Issue 19: 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.
Download the complete PDF: Australian Antarctic Magazine Issue 19, 2010 (published December 2010). Search previous issues of the magazine.
Aerial 'OktoKopter' to map Antarctic moss
In scenes reminiscent of a James Bond movie, an eight-rotor helicopter, equipped with cameras and sensors will sweep the Antarctic skies this summer.
Whale poo fertilises oceans
Australian Antarctic scientists recently tested their hypothesis that whale poo can act as a fertiliser in the ocean. Their results suggest that the recovery of whale populations to pre-whaling numbers could actually increase the productivity of the ecosystem.
Modelling interactions between Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Researchers are working to improve our understanding of the interaction between the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic ice sheet using state-of-the-art modelling.
ICECAP returns to Casey
The third and final season of the ICECAP project will continue to explore the bedrock topography and geology of East Antarctica, conditions at the bottom of the Antarctic ice sheet, and layer structures within the ice.
Seabed surveys for sewage solutions
Antarctic divers surveyed and characterised the habitats, chemistry and biological communities at sites near the Davis sewage outfall last summer.
Dispersal and biodiversity of Antarctic marine species
Modern genetic methods are being used to study the connectedness of marine invertebrate populations in Antarctica. The results suggest that many Antarctic species don’t disperse as far as first thought and that populations exist on a small spatial scale.
Marine mammal feature: Surveying Pakistan's whales and dolphins
The World Wildlife Fund in Pakistan is leading a survey of whale and dolphin populations off the Balochistan coast.
Marine mammal feature: Fiji focuses on endangered humpback whales
Fijian scientists are mapping the movements of endangered Oceania humpback whales to build a complete picture of the species' slow recovery from whaling.
Marine mammal feature: Capacity building in Papua New Guinea
Field surveys of whales and dolphins in PNG will help build in-country capacity for cetacean research and management.
Marine mammal feature: Dolphin hotspot a conservation priority
A Wildlife Conservation Society-led project will improve understanding of the ecology and fisheries interactions of Indo-Pacific humpback and bottlenose dolphins in Bangladesh.
Marine mammal feature: Unmanned aircraft count for conservation
Unmanned aerial vehicles promise to provide a cost-effective and capable alternative to manned aircraft for counting and surveying marine mammals.
Australian Antarctic Science Season 2010-11
A snap-shot of the science projects being conducted in Antarctica, the subantarctic and the Southern Ocean this austral season.
Antarctic Operations
Planes, ships, buildings and traverses - an operational year in Antarctica.
International Polar Year conference
Two Antarctic scientists provide an insight into some of the first results arising from the International Polar Year (2007-09).
Polar data in the PICture
A Polar Information Commons (PIC) has been established to share data arising from the International Polar Year, without restrictions.
Grand finale to a decade-long census
The end of the 10-year Census of Marine Life was celebrated in London in October.
AMISOR: understanding the ocean beneath the ice
Another successful season of hot water drilling on the Amery Ice Shelf will provide information on ice shelf-ocean interactions for many years to come.
Saving seabirds
Seabird protection received a boost this year through initiatives agreed at three major Antarctic meetings.
Antarctic Treaty Parties tackle emerging challenges
Issues relating to climate change, tourism and shipping were a focus at the recent meetings of Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties and the Committee for Environmental Protection.
The sounds of Antarctica
Sound artist and academic, Dr Philip Samartzis collected sound recordings from Antarctica and Macquarie Island for local and international festivals.
The Antarctic dance
Emerging director, choreographer and performer, Tina Evans, collected photographs, sounds and experiences of Antarctica for a live dance performance at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2011.
Scientists in schools: Antarctica meets Darwin
Glaciologist, Barbara Frankel, shared her Antarctic experiences with school children in Darwin as part of the Scientists in Schools program.
Antarctic Visions
This international conference highlighted opportunities for art-science collaborations and the exchange of ideas.
Bridging the 'two cultures' divide
Artist, animator and researcher, Lisa Roberts, reflects on the importance of art-science collaborations in communicating Antarctic science.
In Brief
Learn more about next year's Station Leaders, and what's planned for the Mawson Centenary in 2011.
Freeze Frame
Weather Observer, Nick Roden, wows us with this photo of the green laser beam of the Davis LIDAR carving through the night sky during an aurora.
Australian Antarctic Magazine Issue 19, 2010.
Photo: AAD
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Weather observer Nick Roden took this photograph of the aurora australis, intersected by the LIDAR laser beam at Davis station, on a cold July night this year. The aurora australis results from the interaction of the solar wind with the Earth’s magnetic field. ‘Excited’ oxygen atoms hit by charged particles from the sun, emit river-like ribbons of neon-green light as they return to their lowest energy state. Nick says it took only 30 seconds to take the photograph but planning for it and waiting for the right conditions took many months. Another of Nick’s aurora photos features in this issue’s Freeze Frame section.
