Navigating safe passage through the frozen waters of Antarctica is a challenging task for even the most experienced icebreaker pilots.
Research in progress at the Australian Maritime College’s Centre for Maritime Simulations is striving to better prepare icebreaker crews for these conditions by training them in a risk-free virtual environment.

Acoustic equipment that generates highly detailed maps of the sea floor has been used for the first time in the Antarctic to assess under-ice productivity.

Dr Alex Forrest from the Australian Maritime College in collaboration with Dr Vanessa Lucieer from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies led a team of seven scientists and support staff to investigate conditions beneath pack ice and the first stages of marine life – algae – it supports. Algae plays a vital role in the polar ecosystem, forming the basis of the marine food chain that ultimately supports the mega-fauna of whales and seals.