Emperor penguin colony at Auster Rookery near Australia’s Mawson research station.

2019 Antarctic rewind

2019 has been an outstanding year for the Australian Antarctic Program. Read more

Mawson landing area moves inland

When the sea-ice off Mawson research station can no longer support planes, expeditioners move the landing area 20 kilometres… Read more

Female antarctic expedition mechanic stands in front of an iceberg

Take your career south

Do you want a really cool job? Why not head south with the Australian… Read more
Dr Tas van Ommen in the Basler BT-67 on an ICECAP flight.

Scientists peer beneath the Antarctic ice sheet to understand future climate vulnerability

A new Antarctic topographic map will help identify which regions of the… Read more
A collection of fish and other mesopelagic creatures on trays.

Award for collaborative marine ecosystem research

An Australian-European collaboration to enhance Southern Ocean ecosystem… Read more
Vibrant artwork on a new Antarctic tractor

Australia’s artistic Antarctic tractors head south

The designs of iconic Australian artist Ken Done will adorn a new fleet of… Read more
Graphic of RSV Nuyina in pack ice

Come aboard Australia’s new Antarctic icebreaker

The Australian Antarctic Program is recruiting science support specialists… Read more
Two blue coloured sewage treatment plants on the ship.

Sailing the green seas

It’s not easy being green but the icebreaker Nuyina project team is… Read more
Photo of coloured buildings surrounded by water taken from the air

Increased commitment for proposed Davis aerodrome

On the 60th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty System the Federal… Read more
International flags of the participating nations fly over the Mount Brown ice core drill site

60th anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic nations around the world are today marking the 60th Anniversary… Read more
The Australian Antarctic Medal

Australian Antarctic Medal nominations open

Nominations are now invited for people who have made an outstanding… Read more
Aerial view starboard side Aurora Australis parked at the edge of the fast ice

Seeking supplementary shipping option

As part of its contingency planning, the Australian Antarctic Division is… Read more
Photo of men and women standing in front of a green building

Scientists on the ground of proposed runway site

A team of scientists and technical experts has arrived at Australia’s… Read more
Women in yellow standing in white snow.

Antarctic Chief Scientist steps down

The Australian Antarctic Division’s Chief Scientist, Dr Gwen Fenton, has… Read more
Australia’s icebreaker Aurora Australis in the sea-ice

Australia to assist French Antarctic program

The Australian Antarctic Division will provide logistical support to the… Read more
Leonie Suter in a lab coating sitting at a bench with test tube samples.

Battle of the sexes

In the ‘battle’ to identify the sex of Antarctic krill, scientists have… Read more
The Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration (BRUIE) sitting on the ice

NASA space robot tested in Antarctica

The Australian Antarctic Program is working with NASA this summer to test… Read more
The Nuyina’s science tender undergoing sea trials in Norway.

Icebreaker’s science tender sea trials underway

Final sea trials for the science tender of Australia’s new icebreaker, RSV… Read more
AA pack ice

Aurora legacy

Icebreakers hold a special place in the hearts of our expeditioners and… Read more
A Gulfstream V aircraft flying over mountains.

Hobart hosts cool cloud workshop

Hobart is hosting some 40 international scientists studying Southern Ocean… Read more
Two blue whales surfacing in the Southern Ocean.

Blue whales prefer krill tall, dense and shallow

Antarctic blue whales prefer to forage within tall, dense krill swarms at… Read more
C-17A on the ground at Wilkins Aerodrome

Delivering the goods

Fresh food, science equipment, medical supplies and machinery are winging… Read more

Up close with Nuyina

Check out the latest video of the Nuyina under construction at the Damen… Read more
Photo of colourful flags

Conservation of Antarctic marine living resources

The meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine… Read more
The Nuyina docked by a wharf in Romania.

Icebreaker’s internal fit-out shapes up

Australia’s new icebreaker RSV Nuyina is looking more like a home away… Read more
A green bottle on the shore

Macca’s mystery message

A message in a bottle has been discovered on the shore of Macquarie Island… Read more
Iceberg floating in Antarctica’s McMurdo Sound

NASA ice mission launches from Hobart

For the first time from Hobart, the Australian Antarctic Program is… Read more
The two Antarctic barges on the River Derwent

New Antarctic barges tested on the River Derwent

Antarctic landing barges destined to work alongside Australia’s new… Read more
Australian Antarctic Division palaeoclimate scientist Dr Andrew Moy examines planktonic and benthic foraminifera shells extracted from ocean sediments

Tiny fossils reveal 25,000 years of Southern Ocean carbon history

A reconstruction of 25,000 years of South Ocean carbon chemistry, using… Read more
map

Nations meet in Hobart to conserve Southern Ocean

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources… Read more
Australian Antarctic Program Station Leaders, Finn Taylor, Matt Willliams, Ali Dean and David Knoff at headquarters in Kingston

Cool heads in a cold climate

Australia’s new Antarctic leadership team are prepped and ready for their… Read more
Scientist looks into ice scanning machine

Scanning ice cores for climate clues

Antarctic scientists are using a high-tech camera to peer inside ice cores… Read more
Two groomers preparing the sea-ice ski landing area in front Davis research station

Antarctic sea-ice prepared for planes

An Antarctic plane landing area on the frozen ocean is being prepared on… Read more
Emperor penguin chicks and parents

Emperor penguins vulnerable to sea ice changes this century

Sea ice needed in the life cycle of emperor penguins is being lost to… Read more
Two men preparing a piece of technical equipment next to water

Mini sub heads south for Antarctic mission

A sophisticated underwater mini submersible designed and built in… Read more
Satellite image of large iceberg calving off an ice shelf.

Gigantic iceberg breaks off East Antarctica

A gigantic iceberg has calved from the Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica. Read more
New Antarctic Arts Fellows, Dr Adam Nash and Dr John McCormick, in the studio.

Take a virtual voyage south

As Australia’s icebreaker sails south next year, the sights, sounds and… Read more
three people in an operating theatre with a mannequin

Surgical tradies scrub up well

Hobart is home to a unique medical training program for Antarctic… Read more
Minister for the Environment, the Hon Sussan Ley MP, inspecting the completed ice core drill components

Million year ice core drill at the cutting edge

Australian Antarctic Program technicians are at the cutting-edge of a… Read more
Expeditioner riding a quad bike in blowing snow.

Are we there yet?

Getting around Antarctica has always been a challenge. New Antarctic… Read more
men stand to attention in front of flag on rocky coast

65 years of Mawson research station

Antarctic veterans celebrated 65 years since the opening of Mawson… Read more
A tractor towing two shipping containers on sleds.

Journey to Law Dome

Travel with Craig Butsch, Senior Met Observer at Casey research station… Read more
Daddy Cool 2019

Daddy Cool!

Australian Antarctic expeditioners are sending love to their Dads from the… Read more
Large diatoms under the microscope.

Tiny glass-like plants at risk in acid ocean

Microscopic marine plants encased in glass-like ‘armour’ could struggle to… Read more
Through Ice & Fire book cover showing photo of Aurora Australis in sea ice.

New book brings icebreaker legacy to life

The legacy of Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis’s 30 year service in… Read more
Photo of grey round partially constructed water tank

Increasing water storage for Davis station

Davis research station will soon have improved water security due to a 50… Read more
Dana Bergstrom during her first visit to Macquarie Island as a Masters student in 1983, standing beside a rocky outcrop with a penguin.

Microscopic Macquarie Island plant named after Antarctic ecologist

A tiny freshwater plant with glass-like cell walls has been named after an… Read more
graphic of icebreaker in ice with aurora

Captains announced for RSV Nuyina

Two experienced Captains for Australia’s new icebreaker have been… Read more
Micrograph of Southern Ocean phytoplankton

From little things big things grow

The solar-powered Southern Ocean food chain is unique, going from some of… Read more
Wharfside view of RSV Nuyina in Galati.

Portside with Nuyina

Australian Antarctic Division Director, Kim Ellis, toured the RSV Nuyina… Read more
Australian doctors must under go an appendicectomy before they can go south

Operation Antarctic Appendix

A new group of freshly scarred Antarctic doctors, have arrived at the… Read more
Doctors attend to a simulated car crash victim in a scenario at Arm River in Tasmania

Doctors prepare for extreme posting

Tasmania’s rugged wilderness is the perfect training ground for Antarctic… Read more
Dr Brian Miller listens for whales during a voyage, with a computer screen in front of him showing sounds.

Sound science enhances whale conservation

French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau famously described the ocean as ‘the… Read more
Diesel generators of the Nuyina.

Diesel generators start up

The RSV Nuyina’s diesel generators started up for the first time this week. Read more
Milky Way above Australia’s Davis research station

Antarctic lessons for space

Antarctica is the closest you can get to space without leaving Earth. Read more
new Australian Antarctic Science Council

New Australian Antarctic Science Council meets

The newly formed Australian Antarctic Science Council met in Canberra for… Read more
A green laser probes high-altitude clouds above Davis research station, in a night sky of auroras and stars.

Antarctic laser probes ozone-eating clouds

For the first time this Antarctic winter, but a little later than usual… Read more
Preparing the midwinter swimming hole in the sea-ice, in front of Australia’s Davis research station

Australians plunge into ice hole in midwinter dark

It’s minus 23 degrees Celsius, dark and you’re standing on the edge of a… Read more
Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard with former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, signing a book.

Tribute to former Prime Minister Bob Hawke

The Australian Antarctic Program is today paying tribute to former Prime… Read more
Two of the tractors ready to undergo a transformation

Tractor transformation time

Hold still, this won’t hurt a bit! A fleet of tractor transformers are… Read more
Southern Ocean and iceberg on grey stormy day

World Oceans Day 2019

For World Oceans Day, we ask: how awesome is the Southern Ocean? Read more
Scientist inside trench with ice drill

World Environment Day 2019

With the focus of this year’s World Environment Day on air pollution, what… Read more
Expeditioners silhouetted against sunset

Icy Twilight Zone

Australian Antarctic expeditioners are living in the twilight zone after… Read more
Nuyina in the wet dock in Romania.

Nuyina in harbour tests

Antarctic icebreaker RSV Nuyina is being put through its paces with a… Read more
View of a 16.3 metre long barge under construction.

New watercraft construction barging ahead

Construction of two ‘heavy lift’ barges for the new Antarctic icebreaker… Read more
Expeditioners at the polling station on the wharf at Casey research station

Democracy in the deep freeze

It takes more than five thousand kilometres of isolation and the long… Read more
vehicles and expeditioners on ice with mountain in background

Search and rescue on the ice

When you’re 5475 kilometres from help, you need to know you can rely on… Read more
Group of expeditioners in snow with messages for Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day 2019

Despite being a long way from home this Mother’s Day, Australia’s… Read more
Bow view of Nuyina painted in international orange.

Readiness testing for Harbour Acceptance Trials

Australia’s Antarctic icebreaker RSV Nuyina is being readied for ‘harbour… Read more
a dog wearing a vest on Macquarie Island

Keeping Macca rodent-free

At the frontline of biosecurity on Macquarie Island is a lively dog called… Read more
Royal penguins at Macquarie Island

World Penguin Day 2019

To mark World Penguin Day this year, we pay tribute to these amazing birds… Read more
Leslie Russell Blake

Southern Ocean to the Somme

Today as the sun rises over Antarctica, dawn services at our research… Read more
Casey station chef, Jordan Smith, puts the finishing touches on a cake in the kitchen

The icing on the cake

The wintering chef at Casey research station, Jordan Smith, has worked in… Read more
Scientists prepare to extract a fast-ice core to characterize sea-ice properties, including ice-crystal structure, salinity, density or chlorophyll content.

Australian Antarctic Program Partnership

The Australian Antarctic Division welcomes the opportunity to work with… Read more
Aerial view of Mawson station

Government response to Antarctic inquiry

The Government has responded to recommendations from the Joint Standing… Read more
Boulders being loaded from a barge onto Aurora Australis

Rocky road from Antarctica to Canberra

Two rocky pieces of the icy continent have arrived in Hobart on the way to… Read more
A large tractor

Heavy tractors chosen for Australia’s Antarctic inland ice quest

The Australian Antarctic Program has procured five new heavy tractors to… Read more
Expeditioners in Antarctica

New Centre for Antarctic, Remote and Maritime Medicine

Highly specialised medical skills honed in the extreme Antarctic… Read more
Madi Gamble Rosevear working with the team on the Totten Glacier

Seismic study allows scientists to see below glacier

Australian Antarctic Program researchers have undertaken seismic studies… Read more
Two men inside a large tent with an ice core drill

Work begins on million year ice core drill

Work has started on a high-tech ice drill that Antarctic scientists will… Read more
The 105 solar panel array installed, with a wind deflector visible down the length of the array on the left side of the building, to minimise the effects of high wind speeds during blizzards.

First Australian solar farm in Antarctica opens at Casey research station

The first Australian solar farm in Antarctica will be switched on at Casey… Read more
The Dash-8 aircraft flies over Macquarie Island’s isthmus as it conducts a Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) survey.

Sea floor survey from the sky

Airborne surveyors are helping to map the shallow sea floor adjacent to… Read more
Jane Allen and Jesse Blackadder in Antarctica

Antarctica calling all artists

Artists looking for the ultimate inspiration are encouraged to apply for… Read more
Four women standing at the stern of a ship

Pioneering work of female scientists reflected in Macquarie Island lakes

Several lakes on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island have been named after the… Read more
Four Adélie penguins near the Casey station sign.

Ice-free areas are hot property in Antarctica

The principle of ‘location, location, location’ is as important in… Read more
a drone photographs a blue whale

Technology provides new insights to Antarctic blue whales and krill

Innovative technologies, including drones, shed new light on the… Read more
A jade green and white striped iceberg

New clue in jade iceberg mystery

Researchers have a new hypothesis that could solve the century-old mystery… Read more
This infographic provides a snapshot of biodiversity protection in Antarctica.

Enhancing biodiversity protection in Antarctica

A review of Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) has found that… Read more
Monitoring fuel pump at Casey station

New funding for upgrades of Antarctic research stations

More than $450 million will be invested over the next ten years to upgrade… Read more
The Nuyina’s two 55 tonne cranes are in place and the bridge windows installed.

Nuyina’s internal fit-out

Despite blowing snow and temperatures as low as −10 degrees Celsius… Read more
AAD Director Kim Ellis presents Casey station leader Christine MacMillian with a commemorative poster

50 years of history at Casey research station

Antarctic expeditioners celebrated the 50th anniversary of the opening of… Read more
A tractor blowing an arc of snow

Ice runway reopens

Flights into Australia’s Wilkins Aerodrome in Antarctica resumed… Read more
A 3D model of a live krill swarm 400 metres long, 200 metres wide, and 100 metres deep

Giant krill swarms in 3D

For the first time on an Australian research vessel, giant krill swarms… Read more
Kim Ellis outside building

New Director for the Australian Antarctic Division

The new Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, Kim Ellis, takes up… Read more
Marcus Salton chisels a thick sample of very hard mumijo off rocks outside a nest cavity in the Masson Range near Mawson research station.

Fossilised spit captures birds’ Antarctic history

Fossilised layers of spit, or ‘mumijo’, at snow petrel breeding sites, are… Read more
Expeditioner demonstrating the signed cricket bat in use

Search for story behind mystery Antarctic cricket bat

A cricket mystery story is unfolding in Antarctica this Australia Day… Read more
Graphic comparing adult blue whale with length of three standard buses

Antarctic krill, blue whales and the power of poo

The most comprehensive scientific voyage ever undertaken to study the… Read more
Aerial view of icebreaker Nuyina alongside a wharf in Romania.

Superstructure blocks in place

All the major superstructure blocks on Australia’s new Antarctic… Read more

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