Antarctica scholarships 2025: Ocean detectives

Antarctica’s Southern Ocean is full of unanswered questions — and this year’s Antarctica New Zealand scholarship recipients are on a mission to help solve them.

Each of the 2025 Antarctica New Zealand scholarships is backing a young researcher investigating a different piece of the climate puzzle. Their work will shed light on how the ocean is changing, from deep-sea currents and penguin populations to the mysterious methane seeps appearing on the ocean’s floor.

Ella Yelich-O’Connor Antarctic Doctoral Scholarship

• Alexandra Strang, University of Canterbury - Assessing population trends in an important Ross Sea sentinel, the Adélie penguin

• Natalie-Jane Reid (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi), University of Otago – Reconstructing Antarctic Bottom Water production in the Ross Sea

New Zealand Post Antarctic Scholarship

• Anna Hiew, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington – How are Antarctic coastal benthic (seafloor) ecosystems affected by methane seep emergence?

“These researchers are making a significant contribution to Antarctic science, investigating different components of the Southern Ocean to help us understand what’s really going on beneath the surface,” says Antarctica New Zealand chief executive Prof Jordy Hendrikx.

“Antarctica is where the world’s oceans meet, and what happens there affects all of us. We’re proud to support these students as they uncover new knowledge that can guide global responses to change.”

Anthony Harris, New Zealand Post’s head of stamps and collectibles, says: “We’re excited to support research helping us better understand one of the most important and least explored places on Earth. Exploring the unknown and building knowledge will benefit both the environment and future generations.”

Meet the detectives

Alexandra Strang, University of Canterbury

Assessing population trends in an important Ross Sea sentinel, the Adélie penguin

Adélie penguins are key indicators of the health of the Southern Ocean, and about one-third of their global population lives in the Ross Sea. While some colonies have shown consistent trends over the past 40 years — others, even those close together — have responded differently to environmental changes, making it hard to understand what drives population change.

Monitoring of Ross Sea Adélie penguins has been extensive over the past 40 years. Recent major changes, such as declines in sea ice and the establishment of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area make it timely to examine penguin population trends in the region.

During her PhD, Alexandra aims to study population change of Adélie penguins across 15 colonies in the Ross Sea from 2009 to 2023. Her research will look at both regional and local trends, link them to environmental change, and aims to predict future population trends based on observed changes.

She also aims to enhance the precision of very high-resolution satellite imagery for monitoring Adélie penguin colonies in the Ross Sea, alongside aerial census methods. Ultimately, this research will improve how we monitor Adélie penguin populations and help inform management of the Southern Ocean ecosystem as it undergoes rapid change.

The scholarship puts $20,000 towards her studies.

“I’m incredibly grateful for this support. This scholarship enables me to help ensure our monitoring of Adélie penguin populations keeps pace with environmental change and continues to inform effective conservation in the Ross Sea,” says Alexandra.

Natalie-Jane Reid (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi), University of Otago

Reconstructing Antarctic Bottom Water production in the Ross Sea

Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), formed around Antarctica, is a key driver of global ocean circulation and climate. Despite its importance, long-term variability is poorly understood due to limited observational records. Models suggest AABW formation is vulnerable to climate change, but there are still large uncertainties with all model predictions. Palaeoceanographic records can reveal past AABW dynamics, but a reliable proxy for current speed is lacking. Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) measured on sediments offers a potential new technique which could be used to determine ancient sea-floor current speeds, as it records the alignment of magnetic minerals shaped by bottom currents.

Though widely accessible and easy to measure, AMS has not yet been calibrated to current velocity. Natalie's PhD project aims to develop a new paleocurrent proxy using AMS and apply it to reconstruct deep ocean current velocities in the Ross Embayment, which is an important place of AABW formation. As part of her PhD, she is developing a sediment flume in which she will simulate different deep ocean current speeds to see how these affect the AMS. In the second part of the study, she will measure AMS in sediment cores, including from SWAIS2C, to determine current strength since the last ice age.

The scholarship puts $10,000 towards her studies.

"This scholarship supports me in developing a new and ambitious approach to paleoceanography," says Natalie-Jane. "My Antarctic research is enriched by taking a Te Ao Māori approach to understanding the interconnectedness of ocean currents and climate."

Anna Hiew, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

How are Antarctic coastal benthic ecosystems affected by methane seep emergence?

At seafloor seeps, methane-rich fluids are released from reservoirs beneath the surface, supporting unique microbial and faunal communities. At these sites, microbes convert methane and sulphate into hard substrates and food, producing highly heterogeneous and complex ecosystems. Importantly, these microbes also regulate the release of methane, a strong greenhouse gas, from reaching the atmosphere.

While seeps in warmer regions are well studied, polar seeps, especially in Antarctica, are not. The first active Antarctic seep was observed in 2011 in the Ross Sea, an area surveyed for decades. Since then, additional seeps have been identified in the region. However, the formation and function of these new seeps are not yet understood. Early indications suggest that unique and endemic microorganisms may be involved, distinct from the expected microbial communities typically associated with seeps. Sea star wasting disease and large die-offs of sea creatures have also been seen near the seeps, possibly due to toxic chemicals released when the seep first forms.

Anna's research aims to understand how these seeps influence local life in the McMurdo Sound, and how seasonal changes in factors like light and food might shape Antarctic communities over time. As Antarctica continues to warm, it is crucial to study these seep ecosystems now to understand their impact, monitor change, and protect these sensitive environments.

The scholarship puts $10,000 towards her studies.

“I'm extremely thankful to receive this scholarship and Antarctica New Zealand's support,” says Anna. “I’m excited to help fill the knowledge gaps around methane seeps in Antarctica and contribute to the understanding of these extraordinary environments.”