Setting new baselines in the southern seas

While most New Zealanders were settling into their summer break, some scientists were double-checking their survival gear before heading to work deep in the Southern Ocean.

14 June 2019
Dave Bowden
Break out the short sleeves. The 40-strong team of researchers and crew mark another successful scientific expedition which netted more than 4700 samples, 33 hours of video and in excess of 8000 images of life on the southern seabed.

NIWA’s deepwater research vessel Tangaroa, set off early in January for a six-week trip to Antarctica, sailing as far south as 76° 30’ – just 30km short of Tangaroa’s southernmost voyage.

Working amongst ice floes, strong winds and heavy swells, the 21 New Zealand and international scientists and 19 crew faced a daunting research schedule. Their primary focus was setting up long-term monitoring programmes for the newly-created Ross Sea Marine Protected Area (MPA).

Data collected by Tangaroa’s scientists covered whale, fish and plankton abundance, seabed samples and oceanographic and atmospheric conditions. It will provide the crucial baselines needed to assess the MPA’s future impact.

“New Zealand has a commitment to playing a leading role in monitoring the MPA, and this voyage is a key contribution,” says voyage leader and NIWA Principal Scientist Dr Richard O’Driscoll.

“Data collected on the voyage will also build New Zealand’s reputation for research into atmosphere and ocean circulation processes.”

Dave Bowden
First Mate Ian Popenhagen keeps a watchful eye for ice as Tangaroa sails deep into a deceptively benign Ross Sea. The 11,800km voyage took Tangaroa just 30km shy of the furthest south it has ever been.

Water & Atmosphere 22, June 2019