Federal Government launches Antarctic Gateway Partnership in Tasmania Thursday, 05 November 2015

Tasmania's place as a global leader in Antarctic and Southern Ocean science was solidified last month with the launch of the $24 million Antarctic Gateway Partnership, funded by the Federal Government.

The Antarctic Gateway Partnership is a collaboration between the University of Tasmania, the Australian Antarctic Division and CSIRO, and aims to get more scientists down to the ice to conduct their research.

The University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and Australian Maritime College, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the AAD will work together over the next three years on:

  • Cryosphere - ocean interaction,
  • Open water and under ice foodwebs,
  • Solid earth - cryosphere interaction, and
  • Marine technology and polar environments.

Australian Maritime College ocean engineer Dr Alex Forrest will have the Launceston-based University of British Columbia's Gavia on site as an example of the current generation of autonomous underwater vehicle and talk about the plans to design and commission the next generation — a $5 million polar-capable hybrid robot to explore under the ice.

University Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Mike Calford said the historic partnership enables the University to create world-class research in an area close to Tasmania's heart.

"Tasmania has a long tradition in marine, maritime and Antarctic exploration and it's an ideal laboratory for studying the Southern Ocean's climates and climate variability, marine biodiversity and ecosystems," Prof. Calford said.

"Hobart is the natural gateway to East Antarctica with access to the Australian Antarctic Territory and the strong collaboration with our scientific partners has been recognised by the Australian Research Council in its assessment of the quality of research under the Excellence in Research for Australia program which puts the University of Tasmania well above international standards in this field."

Gateway Partnership director and IMAS executive director Professor Richard Coleman has said he was pleased the capability for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science research within the State was acknowledged by the Federal Government and that they have made this vital investment.

"Our focus is also on the research training and innovation space – we will ensure the benefits from this project are obvious well into the future."

The information from this article was sourced from the University of Tasmania website.

A. Mark Thomas
M&M Communciations