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Quarterly science bulletin
Edition 12, December 2025
Taking Antarctica to Parliament
In November, during the last sitting week for 2025, we took our science to Parliament House in Canberra for an event themed 'Why Antarctica Matters'.
The three University-hosted research programs – our Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP), the ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), and Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future (SAEF) – jointly presented a science reception for MPs, Senators and their staff.
At the event, scientists from AAPP, ACEAS and SAEF shared a selection of collaborative research undertaken as part of the Australian Antarctic Program, demonstrating how Antarctic science continues to serve Australians: at home, in our region and globally.
Thank you to the Parliamentary Friends of the Antarctic (co-chaired by Tasmanian Senators Whish-Wilson, Duniam and Dowling) for hosting us. We value their tripartisan support to champion Australian Antarctic science and create meaningful engagement between researchers and decision-makers.
I'm also pleased to announce that the second Australian Antarctic Research Conference will be hosted by the University of Tasmania in Hobart in 2026. There'll be an Early Career Researchers Day on Monday 24 August, followed by the conference from Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 August. More details wil be available early in the new year.
Welcome to the latest edition of 'Southern Signals' (archive here), a quarterly bulletin to inform decision-makers, policy-shapers, journalists, researchers, stakeholders and the general public about our science and research activities — and why they matter.
My best wishes to you for a safe and peaceful holiday season.
kind regards,
Professor Delphine Lannuzel
Program leader,
Australian Antarctic Program Partnership
University of Tasmania, Hobart
AAPP SCIENCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
East Antarctica in a changing climate
The East Antarctic continental shelf is central to the climate system yet remains one of the most poorly known regions of the global ocean — Australian and Japanese scientists want to change this
NASA eye in the sky to focus on Southern Ocean
A satellite mission to observe ocean colour, biogeochemistry and ecologyfrom space, as well as the carbon cycle, aerosols and clouds
Adrift like Shackleton: Robot float survives Antarctic ice
Measuring temperature and salinity underneath massive floating ice shelves in East Antarctica for the first time — and the implications for global sea level rise
Meet SAM, the Southern Hemisphere’s most influential climate driver
The Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is now in its most positive state in over 1,000 years — what does this mean for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean?
Turning our research into real world impacts
A special report about the highlights of six years of AAPP research from 2019 to 2025 (best viewed on a large screen or laptop)
The ‘ocean observatory’ of robotic Argo floats is set to be expanded with 12 new state-of-the-art models fitted with biogeochemical (BGC) sensors, thanks to Australian Research Council (ARC) funding of $1,490,619 awarded to a project led by the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). From left, some of the team members with a BGC-Argo float: lead Prof Pete Strutton (IMAS), Dr Tyler Rohr (AAPP/IMAS), Dr Elizabeth Shadwick (AAPP/CSIRO) and Dr Christina Schallenberg (AAPP/CSIRO). (photo: Mark Horstman)
SOME RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Our scientists publish more than 100 research papers each year
Where the grounded ice sheet starts to float: the role of sediment-laden subglacial water in changing melt rates under ice shelves
Crabeaters on ice: testing whether Species Distribution Models can accurately predict where crabeater seals are in East Antarctica
Antarctic Bottom Water in a changing climate: the impacts of global heating on carbon storage, heat transfer and oxygen supply
Watch a video about the mesmerising 'sea butterflies' of the Southern Ocean
