How Antarctic clouds could help reveal the effects of climate change

How Antarctic clouds could help reveal the effects of climate change

Antarctica’s massive ice sheet acts as a global heat sink. As a result, changes in the make-up of Antarctic clouds, such as the amount of ground they cover or how much radiation they absorb, can have ripple effects as far away as the tropics. Climate change researchers need to understand the physics of these clouds if they are to correctly work out how weather around the globe will change as the polar regions warm.

The US National Ice Center - naming Antarctic icebergs

The US National Ice Center - naming Antarctic icebergs

Icebergs are created when large chunks of freshwater ice break off Antarctic ice shelves or glaciers and calve into the Southern Ocean. To be classified as an iceberg, the ice extruding from the water must be at least five metres above sea level, be between 30-50 metres thick, and must cover an area of at least 500 square meters. Icebergs can have a direct effect on the sea bed, scouring the seafloor where it makes contact. But who monitors icebergs? And how big can they get?

RV Investigator

CSIRO RV Investigator to study underwater volcanoes in Southern Ocean

A CSIRO Marine National Facility research vessel has departed from Fremantle in Western Australia and headed to the remote subantarctic islands to research the link between active volcanoes on the seafloor and the mobilisation of iron which enriches and supports life in the Southern Ocean.