Australia Faces Challenges in Antarctic Research Funding and Logistics
This article discusses the challenges faced by Australian Antarctic researchers due to insufficient funding and logistics, affecting their ability to conduct extensive scientific studies.
By Jane Younger, Lecturer in Southern Ocean Vertebrate Ecology, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Australia's Antarctic territory represents the largest sliver of the ice continent. For decades, Australian scientists have headed to one of our three bases - Mawson, Davis, and Casey - as well as the base on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, to research everything from ecology to climate science.
But despite our role as leaders in Antarctic science, Australian funding and logistics for Antarctic research hasn't kept pace. Our single icebreaking vessel spends most of its time on resupply missions, restricting its use for actual science. And funding is often piecemeal, which makes it hard for researchers to plan and carry out extensive studies.
