Unveiling the influence of Antarctica

Researchers are giving a voice to our planet by using the language of science to reveal the critical role that Antarctica plays in shaping our climate. Their findings will help humanity adapt to an undeniably warmer and increasingly inhospitable world.

As geopolitical shifts drive tension between scientific recommendations on climate change and climate action, our work highlights Antarctica's central role in influencing global climate patterns. Antarctica’s ice sheets and glaciers contain 60% of the world’s fresh water. Changes in ice sheets drive changes in ocean circulation and, in turn, the global ecosystems which sustain our global food chain.

For nearly 60 years the University of Waikato has led research in Antarctica. We are home to the International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR) that provides interdisciplinary science underpinning the conservation, protection and the management of terrestrial ecosystems in the Ross Sea region. Our Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research Professor Gary Wilson is also the President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the body responsible for promoting international collaboration and coordinating internationally significant scientific research in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.

Our researchers have been internationally recognised for their outstanding contributions to the knowledge, conservation and environmental protection of Antarctica. Emeritus Professor Allan Green for his work on Antarctica’s terrestrial biota, Professor Ian Hawes for his work on Antarctica’s lakes and Research Fellow Megan Balks for her contributions on Antarctica’s soils have all received the New Zealand Antarctic Medal, awarded by the Governor-General for a significant contribution to scientific work on the frozen continent.

This year we also acknowledge Professor Craig Cary who dedicated more than 40 years to the study of microbial life in extreme environments of the deep oceans and Antarctica. The New Zealand and international Antarctic scientific communities mourned Professor Cary’s passing in 2024. Among his many legacies is the development of the HAUWAI, a device to be placed on the seafloor of Antarctica, outside Scott Base, that will measure the impact changing sea ice has on Antarctica’s marine organisms year-round, allowing researchers to explore Antarctica’s depths beyond the traditional summer research window.

Professor Cary was a pioneer who expanded the frontiers of the world’s knowledge of the fundamental building blocks of Earth's biological systems. We are committed to carrying on his legacy by encouraging the next generation to take up and expand on Professor Cary’s groundbreaking work.

2024 Highlights

From Antarctica's Dry Valleys to Mt Erebus and the thousands of years' worth of data contained within its frozen depths, our research helps us to appreciate how Antarctica's ecosystems adapt and survive temperature extremes, how those ecosystems are changing as our world warms and, ultimately, how we can protect them and use the data we find to inform our own climate resilience strategies.

The Dry Valleys to Mt Erebus

We examined the unique ecological role of lake-edge moats in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys to uncover how the moats support biodiversity and biological processes in the extreme and nutrient-limited environment. We have also explored the microbial diversity and functional potential of benthic microbial mats in Lake Vanda, a perennially ice-covered lake in the Dry Valleys. These mats are multi-layered sheets of microorganisms that grow on the lake's bottom. Both studies offer insights into the resilience and adaptation of life in extreme environments.

In the geothermal environment of Mt Erebus, the southernmost active volcano in the world, we uncovered novel and previously unclassified microbial life. These microbes have developed mechanisms to thrive in the extreme conditions of high heat, low nutrients, and volcanic gas. Our findings also suggest the potential human impacts on these remote, highly significant sites.

Antarctica’s groundwater – an emerging story

Global warming has prompted widespread permafrost thawing, resulting in increased greenhouse gas release into the atmosphere. Permafrost covers up to 18% of Earth, and Antarctica’s Dry Valleys, including Taylor Valley, offer a prime location to study its structure, composition and underlying groundwater system. By analysing and mapping groundwater movement through the permafrost in Taylor Valley, our collaborative research aids in predicting climate change impacts and advancing the global understanding of permafrost systems.

Protecting the frozen continent

We examined the presence, sources and impacts of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in Antarctica's marine ecosystems. These pollutants, including industrial chemicals and pesticides, are transported to the region via long-range oceanic pathways. We also looked at how warming temperatures and melting ice are releasing the stored pollutants, potentially increasing their bioavailability and ecological impact. This collaborative research supports Antarctic protection and evaluates the effectiveness of international agreements including the Stockholm Convention, in reducing POPs.

Supporting the next generation

The Sir Peter Blake Trust in partnership with Antarctica New Zealand and the University of Waikato are safeguarding the future of research in the Antarctic environment by building capability and understanding in the young New Zealanders. Each year a BLAKE Antarctic Ambassador works alongside teams of scientists in Antarctica, using their experience to inspire and educate others. In 2024 Caitlin Berquist, an undergraduate student from the University of Waikato, was selected from the national applicant pool as the 2024 BLAKE Antarctic Ambassador and is taking up the mantle as we continue to use science to speak for our planet.

Citations

Persistent organic pollutants in the Antarctic marine environment: The influence impacts of human activity, regulations, and climate change. Environmental Pollution, 363, 125100. Kim, D., Lee, H., Kim, K., Kim, S., Kim, J. H., Ko, Y. W., Hawes, I., Oh, J., & Kim, J. (2024). doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2024.125100
Genomic profiles of four novel cyanobacteria MAGs from Lake Vanda, Antarctica: insights into photosynthesis, cold tolerance, and the circadian clock. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14. Lumian, J., Grettenberger, C., Jungblut, A. D., Mackey, T. J., Hawes, I., Alatorre-Acevedo, E., & Sumner, D. Y. (2024b). doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1330602
Metagenome-assembled bacterial genomes from benthic microbial mats in ice-covered Lake Vanda, Antarctica. Microbiology Resource Announcements, 13(5). Powell, T., Sumner, D. Y., Jungblut, A. D., Hawes, I., Mackey, T., & Grettenberger, C. (2024). doi.org/10.1128/mra.01250-23
Geothermal ecosystems on Mt. Erebus, Antarctica, support diverse and taxonomically novel biota. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 100(11). Rasmussen, T. B., Noell, S. E., Herbold, C. W., Dickie, I. A., Richards-Babbage, R., Stott, M. B., Cary, S. C., & McDonald, I. R. (2024). doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiae128
Permafrost Hydrogeology of Taylor Valley, Antarctica: Insights from deep Electrical Resistivity Tomography. Geophysical Research Letters, 51(18). Romano, V., Fischanger, F., Wilson, G., Sciarra, A., Mazzini, A., Mazzoli, C., Florindo, F., Tartarello, M. C., Ascani, M., Anderson, J., Worthington, R., Hardie, R., Dagg, B., & Ruggiero, L. (2024). doi.org/10.1029/2023gl106912
McMurdo Dry Valley lake edge ‘moats’: the ecological intersection between terrestrial and aquatic polar desert habitats. Antarctic Science, 36(4), 189–205. Stone, M. S., Devlin, S. P., Hawes, I., Welch, K. A., Gooseff, M. N., Takacs-Vesbach, C., Morgan-Kiss, R., Adams, B. J., Barrett, J., Priscu, J. C., & Doran, P. T. (2024). doi.org/10.1017/s0954102024000087