Issue 18: 2010
The Australian Antarctic Magazine seeks to inform the Australian and international Antarctic community about the activities of the Australian Antarctic program. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily represent the position of the Australian Government. The Australian Antarctic Magazine is produced twice a year in hard copy and made available online. All text and images published in the magazine are copyright of the Commonwealth of Australia, unless otherwise stated. Editorial enquiries, including requests to reproduce material, or contributions, should be addressed to the Editor at magazine@aad.gov.au. Contributor Guidelines are available for participants in the Australian Antarctic program.
Full PDF version: Australian Antarctic Magazine Issue 18, 2010
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Southern Ocean marine life in focus
Between December and January (2009–10) the editor of the Australian Antarctic Magazine joined marine scientists aboard the Aurora Australis for a seven-week research voyage in the Southern Ocean. This story follows the scientists as they collect creatures from the deep to build up a picture of the habitat and sea floor communities existing 500 to 1500 m below. The next three stories also feature research activities conducted during this voyage.
Snails and ‘snot’ tell acid story
The shells of tiny marine snails, known as pteropods, are thinning, as carbon dioxide increases the acidity of the oceans. Scientists spent this Antarctic summer collecting specimens to test the fragility of their shells and establish a baseline of shell strength from which future change can be measured.
Science thrown overboard
A trio of research technicians from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute assembled and deployed 13 kilometres (and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth) of cable and instruments, into the freezing Southern Ocean, to monitor the flow of Antarctic Bottom Water from the Mertz polynya.
Antarctica – a catalyst for science communication
Despite a tight schedule and the uncertainty of Antarctic operations, Catalyst science reporter, Mark Horstman, gained much more than the four stories he needed when he travelled south this summer.
First non-lethal whale study answers big questions
A six week Australia-New Zealand-led whale expedition used skin biopsy, photography, satellite tagging, and passive and active acoustics to study the population structure, distribution, movement, feeding and ecological role of Southern Ocean whales.
Journal focuses on Antarctic research
One of the most comprehensive ecosystem surveys ever conducted in the Southern Ocean is the focus of a special issue of Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography published in May.
BROKE-West breaks ground in marine research
A comprehensive survey of the South West Indian Ocean off the East Antarctic coast has shown it to be a region rich in marine life and the site of important oceanographic processes.
Shedding light on the sea floor
Video and still footage collected during the Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census has provided insights into sea floor environments and the organisms that live there.
Plankton in the spotlight
A system of oceanographic profiling instruments and high definition video is allowing scientists to study fragile, planktonic organisms that are often destroyed by traditional sampling methods.
Sorting the catch
French scientists have been busy sorting, analysing and distributing thousands of invertebrate and fish specimens collected during the Collaborative East Antarctic Marine Census.
Using fish to identify ecological regions
Fishes are helping scientists identify different ecological regions in the Dumont d'Urville Sea.
International flavour enhances Japanese research cruise
Fish scientist, Masato Moteki, provides a Japanese perspective on the social aspects of ship-based research.
Mertz Glacier tongue unhinged by giant iceberg
A giant iceberg that calved from the Mertz Glacier tongue in February, may affect ocean circulation in the region, with flow-on effects on biological productivity and the food chain.
Antarctic ice cores shed light on Western Australian drought
An Antarctic ice core has revealed a link between drought conditions in south-west Western Australia and increased snowfall in Antarctica.
Desert research exposes icy story
Nevada’s Desert Research Institute in the United States, is helping Australian Antarctic Division glaciologists extract climate information from an ice core.
VALE: Phillip Garth Law AC, CBE, 1912–2010
A former colleague pays tribute to former Australian Antarctic Division Director, Phil Law; an extraordinary man with an extraordinary life.
New measures to protect marine species in the Southern Ocean
Australian scientists and policy makers were at the forefront of new measures to improve the management of krill populations in the Southern Ocean at the latest meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
Australia makes flying inspections
Taking photographs from the open door of low-flying light aircraft was just one of many highlights for Australian inspectors when they conducted Antarctic Treaty inspections of five sites in eastern Antarctica.
Frozen in time
Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow and Walkley Award winning journalist, Jo Chandler, describes her visit to an abandoned Russian station in east Antarctica.
The search for Mawson’s air tractor
A Vickers monoplane used during Douglas Mawson’s 1911–14 Antarctic expedition lay abandoned on the ice at Boat Harbour for 63 years, before disappearing without a trace. Now a small team from the Mawson's Huts Foundation has narrowed the likely location of its resting place.
The life of birds
Penguins, skuas and petrels kept field biologist Luke Eindor busy and entertained during his six-week stay on remote Béchervaise Island, near Mawson.
Freeze Frame
Biologist, Susan Doust, was in the right place at the right time when this killer whale surfaced for a brief moment.
Photo: Keith Martin-Smith
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The cover of this issue of the Australian Antarctic Magazine features an amphipod collected at the Tressler Bank off the Antarctic coast in 2009–10. The photo was taken by marine scientist, Dr Keith Martin-Smith, as part of a process of cataloguing all specimens collected for a marine research project (see Southern Ocean marine life in focus). The name amphipoda means 'different-footed' and refers to the different forms of their legs – they have seven pairs of walking legs, with the first four reaching forward, and the fifth to seventh reaching backwards. Amphipods range in size from 1 to 340 mm and live in all aquatic habitats and some moist terrestrial habitats (such as under pot plants in the garden).
