The summer science program continues to deliver results, both at Casey and in the deep field.

Remediation Activities at Casey

This week's Icy news from Casey station will be brought to you by your friendly science team – "Remediation."

On Christmas day, the research team from the A Cleaner Antarctica section here at Casey station, took a trip to the no longer occupied Wilkes Station on the northern arm of Newcomb Bay. The team, more commonly known on station as the Remediation Team, are undertaking a series of experiments to understand the environmental impacts from the past practices of station life. Wilkes station was originally established in 1957 by the U.S before being handed over to Australia in 1959, who then ran the station for 10 years until it was decomissioned and replaced by Old Casey station.

This season, the team, made up of environmental scientists, engineers and ecotoxicologists, will be sampling for soil, water and vapour, trialling new drone-mounted ground penetrating radar, and drone mapping the peninsula. Through this work and the data collected in both previous and future seasons, a better understanding of the environmental risk from the station and past activities will be gained. This can be used to aid any future remediation activities if deemed necessary.

- Gwill Price - Environmental Chemist and Ecotoxicologist (on behalf of the Casey Remediation Team)

Old tractor buried in snow
Scientist piloting a drone over Antarctic landscape
Scientist using a steam drill to help gather data
Remediation scientists standing on rocks overlooking an old station area
Remediation scientist gets a visit from a group of penguins while steam drilling
Old wooden buildings buried in snow
Old wooden buildings buried in snow
Tractor cab buried in snow with the RSV Nuyina at harbour in the background
Remediation scientists steam drilling
Remediation scientists standing on rocks overlooking a cove with icebergs floating in it

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Ice Drilling for Climate Change Data

The first deployment of Australia’s Rapid Access Ice Drill (RAID) has been successfully completed. The team drilled to 200m depth and the ice samples they collected will provide around 500 years of climate information for the Denman Glacier region. Denman Glacier is a region of particular concern in a warming climate, and has the potential to add around 1.5 metres of sea level rise globally if it destabilises.

The Rapid Access Ice Drill that was used for this project was designed by the British Antarctic Survey. It collects ice chips rather than cores, allowing for substantially lighter logistics and shorter field deployments than traditional ice coring projects. The camp involved a team of 4-5 people working on site for around 3 weeks, and was supported by a twin otter and helicopters from Casey station and Bunger Hills.

The RAID project is part of the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science. In addition to the ice samples that will be used to study past climate, geophysical instruments were also deployed at the site to image the structure of the ice sheet and the Earth beneath it as part of the broader Denman Terrestrial Campaign.

- Professor Nerilie Abram - Australian National University

Camp set up on snow with ice drill
Expeditioner working with ice drill in the Antarctic
Scientist places ice chips in a bag for transfer back to the lab
Ice drill containing ice chips for collection
Scientists using an ice drill to collect ice chips

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