The initiation of ANSTO research in support of the Securing the Future of the Antarctic Environment (SAEF) program began with the formal launch of the program and the departure of t.Two students from ANSTO-affiliated Queensland University of Technology (QUT) spent six months on Macquarie Island in Antarctica to collect environmental samples as part of the SAEF program.
SAEF is an ambitious new research and training program funded by a $36 million grant from the Australian Research Council as part of the Special Research Initiative on Excellence in Antarctic Science. Launched this week at Monash University in Victoria, the program brings together leading Antarctic and Southern Ocean sciences to benefit Australians, their Asia-Pacific neighbors and communities around the world in a changing climate. Offers.
ANSTO is one of the Australian and international academic research institutions supporting this project. Dr. Karina Meredith, Dr. Krystyna Saunders and Dr. Quan Hua are members of his SAEF team led by his FAA at Monash University, Professor Steven Chown. Sharon Robinson Distinguished Professor, Associate Director of Scientific Implementation, University of Wollongong.
“ANSTO has the expertise and capabilities to track ecosystem change, human impacts and climate change in the region. We will do this using environmental samples collected as part of this project.” said Dr Meredith.
SAEF’s main areas of research are assessing climate processes and change, identifying the state of biodiversity, identifying trends, and providing support for environmental stewardship.
Cait Selfe is a PhD student funded by the SAEF PhD Scholarship awarded to Dr. Krystyna Saunders. Maggie Smith is a QUT-scholarship master’s student. Both students are supervised by Dr. Saunders, Dr. Meredith and Dr. Justin Shaw from Queensland University of Technology.
Caitlin and Maggie joined two other scientists from the Macquarie Island team on board the Australian Antarctic Service icebreaker Aiviq last week for a six-month stay on the semi-Antarctic island.
A small team will conduct botanical surveys and collect samples of lake water, sediment and peat. This work will support various collaborative projects across the SAEF programme, including projects to understand how island plants and seabirds are responding to climate change and eradication efforts. How wind behavior affects ecosystems and how modern monitoring and historical data can be connected to support conservation management.
Dr. Sanders has previously conducted fieldwork on Macquarie Island, a unique and fragile ecosystem.
“Field conditions are challenging, but our collection of valuable samples is a valuable source of environmental information,” she said.
Read more on the Monash University website
