Antarctic researchers awarded funds to foster New Zealand and Australian collaboration

Two Antarctic research teams have been awarded $20,000 in funding via a new grant to foster collaboration on Antarctic and Southern Ocean research across the Tasman Sea.

The grant is a joint initiative between New Zealand’s Antarctic Science Platform (ASP) and Australia’s Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) to facilitate scientific exchange and research innovation between the two countries' Antarctic communities.

The ASP and SAEF Collaboration Fund also aims to provide opportunities for early career researchers (ECR) to develop research skills and experience, with the requirement that at least one member of each team be an ECR.

The two successful teams, who will each be awarded $AU 10,000 for their proposed research projects, are:

• Dr Mia Wege (SAEF / University of Canterbury) and Dr Sarah Bury (ASP / National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research)

• Dr Narmilan Amarasingam (SAEF / University of Wollongong) and Dr Gabrielle Koerich (ASP / University of Canterbury)

Dr Mia Wege and Dr Sarah Bury’s successful project aims to explore the diet of Weddell seals in the Weddell Sea, with a particular focus on the contribution of icefish to their diet. This seal has a circumpolar distribution throughout the Southern Ocean; however, there are significant gaps in our understanding of their diet composition and foraging behaviour. One of these gaps is in the Weddell Sea.

The proposal follows the discovery in 2021 of the largest breeding colony of icefish. The colony, which covers ~240 km² and has an estimated 60 million nests, is within the foraging area of the Weddell seal. The team will analyse isotopes within body tissue samples of Weddell seals, icefish, and other likely prey to build an understanding of the Weddell seal’s diet in this part of the ocean. Their results will contribute to conservation efforts across the region, including a proposal to CCAMLR to establish the Weddell Sea Marine Protected Area.

Dr Narmilan Amarasingam and Dr Gabrielle Koerich’s funded proposal seeks to fill gaps in our understanding of the health, distribution and hydrological interaction of vegetation, such as moss and lichen, across the continent. Their project will combine drone and satellite-based remote sensing, deep learning and hydrological modelling to study vegetation in the Dry Valleys at the Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) 131 at Canada Glacier.

Their project will integrate ecological modelling and DNA-based ground validation to produce maps of the region's vegetation to reveal links between vegetation health and water availability. Their findings will help improve monitoring and conservation efforts of Antarctic vegetation, which has been experiencing both “greening” and drying trends across different regions.