A NIWA research ship is leaving on a six-week voyage to Antarctica, making it one of the few full scientific expeditions to the continent since the outbreak of Covid-19.
The Ross Ice Shelf meets the smooth annual sea ice at Cape Crozier on Ross Island. The cliffs mark the seaward edge of the largest ice shelf in the world, about the size of France. It is terrestrial ice which has flowed off the Antarctic continent and floats on the sea. The sea ice is frozen seawater. Photo: RNZ / Alison Ballance
The flagship vessel Tangaroa leaves Wellington this afternoon with 20 science staff and 19 crew on board.
The focus of the research is to understand key processes that drive the environment and Oceanography of the Ross Sea and the potential impacts of climate change.
Scientists will be looking at microscopic marine algae, water chemistry and oceanography, sampling fish and finding out more about the distribution of whales.