More than 400 polar experts from around the country gather in Hobart next week for the biennial Australian Antarctic Research Conference.
Hosted by the University of Tasmania, the conference runs from 25 to 28 August, with the overarching theme of ‘Antarctic science, Australia’s future’.
Co-chairs of the conference steering committee, Professors Delphine Lannuzel and Nerilie Abram, said the event brings together Australia’s polar research community at a time of rapid and extreme climate-related changes on and around Antarctica.
“Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are both fundamental to our planet’s climate system and acutely affected by global heating,” said Professor Lannuzel, leader of the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership.
“Changes in this region have world-wide reach, influencing global ocean circulation, Australian and Pacific weather patterns and global sea level rise.
“The future of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the implications of melting for sea levels are central to Australia’s coastal management as well as the welfare of the world’s population,” Professor Lannuzel said.
Professor Abram, Chief Scientist at the Australian Antarctic Division, said the meeting will strengthen links between the university research sector and government agencies, as part of delivering the Australian Antarctic Science Decadal Strategy .
“The conference is designed to foster collaboration between institutions and across disciplines, from humanities to glaciology, from atmospheric science to technology, from tourism to tipping points.”
“The program includes more than 20 plenary presentations plus seven keynotes, more than 100 presentations across 27 parallel sessions over four days, and nearly 140 posters including 35 lightning talks,” she said.
The program features an Early Career Researchers Day, a welcome reception led by the University of Tasmania’s Vice-Chancellor, an Antarctic Women’s Network breakfast and swim, social events, and a public event on 26 August hosted by the Island of Ideas talks series called ‘Ice and Fire: The Mystery of Heard Island’ .
The multi-disciplinary conference is jointly sponsored by the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP), the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS), Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), supported by the Tasmanian Government.
Cover image credit: Jared McGhie AAD
