and pride in our work that make being traverse capability), station infrastructure (the new Macquarie Island
part of the Australian Antarctic Division, or heading south as part of research station and upgrades at other stations), and mechanisms to
our Antarctic Program, such a wonderful experience. It is these same support greater and more sustained funding for science.
strengths that we now need to harness to enable us to respond to the
These investments will drive a fundamental change in the scale and
rapidly changing environmental and political arenas in Antarctica.
1 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
nature of the way the Australian Antarctic Division and the Antarctic
The changes in Antarctica are profound. When I started my Antarctic Program functions, and will set us up to deliver on the promise of
career in 1985 as a (very) young biologist on Heard Island, and then continued and urgently needed leadership and influence in the Treaty.
a winter at Davis research station, our research was largely unknown
Our great strengths that are built from our past, need to be focused on
in Australia, and the Antarctic Treaty had changed very little over its
a future that embraces the necessary change, to remain relevant and
25 year history. Australians knew a little about Antarctica’s heroic era,
influential in a rapidly changing and increasingly threatened Antarctica.
but saw little relevance to their daily lives in our work or how
the continent was governed. I’m immensely grateful for the support and encouragement I have
received from so many of you over my years here, and I hope you
Communicating the importance of our Antarctic research and
provide that same level of support to my successor. The Antarctic and
governance, and the significance of Antarctica to the planet, is a
Hobart communities are small enough to ensure that my path will cross
challenge to which we must continue to rise.
with many of you in the future, and I look forward to that.
We now know that Antarctica and the Southern Ocean drive much of
our global climate and weather. We also know that the science we do is Fair winds and following seas to you all.
fundamental to our understanding of just how vulnerable Antarctica is
to human influence, and to informing our ability to mitigate and adapt Dr NICK GALES
to the massive challenges we face with climate change. There is a very Australian Antarctic Division
1 2
Antarctic icebreaker afloat
Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker, RSV Nuyina, is now floating, after 50 Olympic swimming
pools of water were pumped into the docks where the ship is being built, in September.
It took two days to pump enough water
from the nearby river into the dry dock,
raising the water level six metres above the 3
dock floor and floating the 10,751 tonne
ship about 30 centimetres off the ground.
Australian Antarctic Division Icebreaker
Project Manager, Mr Nick Browne, said
it was a precision operation to then
manoeuvre the ship about 250 metres
into the adjacent wet dock.
“We had 34 buoyancy bags tethered in
strategic places around the ship to ensure
the bow and stern were level for floating
out,” Mr Browne said.
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
“Then we used a series of controlled lines to
pull the ship into position in the wet dock.
The ship is 25.6 metres wide and the dry
dock is 35 metres wide, so we had less than
five metres either side.
“There’s about 10 metres of water in the
wet dock, which will be enough to support
the 16,000 tonne weight of the ship when
it’s completed.” “After six years of planning and more than
2 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
At the time of the floating, construction on two years of construction, it was a thrill to
the ship had reached deck level four (the see the ship finally floating in the water,”
science deck), and the engines, generators, Mr Browne said.
shaft lines, propellers and rudders were all “We’ll see the Nuyina rapidly taking shape over
in place (see next story). the next few months; it won’t be long now
When complete, the ship will rise to before she’ll be sailing into Hobart in 2020.”
10 decks at navigation bridge level,
measuring 50.2 metres from the keel to the 3. The dry dock filling with water to float the
top of the weather radar on the main mast. 10,751 tonne ship. (Photo: Damen)
4. One of two gondolas that will hold the ship’s
1. Buoyancy bags were attached in
propeller shafts. The length of steel above the
strategic places around the ship to
propeller shaft tunnel will help deflect sea
ensure it remained level while floating.
ice broken up by ice knives at the rear of the
(Photo: Michiel Jordaan)
ship. The cross at the front of the tunnel is for
2. The Nuyina prior to the removal of the a laser sighting, to ensure the propeller shaft
gate between the dry and wet docks. is correctly aligned with the ship’s engine.
(Photo: Michiel Jordaan) (Photo: Michiel Jordaan)
4 5 6
Nuyina’s 7
construction
propels
ahead
In preparation for the
RSV Nuyina’s floating in
September (see previous story)
a number of critical components
of the ship’s propulsion system
were installed. “Perfect alignment of the shafts is critical Finally, six tunnel thrusters help the ship
to prevent propeller wobble and structural spin on a dime and hold a set position
First were the ship’s two ‘gondolas’ – each failure of the shafts, and will contribute (dynamic positioning) with ±20 m accuracy.
made of 80 tonnes of steel – which hold the to the silent operation of the ship during Three thrusters at the bow and three
ship’s propeller shafts (see photos). scientific surveys.” at the stern each require 1300 kW of
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
electrical power for maximum thrust. The
Australian Antarctic Division Icebreaker Project In open water the main noise on the ship is
thrusters will hold the ship in place during
Manager, Mr Nick Browne, said the complex from the propulsion system – the engines,
deployment of scientific equipment in a
and precise nature of the gondolas required a gear boxes and propellers. This interferes
range of sea states, as well as during small
specialist team of 27 welders to install them. with scientific acoustic instruments and
boat deployment and cargo operations.
can affect the behaviour of fish and other
“Each gondola was pre-heated to 150°C
marine organisms that the scientists want
before welding could commence, as welding WENDY PYPER
to study (see Australian Antarctic Magazine
cold steel can cause it to expand and contract
34: 2-3, 2018). Australian Antarctic Division
unevenly, affecting alignment and possibly
causing the steel to fracture,” Mr Browne said. With the propeller shafts in place, the
propeller hubs, on which the blades are
32 2018
2017
“Each welder spent one hour on the job before
bolted, could be attached. The propeller hubs
another took over, and they had to wear
3 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35
are made of nickel, aluminium and bronze
wooden-soled shoes to cope with the heat.”
and are 1.94 metres in diameter and weigh 5. This 12.7 metre-long stern tube will
With the gondolas complete, the propeller almost 21 tonnes. During operation the hubs enclose a propeller shaft. The stern
shafts could be aligned. The 50 metres-long are filled with oil to actuate the variable tube enables the rotating propeller
shafts connect the main engines at the centre pitch of the propeller. shaft to pass through the hull without
of the ship to the 40 tonne propellers (and water leaking into the ship. (Photo:
“Each propeller has four blades made out of
hubs) at the stern. The shafts each sit inside Michiel Jordaan)
stainless steel and weighing about 4.5 tonnes
a ‘stern tube’, which allows them to pass
each. The total diameter of the complete 6. The final blade of a propeller being craned
through the hull without water leaking into
propeller is 5.65 metres,” Mr Browne said. into place. Each blade weighs 4.5 tonnes.
the ship. (Photo: Michiel Jordaan)
The gondolas and propellers are protected by
“The propeller shafts were aligned by
ice knives at the stern of the ship. These help 7. The ship’s propeller blades are bolted to
sending a laser beam through the stern
to split and distribute ice under the vessel this propeller hub, which weighs almost
tubes,” Mr Browne said.
after it has been broken up by the weight of 21 tonnes. Once the four blades are
the bow. Rudders, each weighing 33.5 tonnes added the structure will weigh almost
are installed beneath the ice knives. 40 tonnes. (Photo: Michiel Jordaan)
1
Data
to the
1
bunk
Expeditioners and crew onboard “Then, when the deployment needs attention, “The Nuyina will have 18 screens in the science
the relevant personnel can go to the science control room, rather than eight, so we’ll have
the Aurora Australis can now get control room and complete the job.” the capacity to display a diversity of data that
the ‘DIRT’ on what’s happening Once in the control room, scientists can view
we can’t display on the Aurora Australis,” Mr
on the ship, from the comfort Symonds said.
DIRT and information from other scientific
of their own bunks. equipment across eight computer screens. “We can develop new screens fairly rapidly and
we’ve come up with a system where people
For krill scientists, the technology allows
can design their own screens.
‘Data In Real Time’ is a new web service them to view acoustic echosounder data
developed by the Australian Antarctic – which bounces off krill swarms beneath “But our biggest challenge is to understand
Division’s Science Technical Support Team, the ship and appears as bright blobs on the each of the instruments on the new ship and
allowing scientists, voyage managers, crew computer screen. develop the on board displays, as well as the
and expeditioners to receive data from simulation software for training.”
They can then make decisions about when
scientific instruments via their mobile
to deploy a net, as well as when to open and They will also have to contend with a larger
phones or laptops, anywhere on the ship.
close it to get the maximum amount of krill. volume of data being collected.
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
They can also get the latest information
The technology can also store data to replay “The Aurora Australis tells us the GPS position
on the ship’s position, the air and water
later, for training purposes. Mr Symonds and of the ship once per second, but the Nuyina
temperatures, and wind speeds.
his colleague, electronics engineer Michael will tell us our position between 10 and 100
Technical Services Manager, Lloyd Symonds, Santarossa, have developed software to allow times per second,” Mr Symonds said.
said the new service means scientists don’t scientists to practice complex oceanographic
The pair are working with a team from the
need to stay glued to a single computer deployments using this stored data.
Marine National Facility RV Investigator, which
screen during long deployments of
“Often the first time people see the computer has some of the same instrumentation as
oceanographic equipment, such as trawl
screen on the ship is when they need to deploy Nuyina, allowing them to access example data
nets and conductivity, temperature and
a krill net or CTD, and they don’t know which and software.
depth (CTD) probes.
4 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
button to push,” Mr Santarossa said.
It’s a big job, but no one ever said getting the
“DIRT is an aggregator of data – so it takes
“With this technology we can bring them latest DIRT would be easy.
complex information from our scientific
into our office at Kingston and show them
displays, as well as the ship’s underway data,
how it all works. For example, we can use
and distils the essential information into WENDY PYPER
echosounder data from a voyage to help them
something more accessible,” Mr Symonds said. Australian Antarctic Division
line up a virtual krill net on a virtual ship to
“No matter where people are on the ship, catch the krill in real time.
they can now see, for example, how long
“While it’s not exactly the same, it gives people
a deployment has to run, so that they can
a greater chance of getting it right on the day.”
continue doing other things, whether that be
other work or watching a movie on their bunk. The challenge now is to adapt the software for
the new ship, RSV Nuyina, which is expected to
begin Antarctic operations in late 2020.
1. Lloyd Symonds (left) and Michael
Santarossa in front of computer screens
set up to mimic the Aurora Australis
science control room and deliver ‘data in
real time’ (DIRT). (Photo: Glenn Jacobson)
1
Tractor traverse to support
deep field research
A new fleet of heavy tracked The station will be able to support 16 people “We are incorporating the latest technology
flying in to undertake scientific research for that will allow us to recover the best quality
vehicles will be harnessed to up to three months. core, to drill most efficiently, and hopefully
support Australia’s deep field Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist,
get to the bottom of the ice sheet over a
operations, including the search three-to-four year drilling period.”
Dr Tas van Ommen, said the new capability
for a million year ice core. will open up the Antarctic interior to The Australian Government committed $45
ambitious science projects, including the million in 2016 to re-establish an overland
search for the Earth’s longest continuous traverse capability and drill for the million year
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
Australian Antarctic Division Traverse Systems
ice core climate record (Australian Antarctic ice core as part of the Australian Antarctic
Lead Project Officer, Anthony Hull, said the
Magazine 33: 6, 2017). Strategy and 20 Year Action Plan.
traverse fleet will have five heavy tractors
and two snow groomers that will tow sled “The million year ice core will be a window The tender process for the heavy tracked
trains carrying food supplies, accommodation, into a time when a major shift in the Earth’s vehicles is currently underway and
communal areas, scientific facilities, power climate system took place, and when the procurement of other traverse components
generation and up to 160,000 litres of fuel. regular pacing of ice ages gradually slowed,” will occur over the next 18 months.
Dr van Ommen said.
“This is a step-change in our ability to The new traverse system will meet Australia’s
rapidly move large quantities of cargo “We are working closely with our international scientific and operational needs for the next
and equipment deep inland in all weather collaborators to understand what caused this 20 years.
conditions, and into areas that we can’t shift, because we believe it can help us better
32 2018
2017
traditionally access by aircraft,” Mr Hull said understand present day climate change.”
DAVID REILLY
5 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35
“It will allow us to deploy scientists and Scientists and engineers at the Australian Australian Antarctic Division
support teams to some of the most remote Antarctic Division have also begun work on a
and extreme parts of the Antarctic ice sheet new drill design for the project that is capable
for extended periods of time.” of extracting ice cores 3000 metres deep.
The traverse will be managed by a team of “Many of the components we need are
eight expeditioners and will be able to travel specialist designs that have to be constructed
1. Australia will re-establish a traverse
up to 1500 kilometres inland. and built in-house, and we have the right
system to travel 1200 kilometres inland
team to do that here in Hobart,” Dr van
The first expedition is planned to depart from Casey research station. In 2016-17
Ommen said.
Australia’s Casey research station in early Australia travelled with both British
2021 and set up a mobile research station and French traverse teams to gather
1200 kilometres inland at a location known information on traverse technologies and
as Dome C. methodologies to assist with the design
of a new Australian capability (Australian
Antarctic Magazine 33: 4-6.2017).
(Photo: Todor Iolovski)
1
Grand sub-Antarctic designs
How do you design a group of Station Infrastructure project officers, Travis The station will be self-sufficient in its
Thom and Alison McKenzie, said the brief water, power and waste management
buildings that can withstand the considers all the design requirements and needs, with adaptable and flexible buildings
wild Southern Ocean weather constraints, such as legislation, building codes, to accommodate scientific activities and
and three-tonne elephant maintenance, the function of each building, population fluctuations. It will also be resilient
current and future scientific and operational to future environmental and climate impacts
seals on the doorstep, while needs, and the station’s environmental impact. through the siting of the main station
accommodating the needs “The functional design brief is a guide to
buildings more than 50 metres from the coast
and at an elevation of at least 6.5 metres
of a diverse, self-sufficient what we want to achieve from an end-user
above sea level.
community, living and working perspective, and sets out the requirements
and constraints that could have design To minimise operational and maintenance
far from home and conducting implications,” Ms McKenzie said. costs, the team will use thermally efficient
globally significant science? “The primary function of the station is to
building materials, energy saving technologies
and modern construction techniques.
provide living and working facilities for a
This is the challenge facing the Australian self-sufficient community for the next 50 “We will also use systems and materials
Antarctic Division’s Macquarie Island years, and support scientific and long-term that require limited specialist training
Modernisation Project team, as they embark monitoring programs.” to operate, maintain and to repair if
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
on the design of a new Macquarie Island damaged,” Mr Thom added.
research station. The brief is also the principle document
for the Managing Contractor, VEC Civil To help balance the functional needs
The project is part of the government’s Engineering Pty Ltd, appointed in July, to of the station with its environmental
Australian Antarctic Strategy and 20 Year complete the design and construction, with impact, buildings with complimentary
Action Plan, and includes the renewal assistance from the project team. functions will be clustered together to
of the island’s network of field huts and keep the footprint small, allow efficient
decommissioning of the existing 70 year- Among the design principles enshrined
movement around the site, and provide
old station. in the brief are maintaining year-round
spaces for resupply operations, recreation,
operations, minimising operational and
While the four-person project team is well revegetation and wildlife.
maintenance costs, balancing station function
qualified for the job – with experience in and environmental impacts, and creating a Fenced-off building clusters, with wildlife
6 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
engineering, architecture and trades – they’re sense of community. Common to all of these corridors between, will also help protect
not doing it alone. principles is a smaller station. the station, people and wildlife (especially
As well as Australian Antarctic Division elephant seals), from each other.
“One of our main goals is to reduce the
staff, key personnel at the Australian Bureau number of buildings from 48 to between Macquarie Island Executive Officer Mr Noel
of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia, the 15 and 20,” Mr Thom said. Carmichael, of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Service, said that during the breeding season,
Safety Agency, and the Tasmanian Parks “A smaller station will be more efficient and
the beaches on either side of the isthmus,
and Wildlife Service, have also fed their have less impact on the island.”
where much of the current station sits, are
requirements into a ‘functional design brief’. occupied by the largest concentrations of
elephant seals in the reserve.
1. The new Macquarie Island research station
will be sited further south of the isthmus
(pictured here) and will reduce the number
of station buildings from 48 to between
15 and 20. (Photo: Justin Chambers)
2
Take a virtual tour
of Macquarie Island
The designers and builders of the new
Macquarie Island research station (see main
story) can now get a sense of space and place
from the comfort of their office, thanks to a
virtual tour of the current station site
https://tourview.com.au/macca.html.
The new public interactive tour allows viewers
to get an insight into life and work on the
island, and provides a level of detail that will
be critical to the design of the new station.
The virtual experience is made up of
1338 photos stitched together to form
360 degree panoramas.
3
“The size and natural behaviour of elephant
seals means they can damage buildings and
services they may come in contact with,”
he said.
“Elephant seals can also be noisy and smelly,
so you don’t want them lying outside living
quarters.”
In March 2018 the project team took sketches
of potential master planning options to the
island, to gather feedback from expeditioners
and better understand the environment and
station operations.
The site avoids intensive wildlife “The Managing Contractor, VEC Civil
The sketches were developed based on the
congregations, nesting areas and heritage Engineering, and their architects and
functional design brief and two seasons of
artefacts related to the island’s sealing engineers, will have limited opportunities to
investigations along the length of the island,
days, as well as the swampy ground that make site visits to the island, because there
into wind effects, ground conditions, coastal
is only one or two resupply ships a year,”
FUTURE CAPABILITIES
processes, and the potential risk of rising seas exists further south. It’s also outside the
storm surge area on the isthmus and has Strategic Infrastructure Project Lead, Travis
and increasing storm surge frequency.
good access for construction. Thom, said.
Antarctic Division staff at Kingston and at
VEC Civil Engineering will now use the “By using the virtual tour they’ll be able
the station reviewed the sketches, teasing
functional design brief, master plan, and to go inside buildings to see what kind
out design and operational issues, including
a 360 degree virtual tour within and of furnishing are in place, what kind of
how the station operations will transition
around the current station buildings (see specialist equipment has been installed,
from the old station to the new one.
side bar) to progress the next phase of and how the spaces have been configured.
Based on this work, in June a Selection design. “They can also get a good sense of the
Committee approved a site for the new
The new station is expected to be science that’s conducted on the island, by
station, just south of the existing station and
7 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
complete in 2022. visiting places like the biology and clean air
using part of its current footprint (see map).
laboratories, the radionuclide monitoring
station and the surface weather
WENDY PYPER observation yard.”
Australian Antarctic Division
The tour was developed by Hobart-based
business Sky Avenue Photography and
Design (see Freeze Frame), who visited
the island in March this year (Australian
Antarctic Magazine 34: 8, 2018).
2. This map shows a preliminary master
plan concept and indicative location for
The tour can be viewed on computers,
the new station buildings (red) relative
tablets and mobile phones. Phone users
to the existing station (blue), which 3. A 360 degree panoramic image of
also have an option to view the tour
will be decommissioned. The current the main power house, where diesel
with virtual reality headsets. ‘i’ icons on
points of interest in the tour provide more
station is located on a narrow isthmus generators produce electricity for
information, images and videos relevant
that is subject to storm surges and often Macquarie Island research station.
to the location.
occupied by elephant seals. (Graphic: (Photo: Sky Avenue/Australian
Alison McKenzie) Antarctic Division)
1 2
Could e-DNA enhance
ecosystem monitoring?
Environmental DNA or e-DNA could be the next ‘disruptive innovation’ when it comes
to monitoring changes in Southern Ocean ecosystems.
Australian Antarctic Division molecular To find out, Dr Deagle and his colleague “We need to ensure that our processing
ecologist, Dr Bruce Deagle, said the Andrea Polanowski collected about 200 method captures all the eDNA in the
technology allows scientists to identify two-litre water samples during a voyage sample and not just a subset of what’s
hundreds of species in an environmental to Macquarie Island in March this year*. At there,” he said.
sample – such as water or soil – by the same time, they collected zooplankton
If the technique works, it could open up
sequencing DNA in the sample. samples using a Continuous Plankton
new discussion in the Southern Ocean
Recorder (CPR) – a century-old technology.
The approach relies on ‘barcodes’, which are research community about whether it is a
segments of DNA unique to different species. The CPR is towed behind the ship and useful addition, or replacement, to existing
These genetic markers are amplified from catches phytoplankton and zooplankton ecosystem monitoring methods.
the total DNA extracted from the sample, on a silk mesh that slowly winds through
“DNA could be a good tool for monitoring
and their sequences are then compared to a the instrument. The organisms captured
but we have to decide if we want the data
reference database to identify the organisms. on the silk can then be identified under
in that form – if it’s going to be useful,” Dr
the microscope.
“If we can collect a small volume of water Deagle said.
SCIENCE
and characterise what’s in it, this technique “We’ll be able to compare the CPR
“Use of the technology could disrupt old,
could be very useful for monitoring changes zooplankton samples with our eDNA results
long-term ecosystem monitoring datasets,
in the occurrence of organisms in the to see how well they match,” Dr Deagle said.
but at his stage, our focus is on showing
Southern Ocean,” Dr Deagle said.
“While we don’t have a direct comparison what’s possible.”
“We can already monitor phytoplankton for fish, we’ll compare our eDNA results
8 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
and bacteria using this method, but we with our knowledge of what fish species
WENDY PYPER
want to see if we can identify larger should be there. We’d expect to see a good
zooplankton, like copepods and krill, fish community, but if we only get a handful Australian Antarctic Division
as well as different fish species, and of eDNA results, then that may suggest the *Australian Antarctic Science Project 4313
potentially even penguins and seals. method is not very useful.
“e-DNA has been used in lakes and ponds, “We’ll also try to identify penguins and seals,
where the inhabitants don’t move much and just to see if we can detect free-floating DNA
the water doesn’t move in large volumes, but from these animals.”
we don’t know yet whether it will be useful 1. Andrea Polanowski examines zooplankton
Dr Deagle and his team are now specimens collected on silk by the Continuous
for open ocean samples.”
experimenting with different sample Plankton Recorder (silver box on right) as it
processing methods to find one that is was towed behind the ship. (Photo: Bruce
easy to use and provides consistent and Deagle)
comprehensive results.
2. Dr Bruce Deagle is trialling methods to
identify zooplankton and fish in seawater
samples by amplifying environmental DNA.
(Photo: Glenn Jacobson)1
Hungry humpbacks take migratory snack breaks
Satellite tracking data has “The satellite data shows us they travel The paper also examined the characteristics of
east via New Zealand, south via Tasmania, the Antarctic feeding ground, which scientists
identified new warm water or west via the Pacific Ocean.” believe could be responsible for the strong
feeding areas for south-bound The research also showed that the whales
recovery of the population after whales were
humpback whales en route to hunted to near extinction in the 1950s and
fed more during their migration than
early 1960s.
the krill-rich seas of Antarctica. previously thought, spending time foraging
in warmer temperate waters on their way “The whales time their arrival for when the
to Antarctica. This counters traditional ice is retreating rapidly towards the continent,
A paper published in Scientific Reports in
assumptions that humpbacks adopt a ‘feast and the data shows they concentrate their
August, examined the movements of
and famine’ approach to migration – feasting foraging where the ice was located two
30 humpback whales tracked via satellite
in Antarctica and then fasting for the rest of months prior,” Dr Andrews-Goff said.
tags over three consecutive summers,
the year as they migrate to and from their
from 2008 to 2010. “We can see that the whales move with the
low latitude breeding grounds.
ice as it melts and retreats, and it’s this melt
Australian Antarctic Division marine mammal
“As the whales migrate south they are that releases new production, triggering the
scientist and the paper’s lead author, Dr
stopping for up to 35 days to forage for krill accumulation of Antarctic krill.”
Virginia Andrews-Goff, said the research* is
– either off the New Zealand coast, in Bass
the first to examine the foraging habits and While the marginal ice zone in the whales’
Strait, or off the east coast of Tasmania,”
migration path of East Australian humpbacks. foraging area provides good foraging and
Dr Andrews-Goff said.
protective habitat for adult and larval krill,
“For the first time we have been able to see
“These observations of ‘supplemental feeding’, Dr Andrews-Goff said the timing and location
the varied routes East Australian humpbacks
which have been observed in other Southern of sea ice formation within the area was
take on their migration to Antarctica, some of
Hemisphere humpback populations, may help highly variable.
which were unknown until now,” Dr Andrews-
refuel their energy reserves prior to reaching
Goff said. “The overall trend indicates an increase in ice
SCIENCE
their Antarctic feeding grounds.”
season duration over the past 30 years, along
with decreasing sea surface temperature and
primary productivity, which ultimately may
result in less food for krill,” she said.
2 “So ongoing monitoring of the humpback
9 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
population is important to understand and
predict the whales’ ability to adapt.”
The research will help inform whale
2 management and conservation policy.
ELIZA GREY and WENDY PYPER
Australian Antarctic Division
*Australian Antarctic Science Project 4101
1. Humpback whales forage extensively between their breeding
grounds and Antarctica. (Photo: Ari Friedlaender)
2. Migratory pathways for 30 humpback whales, satellite tagged off the east
coast of Australia (at Eden and the Sunshine Coast) and in Antarctica,
over three consecutive summers. (Photo: Australian Antarctic Division)1 2
Antarctic ice shelf collapse triggered
by wave action following sea ice loss
Storm-driven ocean swells can trigger the catastrophic disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves following
regional loss of adjacent sea ice, according to research* published in Nature in June.
Lead author, Dr Rob Massom, of the Australian Study co-author Dr Luke Bennetts, from Study co-author, Dr Phil Reid, from the
Antarctic Division and the Antarctic Climate the University of Adelaide’s School of Australian Bureau of Meteorology, said
and Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, Mathematical Sciences, said the findings the research identifies a previously under-
said that reduced sea ice coverage off the highlight the need for sea ice and ocean waves appreciated link between sea ice loss and ice
Antarctic Peninsula since the late-1980s to be accounted for in ice sheet modelling. shelf stability.
exposed ice shelves to storm-generated ocean
This will be a key step towards enabling “Our study also underlines the importance of
swells, causing their vulnerable outer margins
scientists to more accurately forecast the fate understanding and modelling the mechanisms
to flex and eventually break.
of the remaining ice shelves and better predict driving recent sea ice trends around
“Sea ice acts as a buffer to protect ice the contribution of Antarctica’s ice sheet to Antarctica, to improve prediction of future
shelves, by damping destructive ocean swells sea level rise, as climate changes. coastal exposure, particularly in regions where
SCIENCE
before they reach the ice shelf edge,” Dr sea ice acts as a protective buffer against
“The contribution of the Antarctic Ice
Massom said. ocean processes,” he said.
Sheet is currently the greatest source of
“But where there is regional loss of sea ice, uncertainty in projections of global mean The discovery comes after the international
storm-generated ocean swells can readily sea level rise,” Dr Bennetts said. research team combined satellite images and
reach the exposed ice shelf and cause its outer ocean wave data with surface observations
“Ice shelves and floating glacier tongues
10 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
few kilometres to flex. and mathematical modelling, to examine five
that fringe about three quarters of
major ice shelf disintegration events that
“The cumulative effect of this flexing is to the Antarctic coastline play a crucially
occurred on the Antarctic Peninsula between
enlarge pre-existing fractures until long, thin important role in moderating sea level rise,
1995 and 2009.
‘sliver’ icebergs calve off the shelf front.” by buttressing and slowing the transfer of
land-based glacial ice from the interior of These included the abrupt and rapid losses
This calving removes “keystone blocks” that
the continent to the ocean. of 1600 square kilometres of ice from the
provide structural stability to the ice shelf. If
Larsen A Ice Shelf in 1995, 3320 square
the ice shelf is severely weakened by decades “While ice shelf disintegrations don’t directly
kilometres from the Larsen B Ice Shelf in
of extensive surface melting and fracturing, raise sea level, because the shelves are already
2002, and 1450 square kilometres from the
this outer-margin calving causes the abrupt floating, the resulting acceleration of the
Wilkins Ice Shelf in 2009. Each disintegration
and rapid runaway collapse of the weakened tributary glaciers behind the ice shelf, into the
event occurred during periods when sea ice
shelf behind (see satellite images). Southern Ocean, does.
was significantly reduced or absent, and
“Disintegration marks an unprecedented “These dramatic events are in addition to when ocean waves were large.
departure from naturally-recurring calving of ocean-driven thinning of ice shelves in recent
large icebergs every decade or so, to a sudden decades, which also reduces the buttressing
onset and catastrophic large-scale fracturing capacity of non-disintegrating ice shelves.”
and calving,” Dr Massom said.3
4
In only a matter of days, the collapse of
the Larsen B Ice Shelf in 2002 removed
an area of ice shelf that had been in place
for the previous 11 500 years. Removal of
the ice shelf buttressing effect also caused
its tributary glaciers to flow eight times
faster in the year following disintegration,
contributing more to sea level rise.
Dr Massom said not all remaining ice
shelves are likely to respond in the same
SCIENCE
way in coming decades to sea ice loss and
ocean swells.
“Their response will also depend on their
glaciological characteristics, physical
setting, and the degree and nature of
surface flooding,” he said.
11 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
“Some remaining ice shelves may Also involved in the study were Dr Ted 1. Sliver icebergs calve off the Larsen B Ice
well be capable of surviving prolonged Scambos of the National Snow and Ice Data Shelf on February 17, 2002. (MODIS satellite
absences of sea ice.” Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado image: NSIDC/NASA)
Boulder (USA), Dr Sharon Stammerjohn of
2. By March 7, 2002, most of the Larsen B Ice
the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research at
WENDY PYPER Shelf had disintegrated. (MODIS satellite
the University of Colorado Boulder, and Prof.
Australian Antarctic Division image: NSIDC/NASA)
Vernon Squire of the University of Otago
*Australian Antarctic Science Project 4116 (New Zealand). 3. Storm-generated ocean swells can contribute
to the break-up (calving) of outer ice shelf
Massom, Robert A., Theodore A. Scambos,
margins by flexing and working pre-existing
Luke G. Bennetts, Phillip Reid, Vernon A.
fractures. (Photo: Ian Phillips)
Squire, and Sharon E. Stammerjohn. Antarctic
Ice shelf disintegration triggered by sea ice 4. Reduced sea ice coverage since the late
loss and ocean swell. Nature, 2018 (https:// 1980s has led to increased exposure of ice
www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0212-1; shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula to ocean
doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0212-1) swells. (Photo: Nick Roden)Yellow submarine prepares
for first Antarctic mission
A high-tech yellow submarine
will head to Antarctica this 1
summer for its first mission
under an ice shelf.
The seven metre-long, 1600 kilogram
autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), will
be deployed around and beneath the Sørsdal
Glacier, near Davis research station, to study
the sea floor and underside of the ice shelf,
and develop the AUV’s capability for future
missions under larger Antarctic ice shelves.
The project, led by Professor Richard Coleman,
Director of the Australian Research Council’s
Antarctic Gateway Partnership*, will see a
team of scientists and engineers deploy the
torpedo-shaped AUV from the station’s boat
ramp and travel alongside it in a small boat to The AUV has a multi-beam echosounder “The topography of the underside of the ice
the glacier, about 11 km south-east of Davis. that emits sound waves and listens to the shelf is important because its ‘roughness’
returning echoes, to build a picture of the creates turbulence in the water as it flows past
While the AUV is at the surface the team
environment. The echosounder can point the ice shelf,” he said.
will communicate with it over WiFi, but once
downward to map the bathymetry (shape
under the ocean surface and ice shelf it must “The rougher the surface, the more heat is
and depth) of the sea floor, or upward to
have all the information it needs to operate mixed up from the ocean cavity below, and
map the shape and roughness of ice. A
autonomously. To provide this the team use this affects melting.
side-scan sonar can point sideways to map
a geographic information system package to
the shape of ice walls. Also onboard are a “The side-scan sonar may also help us
draw mission lines for the vehicle to follow
sub-bottom profiler that can see beneath sea discriminate between ice that is melting,
and establish ‘rules’ for encountering changes
floor sediment, instruments to measure water which will appear smoother, and ice that is
in the environment, such as what to do if the
temperature, depth, salinity and velocity, and a refreezing, which will appear rougher.”
sea floor is shallower than expected or the ice
magnetometer that measures the magnetism
surface is too close, and when to come ‘home’. Measurements of ocean characteristics
of geological features.
beneath the ice shelf will also provide
AUV engineer Peter King, from the University
The upward looking echosounder will provide important information on the temperature of
of Tasmania’s Australian Maritime College, said
SCIENCE
critical information to ice-ocean modellers, the water that enters the cavity and where it
that the team will use a range of on-board
Dr David Gwyther, from IMAS, and Dr Ben has come from (such as warmer water from
sensors to survey the front of the ice shelf
Galton-Fenzi, from the Australian Antarctic the continental shelf), and the speed the water
and, all going well, venture beneath it, with
Division, who are working to understand the is moving. This information will help scientists
increasing distance and duration as the AUV’s
speed of ice shelf retreat in East Antarctica improve models of ice-ocean interactions,
performance is assessed.
and the contribution of ice shelf melt to sea essential for projections of sea level rise.
“First we’ll test the AUV in open water to level rise.
12 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
For IMAS PhD student Erica Spain, the
ensure all the systems are performing as
“One of the difficulties of estimating future information revealed by the downward-
required, then we’ll survey the open water
sea level is understanding how the Antarctic looking echosounder is of most interest to her
in front of the ice shelf, to understand the
ice sheet will contribute,” Dr Galton-Fenzi said. project investigating underwater habitats.
density layers and currents in the water
column,” Mr King said. “Half of the mass loss of the ice sheet is “I’d like to see if there are any glacial features
melted off the underside of ice shelves by the under the ice, such as glacial moraines and
“As we get closer to the face of the ice shelf
ocean, but we know little about how the ocean cold seeps, which can tell us about the glacial
we’ll build a map of the sea floor and the
interacts with the ice sheet because these and geological history of the region,” she said.
depth of the ice face below the surface, to
regions are so difficult to access.”
understand the shape of the cavity opening. “We may also see some biology, as any time
From there we’ll plan our safest entry path Dr Gwyther said the AUV would provide the you have thick sediments and long residence
and venture beneath.” very first look at the shape of the underside of times, you often get a build-up of methane
the Sørsdal Glacier. and biological communities around it.”
1. Erica Spain from the Institute for Marine
and Antarctic Studies pushes the AUV into
Lake St Clair. (Photo: Wendy Pyper)COMMUNICATION
MAST
POP-UP ACOUSTIC
VB LIFT LUG DVL/ADCP USBL DSPC VCC PLANES
BUOY MODEM
LIFT LUG
OAS
SONAR ACOUSTIC DROP
DEPTH DVL/ADCP BATTERIES THRUSTER
PAYLOAD MODEM WEIGHT
SENSOR
(Photo: ISE)
Ms Spain has been working closely with the This cut-away of the Explorer class AUV, developed by
AUV team for the past 12 months to test the
vehicle’s capabilities for mapping sand waves International Submarine Engineering in Canada, shows the
and sponge gardens in northern Tasmania and various technologies that allow it to operate autonomously and
Bass Strait. collect information about its environment.
“We’ve been mapping features at spatial scales
we expect to find under the Sørsdal Glacier
and looking to see how much data we can get
2
out of it with minimal processing, and how
accurate that data is,” she said.
“Most recently we conducted a full dress
rehearsal at Lake St Clair in Tasmania’s
highlands in winter – the closest we could get
to simulating Antarctic conditions.”
After a year of preparation and practice the
team are confident the AUV will perform 3
as expected, but there will no doubt be
challenges and learnings in this first of many
icy missions. At the front of the vehicle is an obstacle
avoidance system (OAS) and the scientific
“The lessons learned from this deployment of
hardware – the side-scan and bathymetric
the AUV will help shape future deployments at
echosounder (‘sonar payload’). A variable
locations that are likely to be more critical for
ballast (VB) system helps the AUV maintain
sea level rise, such as the Totten and Amery ice
its position in the water.
shelves,” Dr Galton-Fenzi said.
An acoustic modem enables communication
The AUV (named nupiri muka or ‘eye of the
with the vehicle when it’s below the surface,
sea’ in palawa kani, the language of Tasmanian
to transfer data such as vehicle status.
Aborigines) is funded by the Australian
When the vehicle is at the surface, the
Government through the Antarctic Gateway The pop-up buoy and drop weight at each
SCIENCE
AUV team can exchange sensor data and
Partnership — a $32 million Special Research end of the AUV are part of its safety system.
updated mission tasks over WiFi.
Initiative of the Australian Research Council The drop weight is released when the AUV
that aims to provide new insights into the role The Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) is a needs to quickly return to the surface in
of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in the velocity tracker to help calculate the an emergency. The pop-up buoy can be
global climate system. The Australian Maritime distance travelled. The Acoustic Doppler triggered acoustically, releasing a floating
College contributed $3 million to the cost of Current Profiler (ACDP) measures water tow line to aid in recovery.
13 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
the vehicle. current velocities over a depth range
using the Doppler effect of sound
WENDY PYPER waves scattered back from particles within
the water column.
Australian Antarctic Division
The AUV is powered by rechargeable
*The Australian Research Council’s Antarctic 2. The AUV will use on-board instruments
lithium ion batteries for 24 hours
Gateway Partnership is hosted at the Institute to build a picture of the underside of the
(140 km). This endurance can be
for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of floating portion of the Sørsdal Glacier
doubled with a second battery.
Tasmania. Professor Coleman leads Australian (pictured) and the sea floor beneath it.
Antarctic Science Project 5138. The USBL, which stands for ‘Ultra-Short (Photo: Wendy Pyper)
Base Line’, is part of the AUV’s navigation
3. In preparation for Antarctica the AUV was
system. VCC and DSPC relate to the
tested in Australia’s deepest lake, Lake
AUV’s power supply and information
St Clair in Tasmania, which is about 167
processing respectively.
metres at its deepest. The AUV ran a series
of 10-plus kilometre missions at over 100
metres depth, supported by a small boat.
(Photo: Guy Williams)1
Krill, whales, and poo power
Do krill swarms affect the distribution and behaviour of whales,
and does the potent mix of predators, prey and their poo,
positively affect productivity in the Southern Ocean?
2
1. Australian Antarctic Division marine mammal
scientists Dr Elanor Bell (left) and Dr Mike Double
(right) will lead the science contingent on the
voyage. (Photo: Dave Brosha)
“This voyage will provide the first detailed,
three-dimensional description of the
variability of krill swarms in East Antarctica,
and the first assessment of iron fertilisation
by whales and krill and its effects,”
Dr Double said.
A range of modern technologies will be used
throughout the voyage.
To begin with, Australian Antarctic Division
These are just some of the questions a team of The voyage will look specifically at the acoustician, Dr Brian Miller, will use
krill, whale and biogeochemistry experts hope distribution and behaviour of Antarctic blue small underwater listening devices, called
SCIENCE
to answer during an ambitious 49 day voyage whales in the Ross Sea region, in the presence sonobuoys, to track and locate blue whales
aboard the CSIRO Marine National Facility’s RV and absence of Antarctic krill once the ship leaves Hobart.
Investigator this summer.
“We’ll track Antarctic blue whales in real time, Sonobuoys can detect blue whale vocalisations
Voyage Chief Scientists from the Australian from hundreds of kilometres away, using up to 1000 kilometres away, and once the
Antarctic Division, Dr Mike Double and Dr passive acoustic technology that detects their team get within about 50 kilometres of the
Elanor Bell, said krill swarms can be deep or low frequency calls,” Dr Bell said.
14 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 35 2018
vocalising whales, multiple sonobuoys can be
shallow, dense or diffuse. deployed to triangulate their precise location.
“Once we find whales we’ll study their
However little is known about how these distribution and behaviour in the presence Once whales are located within the survey
different swarm types are distributed across and absence of krill. We’ll also look at the area, the team will count and photograph the
the Southern Ocean and whether some are characteristics of krill swarms in the presence whales and use video tracking technology to
more attractive to whales than others. and absence of whales.” record movements, swimming speeds, and
“Previous research suggests that large, dense Biogeochemists on the voyage will test blow and diving intervals. These recordings
swarms may be targeted by fast-moving blue whether there is more iron in aggregations of can then be used to compare whale activity in
and fin whales that engulf their food, while feeding whales than in areas containing only areas with and without krill.
smaller, deeper krill swarms may be suited to krill, or neither species.
more manoeuvrable whales, like humpbacks
They will also investigate whether the iron
and minkes,” Dr Double said.
in whale poo stimulates phytoplankton and
“Understanding which swarms are favoured by bacteria growth in the local area, and if this
which whales will inform the development of has broader effects on the ecosystem. 2. Dr Brian Miller will deploy sonobuoys
ecosystem management tools for whales and (pictured) to pick up blue whale vocalisations
the expanding krill fishery.” from hundreds of kilometres away. (Photo:
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