Science Strategy

The strategy provides a basis for describing, managing and enhancing New Zealand science activities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, in particular the Ross Sea region, over the next five years (2004 – 2009). These activities are grouped into three interdisciplinary research themes that take into account the Revised New Zealand Statement of Strategic Interest, the Strategic Portfolio Outlines (SPOs) associated with Antarctic and Southern Ocean research, the growth and innovation strategy and the Ross Sea Region State of the Environment Report. Along with these documents, the Latitudinal Gradient Project (LGP) science plan, ANDRILL science plan and the Biodiversity of the Ross Sea (BioRoss) medium term plan, as established multinational initiatives, have been incorporated.

The science strategy New Zealand Science in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean (2004 - 2009), identifies three interdisciplinary research themes:

Antarctic Physical Environments Research
Global change and climate change are at the heart of this research theme. The processes of change are on temporal and physical scales that range from seasonal changes in the atmosphere, through rapid climate change to mountain formation and global tectonics. The development of topography and oceans in the Antarctic region, in response to plate tectonic motions, has been an important driver of global change. A better understanding of the Antarctic environment and its evolution is needed to recognise the drivers and effects of climate change on the Earth. Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are significant components in the global atmospheric, oceanic and mantle convection systems. In addition, the region offers many unique opportunities to study other processes that have global relevance.

Approximately half of Antarctica’s ice-free ground and soil-forming areas occur within the Ross Sea region, including the largest continuous expanse of ice-free ground, the McMurdo Dry Valleys. In the Ross Sea region, cold desert soils are characterised by low soil temperatures and low soil moisture content. Researchers over the past decades have begun to understand the soils of the Antarctic, but further work is needed in the characterisation of these soils.

Cryospheric research encompasses sea-ice, ice shelf and ice sheet studies.The Antarctic sea-ice zone remains among the least understood areas of the Earth. It forms a seasonal interface between the ocean and lower atmosphere affecting heat exchange and forming a surface for micro-organisms, ice algae, seals and penguins to inhabit. Some smaller ice shelves appear to be sensitive indicators of climate change. They have a limit of thermal viability that, when exceeded, leads to their collapse. Greater understanding of ice shelf behaviour is required before ice shelf response to external forcing can be accurately interpreted.

The present day Antarctic atmospheric conditions will continue to be studied to better understand the Antarctic atmospheric processes and how they contribute to the global atmospheric system. A predictive knowledge of atmospheric processes is the goal of these studies to help New Zealand contribute to international debates on ozone depletion, climate change and greenhouse gas emission and mitigation.

Southern Ocean Research
The Southern Ocean surrounds the continent of Antarctica and links the three major global oceans - Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current thermally isolates the continent creating a profound affect on sea level history and the evolution and make-up of Antarctic biota. The Southern Ocean is the most uncontaminated ocean in the world. In particular, the Ross Sea is virtually untouched by humans making environmental management, conservation and protection in the area paramount for New Zealand as a conscientious environmental steward.

Proper management and protection from environmental damage of the Ross Sea marine area requires an understanding of oceanography of the Southern Ocean, Ross Sea marine biodiversity, structuring of Ross Sea marine ecosystems and external pressures on the area.There is a reasonable amount of data for the Southern Ocean, however comparatively little of it has been collected in the marine environment of the Ross Sea region.

Antarctic Ecosystems Research
The presence of liquid water is essential for life and away from the coast this is scarce. Few life forms exist in the high altitude polar ice caps where liquid water is absent and mean annual temperatures are less than -30°C. However, at the margins of the continent and over the surrounding seas mean annual temperatures fall in the range -10 to +5°C. Within this temperature range dramatic changes occur to the properties of water as it shifts back and forth from the solid to the liquid state, often in association with marked changes in salinity. The shift in the properties of water from the solid to the liquid state occurs over a very small temperature range and yet has enormous implications for natural ecosystems. In the sea, with its constant temperature of -1.8°C, biological communities are geared to the annual cycle of sea-ice formation and melt with its attendant fluctuations in light penetration, brine formation and the physical barrier it imposes on wind mixing of the underlying water. In contrast the structure of terrestrial and shallow water inland communities is geared to survival in conditions of extreme cold and of marked fluctuation in the state of hydration and of salinity. Limited biodiversity induced by extreme environmental conditions inland provides an opportunity to study whole ecosystem processes in a way not possible in complex ecosystems at lower latitudes. Behavioural, anatomical, physiological and genetic adaptations to Antarctic conditions, both marine and terrestrial, characterise an extreme in the spectrum of Earth’s life forms. All the evidence points to the fact that the organisms of extreme environments are very resistant to change. Therefore, it is the changes to the systems from climate variability that will drive organism changes. Lower temperatures, (or warmer temperatures) per se will not affect most organisms but if these changes result in a drying up of streams or the formation of more melt water, then the organisms and the communities will follow. Responses of Antarctic ecosystems therefore provide indicators of change. Understanding of Antarctic biological processes such as freezing, or desiccation resistance will also provide a vital stimulus to diverse biotechnology industries.