Co-designing the future of the Antarctic Science Platform

New Zealand’s Antarctic community is invited to participate in the design and development of a second phase of the Antarctic Science Platform.

The Platform’s objective is to deliver ‘excellent science to understand Antarctic’s impact on the global earth system and how this might change in a +2°C (Paris agreement) world’.

The initial seven-year Strategic Science Investment fund (SSIF) investment in the Antarctic Science Platform concludes on 30th June 2025. Over the next few months, Antarctica New Zealand (as Platform host) are leading co-development of a Platform Plan with stakeholders and partners for the 7-year period from July 2025 to June 2032.

For this SSIF investment, Antarctic research is defined as activities and impacts south of 60˚S. The Platform’s unifying theme of climate change and Antarctica remains unchanged by MBIE, as do the four science priorities:

1. Understanding the stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet
2. Understanding the impacts of change in the Antarctic atmosphere and Southern Ocean
3. Understanding threats to ecosystem dynamics in the Ross Sea
4. Understanding connections between terrestrial and nearshore Antarctic environments, including sea ice

The Vision for Phase 2 of the Platform is to conduct excellent science that addresses critical questions related to climate change and Antarctica, responding to emerging international priorities, and is impactful both nationally and internationally.

The Platform has appointed Dr. Natalie Robinson as Deputy Director, whose role it is to lead the transition, lead stakeholder consultation and co-design of the Platform Plan for 2025-2032 – a high-level outline of our strategic direction and future research.

Dr. Robinson is leading a series of 1-day workshops in May and June 2024 with the Antarctic and Southern Ocean research community across New Zealand (in-person), as well as online options. The intention for these workshops is to inform the selection of the key research questions which will form the research foci and structure for Phase 2.

Workshop invitations will be sent to existing Platform participants, university and CRI research offices, and shared through common channels (e.g. social media, RWNZ newsletter).

If you are a member of the Antarctic research community and haven’t received a workshop invitation, we’re sorry we missed you. Please email scienceplatform@antarcticanz.govt.nz for an invitation. Likewise, email us if you see potential alignment with your research area and would like to learn more about the platform.

If you’re a stakeholder or user of Antarctic and Southern Ocean research who would like to participate in the co-design of the Platform Plan and you haven’t heard from us , please email scienceplatform@antarcticanz.govt.nz to express your interest in meeting with us.