Australian ANTARCTIC Magazine ISSUE 17 2009 Australian ANTARCTIC Magazine ISSUE 17 2009
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AUStraLian ANTARCTIC MAGAZinE ISSUE 17 2009 AUStraLian ANTARCTIC MAGAZinE ISSUE 17 2009 CONTENTS The Australian Antarctic Division, a Division of the SCIENCE Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, leads Australia’s Antarctic program and seeks Managing human impacts 1 to advance Australia’s Antarctic interests in pursuit Penguins in press 2 of its vision of having ‘Antarctica valued, protected and understood’. It does this by managing Australian Evolution in the Antarctic 4 government activity in Antarctica, providing transport Adélie penguin population dynamics: 18 years in a colony 6 and logistic support to Australia’s Antarctic research program, maintaining four permanent Australian Darkness sheds light on krill reproduction 9 research stations, and conducting scientific research Predicting the location of vulnerable marine ecosystems 10 programs both on land and in the Southern Ocean. Seeking answers to fishy questions 12 Australia’s four Antarctic goals are: Seabird saving device wins award 15 • To maintain the Antarctic Treaty System and enhance Australia’s influence in it; Award for zooplankton website 15 • To protect the Antarctic environment; Australian Antarctic Science Season 2009–10 16 • To understand the role of Antarctica in Science dives into dirty issue 20 the global climate system; and Southern Ocean Research Partnership 22 • To undertake scientific work of practical, economic and national significance. Grey-headed albatross receives greater protection 22 Australian Antarctic Magazine seeks to inform the Cameras to spy on petrels 23 Australian and international Antarctic community Seeing through deep ice 24 about the activities of the Australian Antarctic program. Opinions expressed in Australian Antarctic Magazine do not necessarily represent the position TECHNOLOGY of the Australian Government. Marine animals downsize in sea change 25 Australian Antarctic Magazine is produced twice a year Building technology in Antarctica 26 (June and December). All text and images published in the magazine are copyright of the Commonwealth Water finally flows at Davis 27 of Australia, unless otherwise stated. Editorial Freezing the natural moment 28 enquiries, including requests to reproduce material, or contributions, should be addressed to: Three-dimensional medicine 29 The Editor Subantarctic resupply a LARC 29 Australian Antarctic Magazine Australian Antarctic Division 203 Channel Highway PEOPLE Kingston, 7050 Antarctic Medal winner flying high 30 Tasmania, Australia. Mathematics and conservation combine for a Eureka moment 32 Australian Antarctic Division Telephone: (03) 6232 3209 (International 61 3 6232 3209) IN BRIEF 34 Email: [email protected] Facsimile: (03) 6232 3288 FREEZE FRAME 37 (International 61 3 6232 3288) Editor: Wendy Pyper Editorial Advisory Committee: Sally Chambers, John Gunn Production: Jonothan Davis, Jessica Fitzpatrick, FRONT COVER: ALISON LESTER AND PEARL NABEGEYO Glenn Jacobson, Mathew Oakes Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow, Alison Lester, asked school children around Graphic Design: Red Jelly Australia to draw their visions of her Antarctic adventure in 2005. Pearl Nabegeyo ot LM from Gunbalanya in east Arnhem Land sent Alison a 2 cm high drawing of an I ISSN 1445-1735 (print version) W emperor penguin and chick. Alison enlarged the image on watercolour paper and Australian Antarctic Magazine can be viewed online: says ‘I painted the dark indigo of an Antarctic sky and swirled snow across it in ichard <http://www.aad.gov.au/magazine>. spirals that echoed indigenous dot painting’. R AAD9614rj AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 17: 2009 S IP LL HI P Ice breaking off ice cliffs in Geoffrey Bay at Casey. N IA MANAGING HUmaN IMPACts A number of scientific This issue of the Australian Antarctic Magazine fishery in Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone looks at some of the different ways species or (page 12). As well as enabling CCAMLR to set research projects conducted ecosystems can be used to help understand and sustainable catch limits for the fishery, the work manage human impacts on a number of scales. is revealing some interesting facts about this in Antarctica focus on This includes, on page 20, an environmental mysterious monster of the deep. particular species or assessment of the sewage outfall at Australia’s Davis station. Various biological, physico- This issue also focuses on some of the ecosystems that can act as chemical and ecotoxicological studies on new technology making Antarctic work and microbial communities and invertebrates life easier. Casey and Davis stations are early warning systems for such as worms, crustaceans and algae, will undergoing significant infrastructure environmental change as a help scientists determine the effect, if any, improvements, with energy efficiency and of sewage on the environment and inform flexibility critical requirements (page 26). result of human activities. the installation of an effective replacement Antarctic doctors are also benefiting from a wastewater treatment system for the station. new three-dimensional ultrasound machine (page 29), while a new reverse osmosis plant Taking a slightly different tack, scientists Due to their significant appetite for krill, Adélie is allowing Davis expeditioners to enjoy an are building up a picture of the relationships penguins, for example, have played a major experience most people take for granted – between organisms’ life history characteristics role in helping scientists develop a system to daily showers (page 27). (e.g. reproduction and life span) and their monitor the potential impacts of the Southern environment, to predict whether they are Finally, we celebrate the achievements of two Ocean krill fishery for almost 20 years (page 6). vulnerable to bottom fishing in the Southern talented and dedicated individuals: Antarctic More recently, this research has revealed Ocean (page 10). Maps of geophysical features, Medal winner David Pullinger, whose work as a the close relationship between the sea ice ocean depth and currents are also being used helicopter pilot has supported scientific research environment and the birds’ breeding success and to predict the location of environments likely in Antarctica for 20 years (page 30); and Eureka survival, which also makes them a potentially to support vulnerable organisms. Through the Prize winner and mathematician, Dr Ian Ball, useful ‘indicator’ of the impacts of climate Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic whose Marxan software is contributing to marine change, before more widespread effects unfold. Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the work is and land conservation planning around the world Such indicator species provide important helping to safeguard these ‘vulnerable marine (page 32). ecosystems’ by preventing fishing in susceptible information for conservation and management areas until appropriate management actions Enjoy your reading. in Antarctica and elsewhere. Their study also are established. provides a window of opportunity to initiate management measures that help protect other To avoid a repeat of past mistakes, scientists species or ecosystems from the consequences are conducting detailed scientific research of human activities, or to manage or reduce the on the biology, distribution and movement of WENDY PYPER impacts on them. Patagonian toothfish to ensure a sustainable Editor 1 AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC MAGAZINE ISSUE 17: 2009 ER I V Only groups of penguins with chicks, such as this population I L O at Auster Rookery, can be classified as a ‘breeding colony’. E IQU REDER F PeNGUINS IN Press Penguin research made the colonies there are in the Australian Antarctic this study Dr Wienecke recommends a change Territory (AAT), with estimates of 13, 15 and to the listing status of emperor penguins by scientific spotlight this 17 colonies. In addition, some reported colony the International Union for the Conservation of sightings have never been confirmed. Nature, from ‘of least concern’ to ‘data deficient’. year, as Australian Antarctic To try and reduce the uncertainty over the ‘As we have no firm understanding of the Division scientists clarified number of emperor penguin colonies in the number of existing breeding colonies, we AAT, Dr Wienecke collated observations from cannot estimate the size or trends of the global how many emperor penguin expedition narratives, log book entries, population of emperor penguins. We need to published literature, maps, photographs and explore the coastline of the AAT in detail to help colonies call the Australian satellite images, from the 1950s to today. resolve this,’ she says. She then excluded sightings of birds without Antarctic Territory home, The application of remote sensing technology chicks, airborne sightings not confirmed by may prove an efficient and effective way to and revealed some good a ground visit, and sightings that were never confirmed on subsequent visits. do this. Recently, the British Antarctic Survey news on the resurgence of used satellite images of the Antarctic coastline ‘When emperor penguins are observed in to identify likely emperor penguin colonies, king penguins on Macquarie January/February, there is a possibility that based on faecal stains. Ground visits or high they have gathered at a moult location, which is resolution images can now be used to confirm Island, after their encounter not necessarily the same as their breeding site,’ these sightings. Dr Wienecke says. with near-extinction. ‘This is an exciting new development that has ‘Even